Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class vs Genesis GV80

What's the difference?

The GLS63 is an intimidating beast from afar, but it rewards its occupants in almost every way. Yep, there really isn’t a box it doesn’t tick without serious compromise, such is its breadth of capability.

If there was ever a Swiss Army Knife of cars, the GLS63 is definitely a contender for the title, one that makes it very hard to wipe the smile off your face. Just make sure you can fit it in your garage first…

If you're deciding between the SUV and the Coupe, just note that even though Genesis says it wasn't a deliberate tuning decision, the Coupe's suspension has come out a little stiffer.

If supreme comfort and a silky ride quality is what you're after, the SUV is your pick.

And if you're a bit of an enthusiast trying to choose a fun-driving SUV? It doesn’t seem the Euro brands have to panic just yet, because even though the GV80 is very good in its niche - being a big, comfy SUV - it doesn’t encourage you to drive it much like a sports car.

But Genesis’ performance-focused Magma sub-brand will likely land in Australia soon enough, and that’s when keen drivers will start paying more attention to the GV80.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

If the GLS63 was a Marvel superhero, it would undoubtedly be the Hulk. Simply put, it has road presence like few others. In fact, it’s frankly menacing.

Of course, the GLS is already pretty intimidating due to its sheer size and blocky design, but the GLS63’s full-fat AMG treatment takes it to another level.

Naturally, the GLS63 gets an aggressive body kit, with its purposeful bumpers, side skirts and rear spoiler serving as instant reminders of what you’re dealing with, but it’s AMG’s signature Panamericana grille insert that really hammers home the point.

Around the side, the GLS63’s 22-inch alloy wheels with staggered tyres (front: 275/50, rear: 315/45) make their presence known, positioned below the wheelarch extensions.

That said, some fun’s also had at the rear end, where the GLS63’s diffuser element integrates the foreboding sports exhaust system with quad tailpipes very neatly.

The focused Multibeam LED headlights also look the part, while the opposing LED tail-lights tie everything together outside quite nicely.

Inside, the GLS63 stands out from the GLS crowd with its sports steering wheel with Dinamica microfibre accents, and multi-contour front seats, which are covered in Nappa leather alongside the armrests, dashboard and door shoulders and inserts.

Of note, the doors bins are unfortunately of the hard plastic variety, which is very disappointing in a vehicle that costs this much. You would expect that cow hide would also been applied to them, but alas it isn’t.

The GLS63’s black headliner serves as an obligatory reminder of its sporting intent, and while it makes for a dark cabin, metallic accents are prominent throughout, while the optional trim (our test vehicle had carbon-fibre) mixes things up, alongside the ambient lighting.

And let’s not forget the GLS63 is still loaded with plenty of cutting-edge technology, including a pair of 12.3-inch displays, with one the central touchscreen and the other the digital instrument cluster.

Both are powered by Mercedes’ class-leading MBUX multimedia system and feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. This set-up arguably remains the best there is today thanks to its speed and breadth of functionality and input methods.

The GV80 looks mostly the same as it did back when it launched, save for a few small tweaks that will give away the updated version to proper anoraks.

Any Genesis-spotters will note the SUV now has a double-mesh grille, two lines instead of one, plus larger air intakes and 'Micro-Lens Array' lights that perform a dynamic ‘welcome pattern’ sequence on unlock.

New 22-inch wheels at the sides and a chrome side strip give it away in profile, while at the rear a redesigned bumper hides the exhaust exits.

But of course, the Coupe is much more obvious with its sloping roofline joined by tweaks like a bolder grille inlay, single, strong lines rather than the mesh crest design from the SUV and more air intakes again.

The 22-inch wheels are exclusive to the Coupe, and at the back a more aggressive rear is finished off with visible sport exhaust exits.

It’s no bad thing that the GV80 hasn’t changed significantly, as it hasn’t aged much in its few years, and its design language seems to do a decent job of appealing to traditional and modern-minded premium customers.

Measuring 5243mm, 2030mm wide and 1782mm tall with a 3135mm wheelbase, the GLS63 is an upper-large SUV in every sense of the term, which means it’s also very practical.

For example, cargo capacity below the load cover is decent, at 355L, but stow the 50/50 power-split-folding third row via the boot and it’s very good, at 890L, or drop the 40/20/40 power-split-folding middle bench, too, and it becomes a cavernous 2400L.

Better yet, the boot’s aperture is almost square, and its floor’s flat, while there’s no load lip to contend with, making loading bulkier items even easier. Up to four tie-down points are also on hand (depending on seating configuration) to secure loose cargo.

Under the false floor is the space-saver spare, which is to be expected, but what isn’t expected necessarily is the fact there’s also enough room there for the cargo cover when it’s not in use, which would be the case if six or more passengers are regularly onboard.

Moving into the power-sliding second row, the GLS63’s practicality is once again brought to the fore, with up to six-plus inches of legroom available behind my 184cm driving position.

There’s also two inches of headroom with the panoramic sunroof in situ, not to mention just enough toe-room. The GLS63’s small transmission tunnel and sheer width also mean three adults can be seated on the middle bench with few complaints.

Amenities-wise, the second row has map pockets on the front-seat backrest and a small fold-down cubby below the rear climate controls, with it containing two slots for smartphones and a pair of strategically placed USB-C ports.

The rear door bins can take one large bottle each, while a fold-down central armrest is also on hand, featuring a shallow tray and retractable (and flimsy) cupholders.

Alternatively, the $2800 Rear Seat Comfort Package fitted to our test vehicle subs in a tablet that can control the multimedia system, a wireless smartphone charger and a small cubby into the former, as well as a heated/cooled cupholder atop the rear of the centre console.

In the third row, it’s not quite as roomy if you’re an adult. With the middle bench in its most accommodating position, my knees still brush up against its backrest, which is to be expected given it’s primarily designed for children. I also have an inch of headroom there.

Nonetheless, getting in and out of the third row is relatively easy as the power-operated middle bench tumbles forward and provides just enough space to make entry and exit somewhat graceful.

When seated, rear occupants are treated to two USB-C ports and one small cupholder each, so they’re arguably taken better care of than those in the middle.

Child seats are well and truly accommodated, with four ISOFIX and five top-tether anchorage points fitted across the second and third rows, although the latter will inevitably prove to be a much tighter fit.

The driver and front passenger are still taken care of, with a front cubby taken up by two heated/cooled cupholders, a wireless smartphone charger, two USB-C ports and a 12V power outlet, while their door bins take one large and one small bottle each.

In-cabin storage options include the large central storage bin, which hides another USB-C port, while the glovebox is on the smaller side, with about a third of it taken up by the fragrance, which is pumped into the cabin to ensure the interior always smells its best.

Similarly, there’s a bit of something for everyone once you’re inside the GV80, with plenty of tech blended with traditional style and opulence.

It’s hard not to notice the 27-inch display that encompasses the multimedia and driver displays, so we’ll start with that.

It’s easy to use, features a sleek software skin of the same system used in new Kias and Hyundais (a compliment) and there are enough physical buttons to support it so you don’t need to navigate through numerous sub-menus to find options.

You can change what’s displayed quite easily between the centre and driver display, and below that the climate controls are always on show on a separate control panel. No need to adjust the temperature on a touch screen. Nice!

The space around the front seats is slathered in high-quality materials, those able to be customised to your liking, and everything feels well thought-out and falls nicely to hand.

The seats themselves, including the second row outboard seats in the six-seater, are very adjustable and it’s easy to find a comfortable seating position, especially with good under-thigh support adjustable to your own height.

Even in the second row, if you were to sit behind someone fairly tall, you'd find yourself with a level of comfort Qantas would charge through the nose for.

Individual climate controls and (optional) screens for media mean even a kiddo will find little to complain about.

There’s also a pair of rear seats in the SUV version, which are pretty well equipped and roomy enough as far as third rows are concerned, with some electric adjustment for the seats, but it would be a stretch to call it a luxurious space.

Boot space is fairly generous, the SUV boasting 735 litres with the third row down, or 1097 with the second row also folded down.

The Coupe has a smaller 644L with the second row up, or 1033L with the second row down.

Neither will be great for transporting large bulky items, but can handle plenty of luggage for trips away.

The GV80’s range now consists of just one powertrain with three variants - two SUVs and the new SUV Coupe.

The GV80 is also now a lot more expensive than before, but Genesis says customers almost always opted for expensive options like the Luxury Pack which is now standard.

The traditional seven-seat GV80 starts from $130,000 before on-road costs, with a standard second row of three seats, plus two in the back.

Stepping up from that, the six-seater starts from $133,000, before on-road costs, and has two captains chairs in the second row instead, meaning more room for one fewer person, and a nice little centre console.

Finally, the new body style in the range, the Coupe, loses the third row thanks to its sloping roofline, and comes only with a three-seat second row. It’s also the most expensive variant at $136,000.

Strangely, for the GV80, less is more when it comes to seats. Each $3000 step up means one less seat.

What links all three is that they’re specified up to the eyeballs. There are next to no optional creature comforts in the updated GV80 because they’re already on-board.

Plenty of leather upholstery, heated and cooled massage seats with plenty of electric adjustment capability, a heated steering wheel which is also electrically adjustable, an 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, wireless phone charging and even the centre armrest is heated.

And of course, there’s the massive 27-inch OLED screen encompassing the multimedia touchscreen and the driver display, which looks incredibly expensive to replace or fix. That screen is accompanied by a 12-inch head-up display.

The second-row seats are also electrically adjustable, with heating and cooling for both outer passengers, too.

The GLS63 is powered by a familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, with its version producing a thumping 450kW of power at 5750rpm and 850Nm of torque from 2250-5000rpm.

This unit is mated to a nine-speed torque-converter automatic transmission and AMG’s fully variable 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring and a rear limited-slip differential.

This set-up also features Mercedes’ EQ Boost 48V mild-hybrid system, which actually gives a 16kW/250Nm electric boost in short bursts, such as when accelerating off the line.

Speaking of which, the GLS63 sprints from a standstill to 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds, while its top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h.
 

Genesis has limited the engine options in the GV80 to one, doing away with the diesel and offering only the twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre petrol V6, which makes a decent 279kW and 530Nm - unchanged for that engine since the model’s launch in Australia.

The engine makes its peak torque from a relatively low 1300rpm, and is paired with an eight-speed torque converter automatic.

Interestingly, the SUV has a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.6 seconds, but the Coupe (lighter by 20kg at a max of 2325kg) is a tenth slower according to Genesis, with a 5.7-second sprint.

It’s a pretty traditional engine for a large SUV, but not offering any kind of electrification, especially when parent company Hyundai is making strides in that space, means the GV80’s engine feels a little stuck in the past, much to its fuel consumption’s detriment.

The GLS63’s fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test (ADR 81/02) is 13.0L per 100km, while its carbon dioxide emissions are 296 grams per km. All things considered, both claims are unsurprisingly high.

In our real-world testing, we averaged a fearsome 18.5L/100km over 65km of driving, split between highways and country roads, so not your usual mix. A very heavy right foot definitely influenced that result, but don’t expect to do too much better in a normal run.

For reference, the GLS63’s 90L fuel tank can be filled up with 98RON petrol at a minimum.

It’s a good thing the GV80 has an 80-litre fuel tank because, boy, is it thirsty.

Combined fuel consumption claim for the SUV and Coupe is 11.7L/100km, and on a new product launch it's not always possible to put that figure to the test.

However, Genesis offered us a GV80 to drive home and live with for a few days. After a couple of hundred kilometres of mostly highway driving I managed 12.4L/100km, tested from pump to pump, with the trip computer telling me it was sitting on 12.2L/100km.

If you’re buying a GV80 for long trips, that could be a fairly realistic figure for you, but if you’re going to be driving mostly in the city and suburbs, expect to regularly see figures north of 13.0L/100km.

Frankly, the GLS63 has absolutely no right being as capable as it is. It’s a really big bus that’s legitimately convinced it’s a sports car half its size.

Being a GLS variant, the GLS63 has independent suspension consisting of four-link front and multi-link rear axles with air springs and adaptive dampers, but its party trick is the addition of active anti-roll bars.

In what feels like magic, the GLS63 is simply not intimidated by corners, despite having massive dimensions and a considerable 2555kg (kerb weight) to deal with.

The active anti-roll bars make the GLS63 so much easier to drive fast through the twisty stuff, almost eliminating body roll, taking one key variable out of the equation for the driver. Active engine mounts are also fitted, helping to settle things even further.

The electric power steering on hand is also good. It is speed-sensitive and has a variable ratio, which basically makes the set-up more direct when it needs to be. It’s typically light in hand, too, until one of the sportier drive modes is engaged and extra heft is added.

So, handling is scarcely believable, which means the ride must be compromised, right? Yes and no. With the adaptive dampers in their softest setting, the GLS63 is very compliant. In fact, we’d say it feels luxurious when compared to other high-performance SUVs.

That said, our test vehicle was fitted with the optional 23-inch alloy wheels ($3900), which look the part but expose sharp edges and other road imperfections, not to mention generate noise easily heard inside. Naturally, feedback is exacerbated in the sportier drive modes.

Anyway, there’s more performance, and the GLS63 has the rest in spades. Its engine is a powerhouse in every sense of the word. It’s so powerful, in fact, that it hilariously hunkers down off the line or when suddenly accelerating at low speed.

Thanks to the mild-hybrid system, wads of torque is available from the get-go, making for a highly responsive driving experience, even in those rare moments when the engine isn’t on song.

While not as characterful as some of the other members in the 63 series, the GLS63 still makes some thoroughly entertaining noises, with its sports exhaust system popping like mad while on the overrun.

All of this ability is very well and good, but you need to be able to pull up quickly, and the high-performance braking package (400mm front and 370mm rear discs with six-piston fixed callipers and single-pot floating stoppers respectively) mercifully does exactly that.

The Genesis GV80 excels on the road in one key area, and it’s probably, exactly in line with your guess. Yep, comfort.

If you needed a large SUV to haul you and three people interstate, the six-seat version of the GV80 SUV is a convincing option.

The GV80 SUV’s suspension is supple and adept when it comes to soaking up a range of surface imperfections, from potholes to rugged, corrugated rural roads.

And while the Coupe’s suspension is still extremely well sorted, it feels notably stiffer than the wagon-style SUV’s. This isn’t something deliberate as Genesis says the suspension wasn’t altered for sportier driving.

Not that either are particularly sporty, anyway, because while the GV80 is fairly capable when it comes to cornering and taking on twisty roads, it doesn’t feel particularly encouraging.

Its suspension allows for some body roll, enough to let you know when you might be approaching the limit, and its steering doesn’t feel massively dialled-in to the road surface.

Its engine, too, while pretty grunty on paper, isn’t super eager when it comes to powering out of corners, not helped by an automatic transmission that’s tuned for cruisy comfort.

And, again, that’s all fine. While some large SUVs from Europe are built with driving in mind - the Cayenne is surprisingly capable for its size, in particular - the GV80 doesn’t exude go-fast personality.

In fact, its driver assistance is well placed to help you do very little behind the wheel. Able to take over holding you in your lane, adjusting speed when needed, and even changing lanes when you request it. All assuming you stay alert and keep your hands on the wheel.

The GV80 scores solid marks from behind the wheel because it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not, and it performs very well when it comes to its intended function, ticking all the right boxes for long-drive luxury.

It’s quiet inside thanks to some pretty well sorted NVH work (although the sound system can absolutely bang it out if called upon), driver effort required is low, its engine (albeit thirsty at times) feels effortless and the transmission is imperceptibly smooth in day-to-day driving.

The steering is light, and even though it lacks a bit of feel, it doesn’t turn inputs into anything unexpected.

Sure it feels its size and weight at times, but the GV80 wears that badge with pride. It’s a bit ‘king of the road’ without being too shouty about it.

The GV80’s safety equipment has mostly remained the same, bar an upgrade in 'Advanced Driver Assistance Systems' (ADAS) including new versions of its highway assist, lane follow assist, remote smart parking, collision avoidance, forward collision avoidance and a driver monitoring system.

The GV80 comes with 10 airbags including a front-centre side airbag and curtain airbags covering all three rows.

It was tested by ANCAP in its pre-update form in 2021, and was awarded the full five stars with high results in Adult and Child Occupant Protection.

As with all Mercedes-AMG models, the GLS63 comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which currently sets the standard for the premium market. It also comes with five years of roadside assistance.

The GLS63’s service intervals are relatively long, at every 12 months or 20,000km (whichever comes first). Better yet, it’s available with a five-year/100,000km capped-price servicing plan, but it costs $4450.

For a premium brand, it’s pretty hard to beat Genesis’ warranty and servicing offering on paper. 

Why? Because for five years, everything is covered for free. Five years of unlimited kilometre warranty, five years of free scheduled servicing up to 50,000, five years of access to Genesis’ 'Concierge Service' and its courtesy cars, plus 10 years of roadside assistance if you service your car with Genesis.

Servicing intervals are every 10,000km, so you’ll likely even get your full five services free even if you hit 50,000km inside that timeframe.

The roadside service tops out at five years free if you stop servicing your car with Genesis outside its warranty period.