Mercedes-Benz GLS

Hey, folks—did you know the GLS is a Mercedes-Benz? If not, you certainly will now because the 2027 GLS incorporates the brand’s three-pointed star logo in more places than ever.

The shape hasn’t evolved much from the 2026 GLS, so most of the really noticeable changes are in the star-shaped details. The daytime running lights are a pair of three-pointed stars. The taillights, which are connected by a black panel spanning the center of the rear hatch, each include a trio of three-pointed stars. Then there’s the lighted grille, which features a new chrome frame, chrome fins, and a field of enough three-pointed stars to form their own galaxy. You can also add optional illumination to the front Mercedes-Benz symbol if you’d literally like to highlight it.

It may not be subtle, but even fans of understated classic Benzes have to admit that the company has incorporated this logo motif into some clever places. A more old-school Mercedes-Benz logo still sits in the traditional hood ornament location.

GLS buyers can choose between 21- and 22-inch wheels.

As the SUV equivalent to Mercedes-Benz’s top-of-the-line sedan, the S-Class, the GLS certainly looks the part inside. Most of its upgrades for 2027 are tech-based, with the most prominent being the “Superscreen”: a trio of 12.3-inch dashboard screens that sit under one seamless pane of glass. This flashy feature is standard on the new GLS, allowing the front passenger to play games or videos independently of the other screens. This right-side screen displays a selectable image when the GLS doesn’t sense a passenger in the front seat. Second-row passengers can enjoy a pair of optional dual 11.6-inch infotainment screens mounted to the backs of the front seats.

Powering those big screens—and the rest of the GLS—is the AI-enabled MB.OS operating system that debuted in the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA. MB.OS is capable of accepting over-the-air updates to stay current, and features a virtual assistant that can pull from Microsoft, Google, and ChatGPT’s AI services to accept and respond to conversational commands. Google Maps is built in, and when combined with the GLS’ optional head-up display, it can project navigation directions augmented-reality-style in the driver’s field of vision. The GLS also features Microsoft Teams integration, which uses the car’s onscreen camera to display the driver’s image to the rest of the meeting. This sounds like a feature best used when parked.

Off-screen controls largely carry over from the 2026 model, including the set of climate-control buttons below the center screen and the console-mounted touchpad (which we hope is less sensitive this time). Like the closely related 2027 GLE, the touchpads on the GLS’ steering wheel have been replaced with a physical rocker switch for adaptive cruise control distance settings and a physical scroll wheel for audio volume.

Above the passengers is a huge panoramic sunroof that incorporates 10.8 square feet of glass. Heated, ventilated, and massaging seats come standard for the front row.

The interior can be configured for six or seven occupants, with the choice of a three-person bench or dual captain’s chairs for the second row. All rows are power-adjustable, with second-row passengers getting similar door-mounted seat-adjustment controls to the front row. The optional Executive Rear Seat Package Plus adds massaging second-row seats, an extended center-console armrest with illuminated storage, additional seat controls, and electronically controlled sunshades in the rear doors.

The third row’s two-seat bench should be usable for more than just kids as well, because Mercedes-Benz boasts that it can fit a 6-foot-4-inch passenger. The third row clearly isn’t an afterthought on the options list, either, with optional heated seats and even its own climate control settings. This five-zone option splits the second row into two climate zones and gives the third row its own climate zone.

An electric cabin air filter that refreshes the interior air roughly every 90 seconds also comes standard, along with an air quality monitor that automatically switches the climate control system between fresh air and recirculation mode if it detects certain levels of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, or PM2.5 fine dust particles.

Mercedes-Benz’s powertrain upgrades focused on improving power delivery and reducing noise, vibration, and harshness. Additional noise-absorbing material was added to the engine cover, engine partition, transmission tunnel, and in certain cavities to further isolate the interior from the outside sound.

Two powertrains are available for the GLS, both with a nine-speed automatic transmission and a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. Mercedes-Benz’s hybrid system supports its engine power at lower speeds and enables a smooth transition between engine and battery-only power, including when the engine stop/start system is enabled.

The base GLS 450 has a 375-hp, 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine. Updates give it a slight torque increase to 413 lb.-ft., which should help it be more responsive. Upgrading to the GLS 580 gets you a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine good for 530 hp and 553 lb.-ft. of torque. This revised V8 features a new flat-plane crankshaft and turbocharger components designed not only to increase performance but also to meet stricter emissions standards.

Mercedes-Benz’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system comes standard. The GLS’ transfer case was redesigned to increase the torque it can send to the wheels, plus it can lock both axles to rotate at the same speed in order to pull the SUV out of an obstacle.

The GLS comes standard with an air suspension system that utilizes cloud-stored information gathered from other Mercedes-Benz cars on the road to adjust its dampers before it hits a bump.

GLS 580 buyers can add the optional E-Active Body Control system, which constantly adjusts the suspension at each wheel individually to keep the ride as smooth as possible, working to minimize body roll, front-to-rear pitching, or disruptions from bumps in the road. This upgraded active suspension system also comes with user-selectable drive modes that can prioritize comfort or handling. The system’s Free Wheel Mode can bounce the vehicle up and down to get the GLS 580 moving again after it gets stuck in mud or sand. It can also raise or lower wheels individually to maintain contact with the ground for traction, and lower the rear of the vehicle by up to 2 inches to assist in loading cargo.

Mercedes-Benz boasts having 10 cameras plus up to five radar sensors and 12 ultrasonic sensors that the operating system uses for various functions, including advanced driver assistance features. Standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control, lane centering assistance, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane keep assistance, automatic emergency steering, a surround view camera, and active parking assistance. The GLS’ automated reverse driving feature allows the car to back out of a previously driven route, such as into and out of your driveway at home.

Also standard are automatic high beams that stay lit but block only a portion when another vehicle is detected on the road, so as not to blind oncoming drivers. These also pivot to illuminate around turns when cornering.

The GLS is available with two different levels of driver assistance systems. The standard MB.Drive Assist package combines lane centering assistant and lane-change assistance with adaptive cruise control. Upgrading to MB.Drive Assist Pro extends these capabilities further by responding to traffic lights and road signs, with automated in-city driving to be added at a later date.