New York Auto Show debut for Mercedes Benz GL-Class facelift

Mercedes Benz has some big plans for this week’s New York Auto Show, with no less than three world debuts planned, as well as the as the U.S. debuts of the 2010 model year E-Class Sedan and Coupe, and an early look at the 2010 model year facelift for the S-Class. The three world debuts include the unveiling of the all-new E63 AMG performance saloon, the production ML450 Hybrid and now the 2010 model year facelift for the GL-Class SUV.

On display is the renamed GL350 BlueTEC diesel and GL450 petrol model, both of which feature a restyled grille, new bumpers, wheels and new lights with LED accents. The GL350 BlueTEC, in particular, replaces the current GL350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and is claimed to offer 20-30% better fuel economy than the comparable petrol model. The seven-seat SUV also boasts an impressive cruising range – up to 600 miles at highway speeds.

Other models in the range boast up to 5% lower fuel consumption than their predecessors, and the entire model family now meets the EU5 emissions standard.

The interior of the GL-Class will accommodate up to seven passengers with more than ample space and comes with a mix of leather and Artico man-made leather seats with contrasting stitching as part of the new model year. The standard specification of the flagship GL 500 includes Nappa leather appointments. All the models feature new instrumentation, a multifunction steering wheel in Nappa leather and crash-responsive Neck-Pro head restraints for the driver and front passenger.