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Now that I am a dad, I have to admit, I have been looking more and more into SUV’s than ever before. Of course, I love my Urus and the G63, that is no surprise, but what may shock you is how much I have grown to really think of the GLS63 as a viable SUV option.

It’s a seven-seater, so great for the whole family, lots of trunk space so it’s an optimal grocery getter, over 6,000 pounds so it classifies as a section 179 hack, and it’s a Mercedes so the maintenance isn’t as horrendous on it as a Bentayga or a Urus would be.

Plus if you are someone with little toddlers or newborns, this is not like the G63, it is lower, which means getting the kids in and out of their car seats is so much easier than with the stereotypical bus stature SUV that we see a lot.

This is an SUV that I have seen a lot of members get into over the years, better never one that I personally owned, so I borrowed one from Exotics Hunter for the weekend to get a feel for it. My thoughts as well as all of the other fun stuff are below for you to review, and hopefully, this will help you decide if the GLS63 AMG is right for you.

Because this is a seven-seater, one might imagine it to be a boat to drive around, but it is actually rather easy to maneuver.

Plus, it is an AMG at the end of the day, so if you still need to assert your dominance and race another flag football dad off the line after practice to show him who is boss… you can.

Under the hood you will find a twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 577 horsepower and 561 pounds of torque. Notice how I said V8, given Mercedes’ statements on how they won’t be producing the V8s anymore, this means good things for the longevity of this car’s value.

This power gives the over 6,000-pound GLS63 AMG the ability to hit 0-60 in 4.3 seconds and complete a quarter mile in 12.8 seconds with a top speed of 174 miles per hour. That’s bonkers for a 7-seater SUV.

Another great aspect of driving this SUV around, you just don’t care as much. In a Bentayga, an Urus, a DBX, you are so cautious and hyper-aware of your surroundings because an accident or a bump, scratch, or dent is a huge ordeal to fix with those rare SUVs. But with the GLS63 I found myself feeling very comfortable and not on edge when leaving the car in a public parking garage to go grab dinner with my family.

One of the most notorious problems with the GLS is that oil leaks are common at higher mileage. And these aren’t just any oil leaks that can leave an annoying stain on your driveway or garage floor. No, these oil leaks have been found to be the direct cause of many GLS engine failures directly.

This is an issue that can indeed be identified and resolved prior to you taking ownership of your potential GLS if you get a PPI done on the vehicle. Be sure to specifically ask that the belly pan is taken off and photos are taken of the cars under shields to ensure that there is no leaking for yourself and keep documentation regardless of the outcome.

There are indeed some other recalls that have been issued concerning the GLS line as a whole where some GLS63 models may have been affected, just be sure to inquire with the previous owner as well as run the VIN to ensure all applicable recalls were performed and if they weren’t to inquire as to why not and how they can get done prior to you taking ownership.

For a full list of recalls click HERE

Mercedes SUVs are not that expensive to maintain, it is more just society having talked so much crap about Mercedes for so many years when not many people who had these opinions had Mercedes either.

Relatively speaking if you find an independent and third-party shop that is certified and knowledgeable about Mercedes, they will be able to do the work for fractions of the cost that a Mercedes dealer would charge you.

A good rule of thumb, unless it is under warranty, don’t ever take it to the dealer. Do your research, find a trusted shop and save yourself some money whilst also building a relationship with a shop that you can use time and time again for this hack and the others that will certainly come along In the future.

Overall, if you need a 7-seater SUV that can work for section 179, the Mercedes GLS63 is the answer. Not only is it a great hack due to the values holding strong with the AMG status but it is incredibly usable, and only having been released in 2017 gives all models more updated tech for those that care about that sort of thing. Who knows, maybe I will add one to my fleet very soon!