Mercedes-Benz introduced this full-size SUV nameplate in 2006 as its largest passenger-vehicle SUV, positioned above the M-Class and aimed at buyers who wanted seven-seat space with a more premium road presence. The original version, internally known as the X164, arrived as a luxury-oriented, three-row Mercedes utility vehicle that blended the brand’s traditional all-wheel-drive and off-road reputation with the comfort and refinement expected of its upper-end road cars. It quickly became Mercedes-Benz’s flagship SUV in many markets and helped define the company’s modern full-size SUV strategy.
The nameplate returned in a second generation for 2012 with the X166, continuing the same basic mission but with a more modern platform, updated styling, and a stronger emphasis on luxury and everyday usability. That generation kept the model’s reputation as a spacious family SUV and added more advanced safety and convenience technology as Mercedes-Benz’s SUV lineup expanded around it.
For the 2016 model year, Mercedes-Benz renamed the vehicle GLS as part of a broader SUV naming strategy, effectively closing the GL-Class chapter after the 2015 model year. Although the badge changed, the model’s role remained familiar: it was the brand’s large, upscale, three-row SUV and a key step in Mercedes-Benz’s evolution from traditional off-road vehicles toward modern luxury SUVs.