Mercedes-Benz refreshed the GL range in late 2009, improving the car’s comfortable ride and introducing an upgraded turbo-diesel engine.
The world financial crisis was not over yet when the German carmaker introduced a refreshed version for its luxurious SUV, the GL. Unlike its main U.S. competitors, it featured a unibody construction instead of the body-on-frame system used by Cadillac for the Escalade or by Lincoln for the Navigator. On top of that, the GL provided a turbo-diesel engine that ensured a 600 mile (965 km) range on a tank.

With a refreshed design and triangular headlights, the GL provided a commanding view of the road. Its chiseled front fenders and flared wheel-arches created the image of a go-anywhere vehicle, and that was very close to reality. Mercedes-Benz built the GL with a short front overhang and a raised rear one to go through trails and tracks without tearing its bodywork. Moreover, the carmaker offered an off-road package that added metallic underbody shields, while the standard version sported plastic covers underneath the bodywork.

Inside, the German carmaker installed a seven-seat interior in a 2-3-2 configuration. At the front, the dashboard featured an instrument cluster with two large dials for the speedometer and tachometer and an LCD between them. The fuel and coolant temperature gauges were placed in the main dials. With a set of two comfortable and wide seats at the front and a bench for three in the middle row, and two seats in the trunk area, the GL proved that a luxury vehicle could be helpful as a people carrier. Its trunk could hold up to 2,356 liters (83.3 cu-ft).

Under the hood, besides the two gasoline V-8 engines, the carmaker introduced a 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6, which used AdBlue to lower the emissions. That made it legal in 50 states across the U.S.