It seems there’s another niche war occurring in the upper echelon of the luxury full-size crossover SUV segment – the battle to see who can build the biggest and most luxurious crossover for very affluent suburbanites. With the Bentley Bentayga leading in this segment, other luxury nameplates aren’t taking kindly to it.
Entrants have been coming out with more luxurious variants to already very opulent crossover SUVs. One case is the Range Rover Autobiography model, a $140,000 ultra-luxurious version of the already luxurious Range Rover.
Another entrant is the latest Mercedes-Benz GLS Grand Edition, just revealed ahead of its physical debut at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Available at dealers in the middle of this year, the new GLS Grand Edition can be had in two trims, GLS450 4MATIC, and GLS550 4MATIC. Basically, two engine options.
The GLS450 4MATIC comes with a 3.0-liter biturbo V6 with 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque while the GLS550 4MATIC gets the same 4.7-liter biturbo V8 found in the latest S-Class flagship sedan with 449 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.
The GLS full-size luxury crossover SUV is already quite nice as is, so how did the company manage to make it even nicer?
According to the latest press release, the GLS Grand Edition comes with a range of exclusive features that customers can personalize, from special order colors, and exclusive option arrangements.
The one debuting at the Cobo Center next week sports an exclusive Porcelain and Espresso Brown interior, with designo Nappa leather-wrapped seats and a diamond-shaped quilting design. Complementing the leather is fancy pore brown ash wood trim with light stripes, and even more Nappa leather on interior bits, like the door panels and dashboard. There’s also optional ambient lighting and Espresso Brown Velour floor mats.
On the outside, the Grand Edition adds more exclusive 20-inch 10-spoke two-tone-finished wheels to the GLS450. The GLS550 gets special 21-inch wheels and Active LED headlights as standard. For some cool exterior and visual lighting effects, Mercedes made its advanced LED Intelligent Light System standard even for the GLS450.
Let’s not forget the Grand Edition badging on the interior and exterior as well, reminding you that you have a super-luxurious version of an already luxurious SUV.
Pricing hasn’t been announced just yet. But considering the standard GLS starts at $69,550, the Grand Edition will likely crest the six-figure mark.
