Mercedes have brought the fastest version of their largest SUV, the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 to India. This is not the first time that Mercedes has done it because we have had the GL63 AMG earlier. When Mercedes renamed the GL to GLS and added a few tweaks, the new AMG never made it back to the subcontinent until now. At a price of Rs 1.58 crore, the Mercedes-Benz GLS63 AMG gives you a loud V8 under the hood and cabin luxury befitting a yacht.
The GLS63 gets an AMG-Body kit marked by the spindle black grille across the front bumper and the carbon-fibre inserts on the chrome twin-slat radiator grille. The roof, mirrors and alloy wheels gets the black treatment while the door handles and the breather fins on the hood get chrome accents. The Indian car gets seven twin-spoke 21-inch alloy wheels with a glossy finish. From behind, the AMG badge and the quad exhausts set the GLS63 apart from the regular GLS.
The cabin gets it dose of AMG luxury with nappa leather upholstery and carbon fibre trims. Four-zone climate control, electric panoramic sunroof, power seats, auto folding third row seats and a load of other comfort features are standard. Under the hood, the 5.5-litre turbocharged petrol V8 behemoth wreaks havoc, developing 574bhp of power and 760Nm of torque propelling the car to 100kmph from standstill in 4.6 seconds. It gets the 4Matic all-wheel drive unit mated to a seven-speed gearbox and the AirMatic pneumatic suspension which allows you to raise the car for off-road driving as well.
The GLS63 AMG, at Rs 1.58 crore, ex-showroom Pune, has quite a bit of competition up there. First up, you have the Range Rover Sports V8 Autobiography with the 5.0-litre supercharged petrol engine with 503 horsepower on tap. The Volvo XC90 Excellence with the hybrid powertrain and the Porsche Cayenne GTS also offer you fast and tech-laden SUVs for pretty much the same price. Go slightly higher and you have the BMW X5 M, the GLS63’s primary rival.
At Rs 1.5 crores, you also have other options like the Jaguar F-Type S Convertible or the Maserati Quattroporte amongst the exotics. The Porsche 911 Carrera S can be your everyday sportscar or if you prefer limousines, you have the German trinity of the Mercedes S500, the BMW 750Li and the Audi A8 W12.
