Benz updates its luxurious SUV

GETTING out of the new Mercedes-Benz GLS to sample the magnificent view from Hochgurgl, high in the Austrian Alps, was a lot more difficult than actually driving the road to get to the view point.

My co-driver had parked hard up against a snow drift, and the ground where I alighted was frozen-solid ice, which meant I had to cling to the side of the GLS to make my way around to some tarmac with more grip.

That little taste of how slippery things can be, and indeed were in many places up there above the clouds, emphasised the sheer competence of this luxury range-topping sevenseater SUV from Mercedes-Benz. By sticking within the parameters advised by our “squadron leader” up the mountain, we were able to assess at least some of the tractive and behavioural elements of the new six-way Dynamic Select function on the GLS, the car Merc is calling “the S-Class of SUVs”.

Dynamic Select now offers up to six transmission modes in the new GLS, which is effectively a face-lifted GL with some telling technical upgrades. These settings include Comfort, Slippery Sport, Off-Road and Individual.