| The 2011 Mercedes GL550 is updated with a redesigned lower fascia, grille, bumpers, and LED tail lights and daytime running lights for a more contemporary look.
On the 2011 GL550, a unique front metal skid plate, along with 21-inch wheels, fat tires and dual-split exhaust pipes, make the top-of-the-line model the most imposing of the bunch.
The GL-Class are big vehicles.
The GL-Class is taller than the Audi Q7 and BMW X5.
It's the same length as an Audi Q7, but it's nine inches longer than the BMW X5, though the BMW needs another two feet to make a U-turn than the Audi or Mercedes.
Stretching to 121 inches, the Mercedes GL-Class wheelbase is substantially longer than that of the Audi and BMW.
The GL-Class is four inches longer overall than the Range Rover and Lexus LX570.
The Cadillac Escalade is 22 inches longer than the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, and the Cadillac's wheelbase is nine inches longer.
However, the GL-Class is three inches shorter than the Mercedes-Benz R-Class touring wagon, which also has three rows of seating, though with less room for six occupants.
Seen in profile, the Mercedes GL-Class features a nicely raked windshield and bulging wheel arches over large wheels (19-inches or better), which balance the proportions of a tall and long vehicle.
Although tall and long, the GL-Class doesn't look as bulky as the Cadillac Escalade.
Viewed from the rear, the GL-Class offers a formidable stance.
It looks tall and, though narrow for the class, it looks wide, with a large rear hatch opening and large LED tail lights, all sitting above a substantial skid plate bracketed on either side by large, rectangular exhaust pipes.
The GL-Class is built using unibody construction rather than the body-on-frame design that full-size pickups and SUVs traditionally use.
Mercedes notes that because of this architecture, the GL-Class is 300-600 pounds lighter than its full-size competitors.
To make sure the GL-Class is strong enough, 60 percent of the vehicle structure is made from special high-strength steel. |