2025 Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG GLS

One of the pioneers of the performance-luxury SUV realm, the Mercedes-AMG GLS combines speed and comfort in an impressively luxurious package. At the same time, it’s practical for daily life with three rows of comfortable seating and plenty of cargo space.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of large luxury SUVs, including the Mercedes-AMG GLS.

New equipment and features for the 2025 AMG GLS are limited to a fingerprint sensor and AMG crests on the head rests. New design and appearance items are more extensive, with a new interior package, two new paint colors, and three new upholstery colors. One color also gets retired this year.

The new Manufaktur Signature Interior Package for the AMG GLS is a $9,500 option that adds Nappa leather upholstery elements, high-pile carpets, custom lettering on wood trim, microfiber headrest cushions with embroidered AMG logos, and illuminated door sills.

For the design-oriented, the two new Manufaktur Signature paint options are Cote d’Azur Light Blue Metallic and Silicon Grey. The three new Manufaktur Signature upholstery colors include Nappa leather in Yacht Blue, Truffle Brown, and Carmine Red.

The entire Mercedes-AMG GLS line consists of a single variant, the GLS 63. Compared to vehicles of similar size and performance, like the $125,975 BMW X5 M Competition, the AMG GLS 63’s price is considerably higher. The X5 M Competition is more performance-focused, however, while the GLS 63 takes a more balanced approach to luxury and performance. The X5 also lacks the GLS’s third-row seats.

The BMW Alpina XB7, based on the X7 three-row SUV, could also be considered a direct competitor to the AMG GLS 63. The Alpina XB7 starts from $150,395, right around the same price as the AMG GLS, with similar performance and luxury features.

Comfort and luxury might be something you’d assume of a Mercedes-AMG SUV that starts just north of $150,000, and you’d be right. Despite its bonkers power output the AMG GLS is a large luxury SUV par excellence.

The AMG GLS is also a shockingly quick, fast large luxury SUV. Zero to 60 mph comes in just 4.1 seconds and who knows how fast you’d go if it weren’t limited to 174 mph.

Thanks to the AMG Ride Control+ active roll stabilization system, the AMG GLS handles corners as well as it handles the daily school run.

Fuel Economy

The 2025 AMG GLS 63 gets surprisingly good gas mileage considering its size and power. That said, 15 mpg combined (14 city/18 highway) isn’t going to win any green awards. It is about on par with the non-AMG GLS 580 and its segment alternatives like the BMW X5 M Competition, which is also rated at 15 mpg combined (13 city/18 highway).

The Mercedes-AMG GLS has the cabin and quality you expect of the S-Class of SUVs, which is to say fabulously luxurious, even opulent. The rich materials, customizable finishes and colors, and wide range of trim options make the GLS’s cabin a fantastic place to spend time.

The front row is luxurious, but we discovered the second row can be even more so with the right options. The available Executive Rear Seat Package Plus adds second-row wireless device charging, heated and ventilated second-row seats with massage function and luxury head rests, and a second-row MBUX tablet. Even without the extra second-row package you’ll get 41.9 inches of legroom in the middle row.

The third row is somewhat snug, with 34.6 inches of legroom. However, that’s over an inch more legroom than you’ll find in the BMW X7’s third row. Cargo space is good, with 17.4 cubic feet of space behind the AMG GLS’s third-row seats compared to the X7’s 12.8.

Germans have a term for the quality of a car that makes you want to get out of the way when you see it in your rearview mirror—uberholt prestige. The Mercedes-AMG GLS is the definition of the phrase. Its impressive yet refined visage is clearly intended for highways without a posted speed limit.

Its proportions speak of solidity and planted-ness (Is that a word?), a sense only enhanced by the large-diameter AMG wheels and low-profile tires.

AMG Power
The handcrafted AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and hybrid assist system generate a whopping 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. This resulted in repeatable smiles big enough to fill the GLS’s spacious cargo area.

MBUX Infotainment System
Combining instruments and infotainment into a unified system, the MBUX is also capable of natural language voice recognition. Just use the “Hey, Mercedes” wake words and ask it to do something like change the temperature or find a nearby restaurant.

Luxurious Seating
Despite being an AMG product, the GLS 63 is nonetheless a three-row SUV. That means it’s one of the fastest three-row vehicles on the planet. We also found it surprisingly spacious and comfortable.

Burmester Audio System
The AMG GLS comes standard with a Burmester 13-speaker audio system. It’s more than sufficient for most drivers, but true audiophiles will prefer the optional 26-speaker Burmester 3D audio system.

Abundant Active Safety Features

The AMG GLS 63 comes with almost every safety feature Mercedes-Benz offers as standard equipment, from adaptive braking and active accident avoidance to adaptive cruise control, lane-following, and crosswind assist. Mercedes offers a dashcam and second-row side impact airbags as about the only safety options available.

AMG Ride Control+

If you like a comfortable ride but also love carving the corners, you’ll love the AMG Ride Control+ active roll stabilization system. Working in conjunction with the AMG Active Ride Control suspension, the system gives the AMG GLS a tremendous breadth of capability.

The 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLS comes in just one form, the GLS 63. It gets a 603-hp, 627-lb-ft handcrafted 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine, a 9-speed automatic transmission, and 4Matic+ all-wheel drive as standard equipment.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

The Mercedes-Benz AMG GLS 63 has a 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty and powertrain warranty. That matches the BMW X7 and Land Rover Range Rover, but the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator both have longer powertrain warranties.

Safety

The 2025 AMG GLS 63 hasn’t been rated by either the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).