Once again, it’s time to pile into the whip and head off to mom’s, grandma, a favorite relative or best friend’s house for a holiday
feast. A time when comfort, space, and creature features really matter in your ride. And you can find it all – in addition to fuel economy – in the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec, Motor
Trend’s SUV of the year.

Regardless of what people say, it always begins with a
physical attraction. For 2013, the seven passenger GL’s overall design is far less
chunky and bulky than most other full size luxury SUV’s, which for most city
dwellers who wouldn’t be caught dead driving off road, serves the purpose of a
luxury sedans. The front fascia has a degree a sleekness in terms of overall
positioning, all of which is emboldened by a bodacious grill. Add to that the
glitz of LED daytime running lights positioned on the lower level and you can’t
help but feel the excitement. Follow the sleekness down the chiseled sidelines
and raised beltline to the rear where dual exhaust tips bring out the beast in
this refined piece of machinery.

GL’s interior cabin was always quiet. Now it’s super quiet.
The detail in the stitching on the dash and seats, the wood, the metals—they
really hooked it up this year! Also, third row access in the previous
generation included hydraulic second row seats that were feather light to raise
and lower. For 2013, they took it up even a notch further to make third row
access as simple as the touch of a power. Now the second row seats simply rise
and lower with a conveniently located button, which is kind of what one should
expect for a whip based at $62,400. Even the access area seems to have been
refined to the degree so that a person with a lot of junk in the trunk can
enter the third row in comfort. Opt for the panoramic sunroof and the entire
vehicle—first, second and third rows can experience the sun, moon and stars.
Even the standard sunroof has a noticeably larger opening—said to be the
largest in its class, with the absence of the ear busting turbulence sometimes
experienced when opening/closing, raising or lowering the roof/windows.

Under the hood, the GL350 BlueTec boasts just 240 horses via
a 3.0 liter V6, yet produces 455 lb-ft of torque. That’s awesome! Having sat
behind the wheel in city and highway driving, the thought of the GL350’s power
reminds me of the Ludacris song that says: “When I move you move…just
like that!” The butter smooth shifting
tranny (that’s transmission, if you’re not up on your urban vernacular) has seven-speeds
for further fuel efficiency beyond that of a diesel engine alone, which in this
case delivers about 600 miles on a tank of gas at 19 miles per gallon city / 26
highway. Best of all, ix-na on that god awful oise-na, as well as the smell and
the cloud of exhaust that diesels were notoriously known to create back in the
day. That’s all been cleaned up  by
the pioneers of the fuel efficient diesel engine, Mercedes-Benz.

In terms of handling, GL350’s 4Matic, all-wheel drive’s
ability to tap into the Electronic Stability Program and Electronic Traction
System takes us right back to Ludacris with: ”When I move you move…just like
that!” In other words, the 4Matic’systems
have the ability to sense what it is that you need to accomplish, ensuring that
it happens at all times, despite weather or any other conditions. Whether
you’re a thrill seeker alone or out with the wifey and kids in tow, that’s
hot!   

Speaking of the wifey, if her parallel parking is putting a
beating on the rims—PARKTRONIC to the rescue! It is so cool to watch the
screen as sensors search for the perfect space for the GL, which when located,
will steer the vehicle perfectly into the space. You control the accelerator,
brakes and gears for forward and reverse. 

Additional safety features include
COLLISSION PREVENTION ASSIST to detect obstructions in the distant path or the
possibility of a collision and provide proper assistance with braking and
prepare the cabin and its valuable passenger content for a potential collision.
ATTENTION ASSIST is perfect for long drives. Its monitors are constantly
working to ensure the driver’s alertness, whereby offering sight and sound to
call your attention back to the road when necessary. The expectation of the
types of features that keep you driving in your lane and monitor oncoming
traffic in blind spots and so much more are all included in GL’s long list of
safety features at www.mbausa.com.

Finally, despite my wit about you city slickers who see your
full size luxury SUV as a sedan, take delight in the fact that the GL350 has
the ability to tow up to 7,500 pounds, should the need ever arise. In other
words, it really is better to have and don’t need.