Mercedes is to steal an march over its 4×4 sector rivals this September with the launch of a V8 diesel in both the new seven-seat GL and the M-class.
Corporate sales boss Colin Niklas said he his initial feedback led him to believe the new 420CDI engine will be the biggest seller in the GL range.
“The 420CDI will be more important than the 320CDI because in that income bracket [the GL costs £63,075] they still want the performance the V8 diesel offers,” said Niklas. He added that diesel was still the favoured fuel for large 4x4s and he expected the new engine to sell more than the 5.0 petrol V8.
“The GL will be strong in the corporate market at the local business level,” added Niklas. “We’re also going to capitalise on the our sporting ties. We already do well in the sports arena with the CL, CLS and CLK and we’ll try for the same with the GL.”
The GL will be priced from £51,675 for the 320CDI, rising to £65,720 for the GL500, when it goes on sale in September.
