4 out of 5

How green is it? As a part of the 2013 the Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTEC 5 mpg to the highway fuel economy. The doesn’t offer a V-6 in the gasoline so the diesel actually gets 7 mpg than its gasoline brother, is pretty phenomenal. However, the Q7 TDI gets 28 mpg.

Pros cons: Mercedes-Benz did a job with the redesign of the GL-Class. somehow managed to make a of a vehicle look athletic and We love the interior design and and think the cargo and passenger is perfect for a family. This car is luxurious and fun to drive. What we like: Mercedes-Benz has a penchant for and diming you on the options. Price quickly if you add extras.

What’s The GL-Class has been completely for 2013.

Ride performance: Similar to diesel SUVs, the Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC has a 3.0-liter, V-6 engine, delivers 240 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of This translates to quick and acceleration. The large size of the means it can’t be truly but we weren’t disappointed with how it on clover-leaf on ramps. Plus, you can the smooth ride that Chicagoland potholes disappear.

value: This is where the GL350 BlueTEC shines. It is a luxury vehicle made for a The third row actually fits and they don’t have to be to get back there. With all up, it holds 16 cubic feet of volume which is an increase of 2 feet over the 2012 Maximum cargo volume is a 93.8 cubic feet of volume.

Fun factor: For a full-size SUV, the GL350 BlueTEC is actually a lot of It drives smaller than it is and well in traffic. We love the of up-level features that keep you and your family for the long haul. We particularly the standard heated front and Bluetooth streaming audio. entertainment is an option.

Safety: The GL350 BlueTEC has 9 airbags including all-row curtain airbags and rear airbags, rearview camera, control and tire pressure We really like the new mbrace2 communications system that automatic crash notification and roadside assistance. An alert notifies the owner when speed limits have exceeded. Optional safety Blind-spot monitoring and lane warning.

Jill Ciminillo is a Chicago writer and social media who conducts the ChicagoNow blog She Said .

2013 Mercedes-Benz overall safety rating

No available from the National Traffic Safety Administration

interesting records

• 2013 GLK Engine Details Revealed Gallery…
• 2013 MercedesBenz GLK gets Freshened up Looks
• 2013 MercedesBenz GLK First Autoblog
• 2013 MercedesBenz 4MATIC Test Drive and
• 2013 MercedesBenz GLK350 Test by Dan Jedlicka