Review of the new Mercedes-Benz GL320 CDI

When he was at his prime, let's say back in 1997, Naseem Hamed was an astonishing boxer. His featherweight rivals could barely lay a glove on him and he packed a punch that belied his diminutive frame. For a couple of years he was simply unbeatable. How would he have fared though if you'd have stuck him in with a mediocre heavyweight? I'll tell you. He would have been plastered all over the ring. There's only so far that much power can take you and one suspects Mercedes may be testing those limits with the latest GL320 CDI model.

Put this engine in a C-Class and it'll do the Prince Nas thing, putting a sound leathering on its direct rivals. The trouble is that a C-Class tips the scales at a mere 1,550kg. A GL weighs in at over 2,600kg and that's asking this engine to punch above its weight a little. You'll have to give the GL320 CDI a good punt to shift at a respectable speed and in so doing, fuel economy caves in a little. It's almost as if the benefits of this diesel engine are being negated by the sheer weight of the car.

Still, a sprint to 60mph of 9.5 seconds isn't exactly slow, being within half a second of the entry-level petrol engine Porsche Cayenne, but with this car more than most, we need to separate performance and economy figures. Really drive the GL320 CDI hard and you won't get anything like the claimed 29.3mpg. I doubt that in typical give and take driving conditions, there would be a lot of difference between this consumption figure and that of the V8 GL420 CDI diesel model. So what's the appeal?

The reason is because it is by some margin the most inexpensive GL to buy. If you want seven seats and macho Mercedes styling, the £51,675 that you'll pay for this model is the easiest way to achieve that. You certainly get a lot of car for your money. It's fully 508cm long, making it nearly 13cm trickier to slot into a parking bay than a full size Range Rover, the overall length being the same as an Audi Q7, a vehicle that also boasts seven seat capacity. Unlike the Audi, which is a mere 173cm tall, the GL stands 184cm off the ground. It's tall enough to put your neighbours back in the Dark Ages.

"The Mercedes GL320 CDI demands big things of its 224bhp engine"

The 3.0-litre engine does a decent job of the easy things. It's tractable and acceptably refined and steps off the line acceptably around town. For the more undemanding buyer, it won't generate any real cause for complaint but it gives little indication as to what the GL is really capable of. Drive a GL420 CDI and you'll see, the eight cylinder engine giving the big Mercedes the power to apparently shuck off the weight of the chassis. It feels like a completely different proposition.

Although it wears a German badge, make no mistake that the heart and soul of this car is pure stars and bars. Built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the GL is aimed at the well-heeled buyers of New York, California, Washington and Florida, customers who demand a vehicle with the front to face down a Cadillac Escalade or a Lincoln Navigator. Make no mistake, the GL is a serious piece of real estate.

Much of the GL320 CDI's appeal will hinge on practical aspects and Mercedes have worked hard to endow this 4x4 with family-friendly features. It's far more spacious inside than their R-Class sports tourer and features a centre-row bench seat with four-way backrest adjustment which is claimed to provide far better seating comfort for up to three passengers. The wider section of the 1/3:2/3 split-folding seat has a folding armrest with cup holder and compartment. The backrests and the cushions can both be folded down, for transporting bulky loads while the divided seat cushion folds forwards in individual sections, then the backrests are folded forwards to create a flat surface level with the load floor at the rear.

A newly developed EASY-ENTRY system provides convenient access to the optional third-row individual seats. To use this facility, the narrower backrest section of the bench seat is released and folded forward together with the cushion. If the front passenger seat is in a further back position, it automatically slides forward. When the third-row passengers have taken their seats, the bench seat can be folded back into position and the front passenger seat returns to its original place.

Equipped with the third-row individual seats, the GL-Class is a full-size seven-seater. Either one or both seats can be electrically folded to create a continuously level load floor which, when the centre seat row is folded down as well, extends right the way through to the front seat backs. Customers who do not opt for the seven-seater version get an additional stowage compartment under the load compartment floor. The optional rear-seat entertainment system, comprising two colour monitors with headphone jacks in the back of the front head restraints and a CD/DVD player under the centre bench seat, allows rear-seat passengers in the GL-Class to listen to or watch their own choice of music or films. To extend the entertainment programme even further, external audio/video sources or a games console can be connected to the system. It's a great way of keeping the kids quiet on a long journey.

The GL320 CDI is a great big car with a great engine. Unfortunately that engine doesn't belong in this car. Mercdes rarely miss the mark these days but here's one that certainly doesn't represen the Stuttgart company's A-game. Let's say it loses by an early knockdown.

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