2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580 Review
I’ve got a luxury family car on deck today! The 2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580 has received a small facelift this year and comes with all the bells and whistles, but does that mean it’s family-friendly? I’ll be breaking this down row by row.
If you’re new here - welcome! I’m Kelly the Car Mom and as a mom of almost four (if you missed the life update click here), CPST, and a huge car fan, I can’t wait to walk you through all the features of the 2024 Mercedes GLS to help see if it’s right for your family.
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2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580 Highlights:
Here are some of the top family-friendly features I love in the 2024 Mercedes Benz GLS:
Gorgeous exterior (although similar to the updated versions since 2020)
580 provides the most powerful engine available to the GLS
Incredible ventilation through the car
HUGE infotainment system
Bench seat or captain’s chairs option in second row (which for a six figure SUV is hard to find both options available)
Power car seat friendly tilt
Two full seats in the third row (which I love!)
Trunk space with the third row up can fit a stroller
2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580 Exterior
The GLS is the largest SUV out of the Mercedes lineup. Quite honestly, it’s one of the largest luxury mid-size SUVs you can get. It’s bigger than the Lexus TX, BMW X7, and Volvo XC-90 by several inches. This is the biggest mid-size option you can get if you’re not interested in a full-size luxury SUV, like the Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade.
As for the exterior itself, the GLS received a redesign in 2020, so the 2024 model received a facelift. There are VERY minor differences between any of the 2020 - 2024 models of the GLS, so this tour can be comparable to any of them.
Looking at the aesthetics of the GLS exterior, I’m immediately drawn to the massive Mercedes chrome logo and additional chrome detailing in the front. It’s a gorgeous grill and looks even more beautiful with the navy blue paint color. There are optional 22-inch wheels on the side and they look incredible matching the chrome on the front and back.
Engine Size
There are a few engines you can choose from with the GLS model. Starting at their standard 450, it’s powerful, but I got my hands on a step up with their 580 engine and I love it. After spending a few days driving it around, it’s been one of my favorites out of the year.
Price
For the Mercedes GLS 450 (their base engine), you’re looking at a starting MSRP of $87,000. This is an expensive car, far more than some of my other favorite luxury family cars. The one I’m walking you through today (with the bigger engine and higher trim level) has an MSRP of $123,000. This is more comparable to a full-size Cadilac Escalade with a high trim level in price. You are just not getting the additional third row and cargo space with the GLS being in the mid-size category.
I’d say for this price range, if you’re looking at a $100,000 MSRP, the Escalade offers more functional family features, rather than all the bells and whistles we are getting on this GLS.
2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580 First Row
For this high of an MSRP, I’m expecting to see lux inside this car - and it’s exactly what I get. The first row has gorgeous faux brown leather detailing with a lot of chrome features throughout.
Specifically, I want to note that this first row has incredible ventilation. There are six vents (four in the middle, one on each side of the first row) that ensure everyone feels nice and cooled off.
For just the seats alone, you’re looking at massaging, heated, ventilated, and power - this is what I mean by having all the bells and whistles. A huge design flaw though is having the cupholders way too close to these buttons. It makes them impossible to push with a water bottle. Wireless charging is also behind the cupholders, so just an awful placement. The cupholders are refrigerated, which is cool.
The center console storage is a bit small for this vehicle and right behind it is the weirdest cupholder situation I’ve seen in a car. You have one full-size cupholder, but right next to it is a half-size that can only fit one of my kids’ Dr. Brown bottles. I have no idea what this is for.
Infotainment System
The infotainment system is HUGE. First off, we have a great Heads Up Display that extends the infotainment system tech even further, but the system itself is a long, horizontal display and digital dash.
This system has Apple Carplay, Android Auto, and everything else you could want out of it, but specifically, I’m very happy to see the air controls pulled out underneath. As many of you know, this makes driving and everyday life so much easier.
Now, let’s talk about the biggest tech feature of all: the trackpad. The infotainment system itself is a touchscreen, but there is also a trackpad in the center console you can use like a mouse to operate the system. I find this unnecessary and would prefer better cupholder placement instead.
2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580 Second Row
Let’s talk car seat setup because the GLS does a great job. You can choose captain’s chairs or a bench seat for your second row and I was fortunate enough to get to truly test out the bench today
Even with a $123,000 MSRP, there is still a bench seat I was able to play around with. To all the other manufacturers out there who exclusively use captain’s chairs on their higher trim levels, if Mercedes can do a bench seat, why can’t you?
If you’re curious to see luxury cars with bench seating, check out my post - Cars With Bench Seating on the Highest Trim Levels.
The bench seat is classified as a 60/40 split (which is not my favorite over three individual seats), but this is made up for by being really wide. I tested out a ton of car seat combinations over the past couple of days and had a lot of success with boosters, forward and rear-facing, and with some car seats that aren’t classified as slim. I would call the 2024 Mercedes GLS very three-across-friendly for families.
Second row amenities include:
Excellent head, knee, and shoulder clearance
Heated and ventilated seats
Power seats
Best-in-class ventilation
Dual climate controls
Sunroof
Power car seat-friendly tilt
2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580 LATCH Diagram:
2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580 Third Row
The first thing I want to note is we have two seats in the third row. I love seeing this in three-row SUVs because this means we have two comfortable, working seats, over three squished seats.
What’s even better is each seat is equipped with both LATCH and tether anchors, so you can install pretty much any car seat from an equipment perspective, but not necessarily a space perspective. Despite being technically larger than almost all luxury mid-size SUVs, the third-row legroom is tight. No adult passengers could sit back here comfortably, potentially not even older kids.
This third row is meant for occasional use only, so I would recommend the bench seat in the second row to accommodate for car seat purposes.
2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580 Trunk
The floorboard is a bit raised in this trunk, but regardless I think you’d have no problem fitting a stroller back here. The third-row seat backs are shallow, so you would need to watch for overhang to ensure everyone is sitting safely without fear of projectiles.
A little bit of extra storage underneath the trunk with your spare tire and the third row is power-folding for a ton of nice trunk space.
2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580: Wrap-Up
For being an ultra-luxury SUV, the 2024 Mercedes Benz GLS is pretty family-friendly. The second row is excellent for three car seats across and has the best-in-class ventilation I’d love to see on a lot of other vehicles. For the huge price tag, I would have liked to see better third-row legroom, along with a better first-row console setup. Overall, I think this is a great choice for families with three children or less.
What do you think of the 2024 Mercedes Benz GLS 580? Let me know in the comments! And to keep up with the latest family cars on the market, check out my recent posts:
