Luxury SUVs are their own segment of the popular SUV market. They off everything an SUV should be able to do. They can haul a car load of kids to practice, cart the family along the highway for a road trip visit to the grandparents, and head off the pavement for a little camping. This Mercedes SUV offers third row seating and performs daily family-style tasks with elegance.

The Merceds GLS is an SUV with very few rivals. It is a high quality machine –– as is expected from the German brand –– in addition to providing high-tech convenience and plush luxury. This is not your everyday family vehicle.

It’s an agile family bus designed for parents who love driving

The Mercedes-Benz GLS is not a G-Wagen. It’s one of the most nimble passenger vehicles out there –– what Car and Driver calls a “high-tech palace on wheels.”

It’s a smooth ride with a plush and spacious interior. Plenty of room for the kids to spread out on a road trip. It will accommodate gear and passengers, plus it drives like a dream. If you’ve got the cash, spring for one of these –– it even offers third row seating.

Car and Driver praised the GLS450 immensely for its capability off-pavement and couldn’t say enough about the GLS performance wise. But, we have to agree that the Mercedes-Benz GLS definitely isn’t cutting edge to look at. In fact, it blends in well with other family cars, which may be a plus side if you don’t want to stand out too much at the PTA meeting.

The ease of handle and smooth mechanics of this vehicle absolutely trump the slightly frumpy appearance. After all, it wasn’t meant to be a show off. It looks like a family car, but it’s super fun to drive and offers amenities galore. The Mercedes GLS is what every parent wishes they could afford to drive. The parents with deep pockets already have one.

GLS450 is plenty and the GLS580 is downright unnecessary

The standard power in the GLS450 is derived from a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six hybridized engine that churns up to 362 horsepower. It uses a smooth 9-speed transmission to transmit 369 pound-feet of torque to the all-wheel-drive powertrain that is characteristic of this model. Still, this engine isn’t perfect. Car and Driver says it’s “not as smooth as a comparable BMW six.”

Despite being massive, with a curb weight over 5,500 pounds, this Mercedes-Benz family SUV performs right in line with its BMW competitor. However, it does get fewer miles to the gallon. The GLS450 gets a decent 24 mile per gallon average, while the BMW X7 gets an impressive 28 miles per gallon average.

On the other hand, if you shell out even more cash for the GLS580, you’ll get an abundance of power that no mom or dad should ever really need. This model boasts power you will hopefully never need, but will undoubtedly enjoy playing around with.

The twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 with the same hybridized qualities the six cylinder version sports. With 483 horses and torque maxing out at 516 pound feet the GLS580 is totally unnecessary for road trips and grocery runs. Still, nothing wrong with a bit of an upgrade if you ask us.

It’s great for anyone looking to spend nearly 100 grand on an SUV

As much good as we have to say about the Mercedes-Benz GLS and its third row, we should warn you that although the third row is there as a standard feature of this vehicle, it’s reported to be a little cramped. Great for kids, maybe not so great for full-sized humans.

Yes, the GLS drives like a dream, but it is also expensive. Unless you’re rich this one probably isn’t on your radar. If you can afford an SUV that starts at over $76,000 then the Mercedes-Benz GLS should definitely go on your list of cars to check out. Beware, though, because if you opt for the GLS580 or even a heavily equipped GLS450 six figure prices aren’t unheard of.