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2007 Mercedes-Benz Vision GL 420 Concept

At last year's North American International Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its GL-Class SUV.On paper, it was destined to be the modern successor to the rapidly aging and costly G-Class, which is known throughout the automotive world as Germany's Hummer. The GL may become available with a special off-road kit that lets it ford rivers thanks to an adjustable suspension for crawling over rocks, but even with this it'll never be a real off-roader like the G-Class. Unlike the militaristic G, the GL is Benz's halo sport utility vehicle, something for the three-pointed star to compete with Land Rover's best Range Rover

Last year, Benz debuted the GL 320 Bluetec Concept. Here it is, pictured with Dr. Z. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

and Cadillac's blingy Escalade. The only differences are that it's bigger than the British plutocrat and features three rows of seats (though the Escalade ESV is bigger still and has three rows too).

Unveiled before Americans, designed for Americans, builtby Americans: surely you get the picture. This is a product to

Despite being criticized by certain motoring groups, the GL has been praised by Motor Trend. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

help Benz gain ground in the North American SUV segment. Yes, Benz currently sells the GL in Europe, but it hasn't been met with much praise at all. Critics from its homeland have chastised Benz for building an unnecessary vehicle, a device present only for showing off. The view is slightly different on this side of the Atlantic. Though it wasn't nominated for North American Truck of the Year, it did receive Motor Trend's seal of approval with their Truck of the Year, and

No one denies that the GL is an excellently engineered vehicle; it's just big and thirsty. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

it also won Canada's AJAC Award for Best SUV over $60,000, pipping Audi's Q7 and Acura's new MDX.

Right now, the GL is sold in North America with one engine, a4.6-liter, 335 horsepower V8 with 339 lb-ft of torque that's linked to a seven-speed automatic gearbox. That's a pretty healthy powerplant by any standard, capable of moving the bulky 5,357 lb Benz to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds. And with its air suspension system, the GL can tow up to 7,500 lbs worth of horse trailer, boat, etc. It's better if you don't look at the fuel consumption, which is an estimated 14 mpg in the city, and 20 mpg on the highway.

The solution to the power and fuel consumption issues is this, the GL 420 Bluetec with a 4.0-liter turbodiesel V8. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

So, it's not the most fuel-efficient engine in the world, which is why Benz will be supplementing the V8 with its 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 in the new GL 320 CDI model, set to arrive later in the year. It's the same engine, with 215-hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, that moves the ML, R and E-Class CDIs around. It may provide much better fuel consumption of 20 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, but it's heavier than the V8. The engine also isn't Bluetec for the SUVs; only the E-Class sedan has the urea-based fuel additive.

For a large sport utility vehicle like this, effortless performance is mandatory. That's where the GL 420 Bluetec Concept comes into play.

With two more cylinders and an extra liter in engine displacement, theGL

Bigger engine, bigger grille, bigger shock factor when you roll down Main Street. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

420 Bluetec is far more powerful than the 320 CDI model. It makes an impressive 290 horsepower and an outrageous 515 lb-ft of torque, which is more power and torque than Land Rover's TDV8 engine featured in the euro Range Rover, but not nearly as much twist as the 552 lb-ft of torque available in VW's V10 TDI found in the Touareg. Still, the new Bluetec engine not only gives the GL the ability to accelerate quicker and tow more, it'll also consume reasonable amounts of fuel given its impressive performance. Benz says that the Bluetec GL drinks 24 mpg of diesel on the highway, and has a range of 620 miles. This engine is based off of the European-market GL 420, which has an identical powerplant but without the Bluetec system. The unique Bluetec system allows Mercedes-Benz to meet even the most stringent (50-state) emissions regulations, something that no other production-ready diesel system can do.

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