[Aditya]

Mercedes-Benz has launched the GLS 400 4MATIC petrol in India at a price of Rs. 82.90 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). This is second variant of the 7-seater SUV to be launched in the country. The company had launched the GLS 350d 4MATIC in May 2016.



The GLS 400 4MATIC is powered by a 2,996cc, V6 petrol engine that develops 329 BHP @ 5,250-6,000 rpm and 480 Nm of torque @ 1,600-4,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a 9G-TRONIC 9-Speed automatic transmission and a permanent all-wheel drive system.

The GLS 400 4MATIC is available in two colours - Polar White and Obsidian Black. It is equipped with features such as a panoramic sunroof, full LED headlamps with intelligent light system, adaptive highbeam assist plus, cruise control, Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system with 14 speakers, COMAND Online with an 8-inch display and touchpad, Apple CarPlay and dynamic select handling control system that changes parameters such as the characteristics of engine, transmission, steering and suspension according to the five different driving modes that can be selected (comfort, sport, slippery, individual and off-road).

Safety features include the Pre-Safe system, brake assist, electronic all-wheel drive traction system, ESP with curve dynamic assist, adaptive two-stage airbags for driver and front passenger, side bags for driver, front passenger and the middle row seats (combined thorax/pelvis bags) and window bags across all three seat rows. The GLS is fitted with three-point safety belts on all seven seats.

The GLS 400 is the eighth car to be launched this year by the company in India. While it is being offered as a CBU at present, local production is expected to commence by end of the year.

[GTO]

A tad too late, Mercedes. The 2 liter diesel ban has come & gone. Few takers for a big SUV that guzzles fuel @ 3-4 km/l. Petrol might have made a return in lighter hatchbacks, sedans & (to an extent) light monocoque SUVs.

But when it comes to big, heavy SUVs, we just love our diesels.

Thanks but no thanks.

The GLS 400 is the eighth car to be launched this year by the company in India. While it is being offered as a CBU at present, local production is expected to commence by end of the year.

Mercedes launches CBUs as often as I wash my cars! But then, what's the effort in bringing a CBU here? Nothing. Import, copy brochures from abroad, small press conference & decide on a ridiculous price.

This launch didn't even have a press conference, so it was basically 3 small steps.

[Sahil]

If this car indeed does give the FE of 4kmpl as predicted by GTO, I highly doubt it will go into local production this year end as the diesel ban has now been lifted.

These CBU units will barely move off the shelf either. Eventually they will discount it heavily earlier next year and get rid of the inventory.

[Shivjeet]

Originally Posted by Sahil

If this car indeed does give the FE of 4kmpl as predicted by GTO, I highly doubt it will go into local production this year end as the diesel ban has now been lifted.

I think the FE would be around 8 at least , considering the GL63 has a FE between 4-5. Modern petrols are a lot more efficient now to be honest. I was surprised when the S500 returned almost 11kmpl on its first highway journey, from Delhi to Chandigarh.

[Jeeper1941]

Guys, I think we are missing the point here. Anyone who can afford to buy this will not be worried about the fuel efficiency!

(And 82.9L is just ridiculous pricing!)

[car_crazy1400]

I own a gl 350 cdi and the best mileage i ever got on a full tank of diesel was 8.5 kmpl.

I usually get around 7-7.5 kmpl. On a diesel.

So yes, this would indeed give a 4-5 kmpl

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by Shivjeet

I think the FE would be around 8 at least , considering the GL63 has a FE between 4-5. Modern petrols are a lot more efficient now to be honest. I was surprised when the S500 returned almost 11kmpl on its first highway journey, from Delhi to Chandigarh.

My friends w222 S500 gives a FE of 3-4 kmpl in the city. I doubt it would give more than 7-8 kmpl on the highway. Surprised you got 11 !

[Shivjeet]

Originally Posted by Sahil

My friends w222 S500 gives a FE of 3-4 kmpl in the city. I doubt it would give more than 7-8 kmpl on the highway. Surprised you got 11 !

That's kind of weird, because mine is a W221 V8 Bi-Turbo and the W222 has the same engine with about 30 more horses. Even in the city, I get a good 6-7kmpl. Though on the day I got around 11kmpl, I was cruising between 90-100 km/h with minimal traffic, but that's never happened again.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Sahil

If this car indeed does give the FE of 4kmpl

Considering the E350 gave 6 kmpl tops in the city, this would be much lower. It is a 2,400 kilo SUV we're talking about.

Originally Posted by Shivjeet

I think the FE would be around 8 at least

No way buddy. Fat chance.

I was surprised when the S500 returned almost 11kmpl on its first highway journey, from Delhi to Chandigarh.

Originally Posted by Shivjeet

Though on the day I got around 11kmpl, I was cruising between 90-100 km/h with minimal traffic, but that's never happened again.

If driven with a super light foot on an empty road, sure. I've seen 17.xx kmpl on my 530d. However, that was more the exception than the rule. City is usually 6 - 7 kmpl, highway is 11 - 12.

Originally Posted by Jeeper1941

Guys, I think we are missing the point here. Anyone who can afford to buy this will not be worried about the fuel efficiency!

The rich didn't get rich by not caring about such stuff. Trust me, guys who buy premium cars have an eye on every kind of expense.

[Shivjeet]

Originally Posted by GTO

If driven with a super light foot on an empty road, sure. I've seen 17.xx kmpl on my 530d. However, that was more the exception than the rule. City is usually 6 - 7 kmpl, highway is 11 - 12.

The rich didn't get rich by not caring about such stuff. Trust me, guys who buy premium cars have an eye on every kind of expense.

True. I was lazy driving it using the cruise control and everytime I had to slow down, I used to hit the cruise control stick to let the car accelerate back up. So I think the computer accelerated in the most economical way.

Coming back to the topic I think its good to at least keep the GLS 400 as an option and not close the door completely on petrols. To be honest, if the GL 500 or maybe even the GL 400 was available before, I might have considered getting one of them instead of the GL63 and invested the crore I would've saved in another machine.

[androdev]

w221 s350 gives 5-6 kmpl in peak city traffic. On highways it is 8-12 kmpl, yes there is a huge variation depending on how I drive. These numbers are as per on board computer and the real values will surely be lower.

I can understand large petrol sedans like S500/600,etc. but petrol SUVs don't make much sense to me because the gain in refinement is negligible in a truck, I mean SUV. I could be wrong, I never liked SUVs much so not qualified to speak about them.

[yash2424]

Just took delivery of the GLS400 and I must say, you just cant compare the driving pleasure to the 350d. This feels and drives like a completely different car with much more refinement. You cant hear the engine sound at all inside the cabin.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by yash2424

Just took delivery of the GLS400 and I must say, you just cant compare the driving pleasure to the 350d. This feels and drives like a completely different car with much more refinement. You cant hear the engine sound at all inside the cabin.

Congrats! Hope you got a good discount since this model is not moving much?

[yash2424]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Congrats! Hope you got a good discount since this model is not moving much?

Nope paid 50k over the 350d as they didnt have it in stock. They ordered it from the plant.

[vinit.merchant]

Even if it were to return an FE of 10 in city, Merc guys should realise that this product is dead on arrival at 83 large, ex-showroom Delhi. They might not ship one to Bangalore, even for display.