Driving the GLS

Next, I switched with my husband and got to drive the GLS myself. Just a few years ago, I was a nervous driver who said, “There’s no way I can drive a car bigger than a Prius,” so I never imagined I’d be driving a GLS.

Right away, I noticed you don’t feel the large body size at all. Maybe that’s common with modern SUVs. Even though it’s over 2 meters wide, it’s surprisingly nimble and easy to maneuver. The steering was light and easy to handle.

Also, the driving feel was “just light.” I expected to feel some weight with a 2.5-ton vehicle, but it felt very light. On the other hand, it felt a bit floaty, as if lacking ground contact.

This is purely personal preference, but I like a certain weighty feel in a luxury car’s ride. When a car has power, that weightiness doesn’t feel heavy but adds to the premium feel. My husband said:

“It’s a recent trend that European cars have lighter ride feels. Also, comparing sedans and SUVs, sedans with lower ride height naturally feel more luxurious. The S Coupe we had before definitely rode better.”

Still, it’s true that the GLS is easy to drive in many ways. It has features like automatic lane change when signaling, gear shifting via a lever without taking hands off the steering wheel,

and very clear camera images that make it easy to check the sides and obstacles. It also has a monitor to check for cars approaching from the side, which is very helpful at narrow intersections given the GLS’s long front end.

On top of these abundant safety features, the S-Class also comes standard with a massage function that soothes your tired body on long drives. I tried it, and it was just right—not too strong or weak—and didn’t interfere with driving.

This level of thoughtful detail makes for a truly comfortable drive.

Also, the heated and cooled cup holders are large, easy to use, and very sturdy (a big difference from Porsche). With the push of a button, you can switch between heating and cooling, keeping your drinks just right.

I was really impressed… I want these cup holders.

By the way, the small storage compartment behind the cup holders supports Qi wireless charging—just place your compatible smartphone there to charge.

This attention to detail and pursuit of comfort is impressive, and most of these features come standard without needing to add options. Truly wonderful.

Even drivers who aren’t confident can operate it safely and enjoy driving it fully.

That said, since I focused on “smooth ride and luxury feel,” my raised expectations made me feel a bit underwhelmed. But this isn’t the GLS’s fault—it’s entirely my own fault for setting my expectations too high.

My husband said:

“Mina, you’re just used to great cars, haha. You can’t compare it to a Bentayga. At that level, the only other option is the Cullinan (laughs). For someone who doesn’t know those, a wife riding the GLS would usually be much more impressed.”

He’s absolutely right. Sorry, sorry…

Will we buy the GLS…?

At first, we thought, “We don’t need that much sportiness in an SUV, so the GLS or X7 might be better than the Cayenne,” so I focused on ride comfort rather than driving performance during this test.

Honestly, based on my personal preference, I felt the current Cayenne offers a more refined and smoother ride. Especially the luxury feel when driving—the Cayenne felt superior.

And realizing the Cayenne delivers better ride comfort than even the Panamera sedan made me appreciate how amazing the Cayenne really is. (Sorry for being such a Porsche fan.)

My husband agreed, and I hope you’ll look forward to his impressions in a future article.

*Top image source: Mercedes-Benz “The GLS”