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2013 Mercedes-Benz GL 63 AMG Under Consideration For Australia

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its new GL-Class flagship, the 2013 GL 63 AMG.

Set to make its European-market debut later this year, the newest member of the AMG family is powered by the same 5.5 litre V8 'biturbo' engine that powers its s

Mike Stevens

23:4631 May 2012

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2013 Mercedes-Benz GL 63 AMG Under Consideration For Australia

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its new GL-Class flagship, the 2013 GL 63 AMG.

Set to make its European-market debut later this year, the newest member of the AMG family is powered by the same 5.5 litre V8 'biturbo' engine that powers its smaller ML 63 stablemate.

In the GL 63 AMG, the big new V8 engine produces 410kW and 760Nm of torque, transferred to all four wheels through AMG's seven-speed Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic automatic transmission.

Despite its Herculean dimensions, Mercedes-Benz says the big SUV will shuffle to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds - less than a second behind the svelte V12-powered SL 65 AMG.

Fuel consumption is listed at 12.3 l/100km, and Merc's eco-stop/start system is onboard to help the big V8 keep its petrol guzzling to a minimum.

Standard driving features include AMG Ride Control sports suspension, Active Curve System roll stabilisation, speed-sensitive steering and the usual high-performance braking package.

Styling tweaks run the gamut of AMG enhancements, including a unique aero kit on the outside, chrome highlights and big 21-inch alloy wheels.

In the cabin, you'll find AMG's flat-bottom steering wheel and instrument cluster arrangement, and unique leather trim with contrast stitching.

Australia

Speaking with TMR today, Mercedes-Benz Australia's Jerry Stamoulis confirmed that the new GL 63 AMG is under consideration for a local debut, although the company is waiting on final details from Europe before a decision can be made.

"The GL 63 would certainly work well here, particularly given the huge demand for the smaller ML 63," Mr Stamoulis said.

The regular 2013 GL-Class is scheduled to arrive in the new year, with a focus on the popular GL 350 CDI diesel model: "the diesel variants make up around 90 percent of sales in the GL-Class," Mr Stamoulis added.