IAB reader snaps the India-bound Mercedes GLS in Stuttgart - Spied

Will launch in India in 2016.

The Mercedes GLS Class (codename: Mercedes X166) has been spotted doing the rounds in Stuttgart, Germany, with nearly no camouflage, by IAB reader Toldi.

The GLS Class is the facelift to the GL Class, that will rebrand itself to abide by Mercedes' latest nomenclature system which suffixes its SUV's with 'GL'. The 'S' prescribed in the name connotes that the vehicle is the SUV equivalent of the S-Class.

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The mid-life facelift will put several exterior and interior changes on the car. The SUV will sport new Multibeam LED headlamps, twin-slat grille; and revised hood. The rear-end is seen with a mildly different taillights and new dual exhaust pipes.

Inside, the 7-seater could share the changes akin to those found in the GLE SUV; for instance, a new steering wheel, freestanding COMAND infotainment display, renewed center console and a fresh interior color palette.

The engine range should remain the same with some refinements or tweaks. The currently sold motors are 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol, 4.7-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol and the 5.5-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol.

The first three engines are paired to the 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, while the range topping 5.5-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol engine on the GL 63 AMG variant comes with the AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. It remains to be seen if the facelift launches with the 9G-Tronic 9-speed automatic transmission that is being offered on the German E Class since 2013.

A web report from May says that the Mercedes GLS will be up for pre-orders in select global markets from November 4, 2015, while customer delivers are to commence in Q1 2016. The car could have its motorshow debut at the 2015 International Motor Show in Frankfurt (Frankfurt Motor Show 2015) in September.

For the Indian market, expect the GLS to be launched sometime in 2016, through local assembly.

Mercedes GLE Coupe - Image Gallery (Unrelated)