Enjoying the fruits of financial success has practical benefits. There are plenty of more sensible, cheaper SUV wagons, but none says 'I've made it' - while carrying an extended family in comfort - like a Mercedes-Benz GL500 does.
The HK$1.3 million-plus GL500 seems good value if you measure its price by the kilo or metre. It's a big, heavy SUV. In fact, it's about Hummer H2 size (longer, but not quite as tall or wide as the H2). If threading through narrow car parks already makes you nervous, then the 1.92-metre-wide GL-class will take your anxiety up a notch. In essence, the GL500 is better plying the highway across the border than on cross-harbour commutes.
The pay-off of the external girth is an inner sanctum of considerable size. There's no question that the front and second-row occupants have generous seating space. Even the third row - despite requiring a bit of a crawl to get in via the folding second-row seat - will accommodate adults for short hops. Even better, when all seven seats are occupied, there's enough room left behind the third row seats to fit a reasonable amount of luggage.
The one-third split second row is on the traffic side of the GL500, though, reducing practicality of the design and betraying its US-market left-hand drive bias. The GL-class is built in Mercedes-Benz's US factory. But unlike early examples of the M-class built at the same location, the GL shows no unwanted structural or finish issues. It's all class, right down to its leather stitched dashboard.
Standard equipment is generous, such as a burled walnut and leather interior, power front seats, power-steering adjustment and mirror adjust (with memory for driver position), climate control with separate controls for the rear, 20-inch alloy wheels, an electric tailgate, Bi-xenon headlights, a glass sunroof and the full safety net of ABS brakes, stability and traction control and front and side airbags.
There are many features to keep the driver busy - yet, thankfully, Mercedes-Benz hasn't made the process of driving the GL500 overly complex. The stalk gear selector is an acquired taste, but once you're familiar with it, it's easy to use. Its placement on the column frees up space on the centre console, which has ample storage.
