Features & Pricing

Excluding the destination charge, the GL320 Bluetec starts at $58,200, while the GL450 starts at $59,200. Both represent $3,000-plus increases over last year's prices, though larger standard wheels on the Bluetec and additional standard features — among them a six-CD changer and a moonroof — mitigate this a bit. Other standard features include four-wheel drive, faux leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control, a fixed third-row skylight and heated power front seats. The GL550 hikes the price considerably ($81,300) but comes standard with leather upholstery, keyless access with push-button start, a backup camera, heated second-row seats, Harman Kardon audio, xenon headlights and a navigation system. Many of those features are optional on lesser trims.

GL550 options include a rear-seat DVD system, upgraded leather and ventilated front seats. Fully loaded, the GL-Class tops out around $87,000.

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    Displaying the range and current fuel consumption
    •► Press the button on the steering wheel to select the Trip menu. •► Press the button to select current fuel consumption21 and approximate range. The approximate range that ca ...

    Interior
    The inside got an immediate thumbs-up from me. Our test car came with black ash wood trim, which looks a million times better than any brown wood trim. The car featured in the pictures to the righ ...

    Important safety notes
    WARNING   For safety reasons, switch off the windshield wipers and remove the key from the ignition lock before changing the wiper blades (vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: make sure that the o ...