The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS is one of the finest three-row SUVs you can buy. Its recent refresh has improved its infotainment system and, in track testing, we found it even quicker than before. If you've got the dough and need three rows, you can't beat the GLS.Read full review
Plenty of helpful technology and driver assist features
Responsive engines and stable handling give the feel of driving a smaller SUV
Flexible cargo capacity
Cons
Some interior controls and buttons are too small or hard to find
What's new
No significant changes for 2025
Part of the third GLS generation introduced for 2020
Overview
by the Edmunds Experts
1/21/2025
The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS is the German automaker's largest SUV and one of the best three-row SUVs on sale. It received a significant styling update in 2024 and it returns for 2025 unchanged. It's a great choice for families thanks to its ample cargo space and roomy interior. If you fold down the third row, you'll get access to an immense rear cargo area. The GLS is a great pick thanks to its stellar comfort and impressive technology, performance and build quality.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class GLS 450 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 9A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $5.22 per gallon for premium unleaded in California.
Mercedes-Benz offers one of the best infotainment systems in the business. The touchscreen is responsive and easy to use, and there are USB-C ports available to charge your devices in all three rows. The advanced driver aids are also impressive. Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance and forward collision mitigation are all standard features and work great to help make driving easier and potentially safer.
Competitors to consider
The Mercedes GLS is a large SUV, but if you need something even bigger you could opt for the Cadillac Escalade or Lincoln Navigator, a pair of truck-based SUVs that are as luxurious as they are capable. Other compelling luxury SUVs include the BMW X7, which is as sporty as it is roomy, and the Land Rover Range Rover, which boasts impressive on- and off-road performance. Read our Expert Rating below for our test team's full evaluation of the GLS.
Edmunds Expert Rating
edmunds TESTED
by the Edmunds Experts
Great
8.6
out of 10
We drove the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class on our test track and on real roads. Our Edmunds team conducts rigorous independent vehicle testing, driving 500,000 miles a year.The Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.
Performance
8.5/10
How does the GLS-Class drive? We tested the GLS 450. This might be the base version but there's little reason to feel like you'd need to upgrade. At our test track, it hustled from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds — that's impressively quick and, for context, about a second quicker than a Cadillac Escalade. Around town, acceleration is smooth and easy. We were also impressed with the GLS' powerful brakes and secure handling. The steering doesn't provide much feel for the road, but its light effort makes the GLS easy to maneuver in a parking lot or in traffic.
Comfort
8.5/10
How comfortable is the GLS-Class? The GLS' front seats are supportive and highly adjustable. You won't have any trouble staying comfortable even after many hours behind the wheel. The heated and ventilated seats work well, and the automatic climate control quickly evens out cabin temperatures.
There's little intrusion from the outside world, with just a bit of road noise on rough pavement. The ride quality is excellent with the optional E-Active Body Control suspension. It's smooth and composed, ironing out most road imperfections without floating or wallowing. Large wheels can hurt ride quality in many SUVs, but our test vehicle with optional 21-inch wheels didn't seem fazed.
Interior
9/10
How’s the interior? The GLS' interior is excellent from almost every perspective. The driving position is upright and commanding, but you always feel comfortably ensconced in the GLS. There's plenty of room in all three rows, and 6-foot-plus adults can fit comfortably in the easy-to-access third row. The large windows help all-around visibility and make passengers in the rear feel less claustrophobic.
The controls are all well placed and easy to reach, but there's a lot of them and the small text means you have to take your eyes off the road until you work up the muscle memory. Separating the seat controls between the door and the infotainment system is a bit frustrating too.
Continue reading Edmunds Expert Rating below
Save as much as $5,317 with Edmunds Click on the trim you’re interested in to see what Edmunds suggests you should pay to get a good deal. Savings vary by trim; $5,317 refers to estimated savings off of MSRP for the GLS 450 4MATIC trim.
2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class pricing in San Diego, CA
How’s the tech? Mercedes' infotainment system is a marvel and benchmark for the class even if the learning curve is a bit steep. The navigation system in particular is a standout, and the augmented reality overlay and turn-by-turn directions in the instrument cluster and head-up display are compelling reasons to use this system instead of a mapping app from your phone. All three rows have USB-C ports, and a standard wireless charging pad sits in front of the cupholders.
The GLS' advanced driver aids are equally impressive. The adaptive cruise control is among the best we've tested. In traffic, the system maintains a reasonable gap and can slow the GLS down to a complete stop, then start going again when traffic moves.
Storage
8/10
How’s the storage? With the seats down, the GLS' cargo area offers up to 84.7 cubic feet of cargo area behind the front seats. Space drops to 17.4 cubes with all the rows upright, which isn't enough to haul luggage for every passenger. Space is decent enough for the class, though the GLS trails the cavernous Navigator, which offers up 103.3 cubic feet behind the front seats.
The second and third row seats fold flat and can be dropped with buttons in the hatch. Small-item storage is great, with lots of pockets, bins and cupholders spread throughout the cabin. The GLS 450 is rated to tow 7,700 pounds when properly equipped, which is certainly sufficient for many small and medium-size trailers.
Continue reading Edmunds Expert Rating below
Fuel Economy
8/10
How’s the fuel economy? The EPA estimates the GLS 450, which is what we tested, will get 21 mpg in combined city/highway driving. That's impressive for a vehicle this big and capable. On our real-world evaluation route, our test GLS got 21 mpg, indicating the EPA's estimate is realistic. Fuel economy drops substantially with any of the V8-powered GLS models, however.
Value
8/10
Is the GLS-Class a good value? The GLS is expensive to start, and adding a bunch of options further boosts the price. This is pretty typical for luxury SUVs, however, and nothing at this price point can match the GLS' impressive build quality and refinement. Mercedes' warranty is average for the class.
Wildcard
8.5/10
The GLS is everything you want in a three-row luxury SUV. It's stylish without being overwrought, quiet and comfortable on the road, and effortlessly powerful whenever you need it to be.
Which GLS-Class does Edmunds recommend?
We suggest starting with the base GLS 450. It has more than enough power for a large luxury SUV and is eligible for almost every option that is offered in the GLS 580.
The GLS450 2023 just suddenly stalls while driving - loses all power - they don't know how to fix. It stalled out twice on consecutive days in first week of ownership! Nearly killed us - going to try BMW X7. We had a previous 2020 GLS450 that did the same thing 10-12 times a year and they never were able to fix it.
I should have heeded the advise of a colleague who warned about serious quality issues with Mercedes brand. Transmission of my new 2023 GLS blew out completely without any warnings in exactly 12 months, leaving me and my wife stranded in the middle of a busy street. They had to order a new transmission and took a total of 3 weeks to get the car back. While it didn't cost anything out of … pocket thanks to factory warranty, this is not what I had expected from a $100k MB which at one point used to be synonymous with "high quality and reliability". I am going back to BMWs (I have owned 3 of them for a total of 15+ years) or Audi (owned 1, for a total of 6 years).
The gls 450 is slow to pick up speed from a stop. It's quite noisy on uneven surface. It's bouncy on bumpy roads. Lot of tire noise coming into the cabin. The only time I get to enjoy the car is when it is on a smooth road.
Been driving my GLS for a little over a year now. 20,000 miles
My first comment is, wow! Did not think the V6 in my 2018 was lacking until I got the V8 in the 580. Truly impressive acceleration. Just had a GLE for a loaner and yeah, the acceleration is real.
The real reason I prefer the GLS is the ride. For a vehicle with nearly 7500 lb GVWR it rides marvelously. The road noise and … engine noise is minimal. I prefer the GLS450 interior to the 580, but the quality is great on both. At highway speeds of 80 mph averaged 23 MPG.
MB marginally improved their tech, but it is still significantly lacking given the price point. CRAZY THAT ANDROID AUTO MUST BE WIRED. MY LOANER GLE HAD WIRELESS ANDROID AUTO AND IT WAS GOOD, SHAME MB DOES NOT THINK IT IS NEEDED ON THEIR HIGH END PLATFORM WHY HAVE A WIRELESS CHARGER THEN HAVE TO PLUG IT IN TO USE ANDROID AUTO, IT IS ACTUALLY EMBARRASSING. Touch screens and finally a real use for the mouse pad. When driving the touch screen is a reach, I'm 6'1", and the pad does allow for easy swiping. The learning curve is real, and takes time to find things, but overall it very customizable. Tech start up is painfully slow, sometimes taking close to 30 seconds for the system to boot up.
JUST GOT NOTICE THAT I HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR HALF ASSED APP TO START AND LOCK MY CAR! NOT THAT $15 / MONTH IS A WORRY BUT TO EXTORT ME TO USE AN APP THAT ONLY WORKS OCCASSIONALLY IS RIDICULOUS. HAVING TO PAY TO REMOTE START OR LOCK YOU VEHICLE IS BUSH LEAGUE, THE CAR WAS $100K+.
My only complaint on the drive side, and it is enough to tell anyone to take a highway drive before you buy, the lane keeping system is jarring to the point of sickening. If you stay left while passing a vehicle or missing an object in the road it will throw you back into what you were avoiding. You cannot turn off the lane tracking without turning off the warning as well. So, in Germanic fashion, we know better than you, you will use the car the way we say is best, even if you have good reason. If one could keep the warning and drop the harsh lane correction it would be great.
The cruise is no longer a speed keeping system, it is an auto drive system. I personally have issue giving control to the machine, and there are times when I would like to drive the car. I was exhausted after my first trip fighting the car and how it liked to drive over how I like to drive. Drive 800 miles over holiday and kept cruise off most of the time because it is actually more work to use the cruise than not. Seems cool at first but if you use cruise a lot I would look carefully at how cruise has changed.
One thing that I do find odd is you cannot lift the drivers windshield wiper to clean under it, or wipe things off the blade, without hitting the hood and stopping it. I'm not sure how you would change wiper blades like this.
New issue that I found is if you are an aggressive driver, guilty as charged, the collision avoidance system is so sensitive it is almost dangerous. My car stopped me in an opposing lane thinking I was going to crash which almost caused a crash. I hate to turn it off because I can see the value but it it needs refinement.
Maybe the car is just smarter than me, and as much as I hate the lane system, the car is a great ride, but don't expect much from the tech.
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, so we've included reviews for other years of the GLS-Class since its last redesign.
These Are the Best Luxury SUVs You Can Buy in 2024
NOTE: This video is about the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, but since the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class is part of the same generation, our earlier analysis still applies.
Got a taste (and a budget) for the finer things in life? A luxury SUV might be right up your alley, and there are a whole lot to choose from. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of all the best. In this video, Edmunds’ Nick Yekikian tells you all about the best luxury SUVs on sale in 2024 and why we love them.
The Mercedes-Benz GLS is the German automaker’s largest SUV and one of the best three-row SUVs on sale. It received a significant styling update in 2024, so we expect the GLS to return for 2025 relatively unchanged. It’s a great choice for families thanks to its ample cargo space and roomy interior. If you fold down the third row, you’ll get access to an immense rear cargo area. The GLS is a great pick thanks to its stellar comfort and impressive technology, performance and build quality.
Edmunds spotlight: Lots of great technology
Mercedes-Benz offers one of the best infotainment systems in the business. The touchscreen is responsive and easy to use and there are USB-C ports available to charge your devices in all three rows. The advanced driver aids are also impressive. Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance and forward collision mitigation are all standard features and work excellently.
Competitors to consider
The Mercedes GLS is a large SUV, but if you need something even bigger you could opt for the Cadillac Escalade or Lincoln Navigator, a pair of truck-based SUVs that are as luxurious as they are capable. Other compelling luxury SUVs include the BMW X7, which is as sporty as it is roomy, and the Land Rover Range Rover, which boasts impressive on- and off-road performance.
Edmunds says
The Mercedes-Benz GLS is one of the best three-row SUVs money can buy. If you're looking for a luxurious SUV with impressive tech and plenty of storage, the GLS is a great pick.
FAQ
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class a good car?
The Edmunds experts tested the 2025 GLS-Class both on the road and at the track, giving it a 8.6 out of 10. Edmunds’ consumer reviews show that the 2025 GLS-Class gets an average rating of 4 stars out of 5 (based on 26 reviews) What about cargo capacity? When you're thinking about carrying stuff in your new car, keep in mind that the GLS-Class has 17.4 cubic feet of trunk space. And then there's safety and reliability. Edmunds has all the latest NHTSA and IIHS crash-test scores, plus industry-leading expert and consumer reviews to help you understand what it's like to own and maintain a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class. Learn more
What's new in the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class?
According to Edmunds’ car experts, here’s what’s new for the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class:
No significant changes for 2025
Part of the third GLS generation introduced for 2020
To determine whether the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class is reliable, read Edmunds' authentic consumer reviews, which come from real owners and reveal what it's like to live with the GLS-Class. Look for specific complaints that keep popping up in the reviews, and be sure to compare the GLS-Class's 4-star average consumer rating to that of competing vehicles. Learn more
Is the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class a good car?
There's a lot to consider if you're wondering whether the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class is a good car. Edmunds' expert testing team reviewed the 2025 GLS-Class and gave it a 8.6 out of 10. Our consumer reviews show that the 2025 GLS-Class gets an average rating of 4 stars out of 5 (based on 26 reviews). Safety scores, fuel economy, cargo capacity and feature availability should all be factors in determining whether the 2025 GLS-Class is a good car for you. Learn more
How much should I pay for a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class?
The least-expensive 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class is the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class GLS 450 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 9A). Including destination charge, it arrives with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of about $89,200.
Other versions include:
GLS 450 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 9A) which starts at $89,200
GLS 580 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (4.0L 8cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 9A) which starts at $114,800
AMG GLS 63 4dr SUV AWD (4.0L 8cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 9A) which starts at $149,500
What are the different models of Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class?
If you're interested in the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, the next question is, which GLS-Class model is right for you? GLS-Class variants include GLS 450 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 9A), GLS 580 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (4.0L 8cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 9A), and AMG GLS 63 4dr SUV AWD (4.0L 8cyl Turbo gas/electric mild hybrid 9A). For a full list of GLS-Class models, check out Edmunds’ Features & Specs page. Learn more
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