2013 Mercedes-Benz GL550; power meets comfort, for a price: Motoramic Family Drive

After 18 years as an editor at Road & Track, Patrick Hong’s trying a different tack in reviewing cars — letting his whole family weigh in:

Naming something a "family car" typically means a utilitarian vehicle offering minimal driving excitement. That is until you romp on the gas pedal in the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL550. Its 4.6-liter V-8 twin-turbo offers 429 hp, and better yet its 516 lb.-ft. of torque can move the 5,600-lb. machine up to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. Wrapped around Mercedes’ powerful and all-wheel-drive 4Matic powertrain is an exterior body complete with fender flares, chrome-tipped dual-exhausts, plus AMG-style trim details and 21-in. wheels, all to make the Merc SUV more akin to a high-speed bullet train than a box-on-wheels family hauler. On a regular two-day weekend, we find it to be the perfect companion to visit a nearby Kidspace Children’s Museum, even with a couple of relatives along for the ride.

In Southern California, “nearby” means that it’s still about an hour’s drive to our destination. So when our eight- and ten-year boys learned the Merc is equipped with the $1,950 rear entertainment system, they look forward to the trip with even more enthusiasm. Still, being the “when-we-where-young-we-didn’t-need-technology-to-entertain-us” parents, my wife Elise and I warn the kids to put in some good book reading time before they can turn on the DVD player. Settled in the second row seat, our youngest notes that the headrest (in the down position) is a little thick and not comfortable for his height. And regarding the rear seat entertainment, he likes having individual screens for easier viewing. Our oldest, a bit taller, thinks the seats are comfortable, and likes the multi-contour front seats with massage feature (standard in this trim level). He just wished he had the same type of massage feature in the second row.