SUV Comparison: 2020 BMW X7 M50i vs 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 580

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Stephanie Wallcraft: And now for something completely different, where we leave budget concerns at the door as we examine two of the most attractive, opulent, and prestigious three-row SUVs your money can currently buy.

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These two relatively new players land surprisingly close to one other on price. The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS is the first model year of the third generation, and this 580 grade with the more powerful engine and options such as premium second-row features, added technology, 22-inch wheels, and Nappa leather upholstery rings up at $133,500 (pricing does not include freight and PDI charges, which at Mercedes are quoted individually by the dealer).

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SUV Comparison: 2020 BMW X7 M50i vs 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 Back to video

The 2020 BMW X7 was entirely new when it joined the brand’s line-up for the 2019 model year. This M50i grade also comes with this nameplate’s most powerful engine — that is, unless you want to drop around $40,000 more for the tuned-up version in the extra-swank Alpina XB7 launching later this year — and with options like the upgraded Bowers & Wilkins sound system, air suspension (which costs extra here, unlike in the GLS), and added safety and comfort features, we land at a price tag of $134,700 ($2,480 for freight and PDI is extra).

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Jonathan Yarkony: Hold on a second there, did you say attractive? I’m not sure we’re looking at the same vehicles, because only one of these has a face that you could call attractive. The BMW X7 ushered in an era of big-kidney-grille design that has since grown to epic proportions on the 4 Series, and it’s good that BMW thinks that it is not about pretty or ugly , because far more of the screaming public is skewering it than praising it . The big Mercedes GLS goes with a much more conventional, proportional body and face and a three-pointed-star badge the size of a dinner plate.

But step inside and the BMW’s interior will make you forget that unfortunate face, with a gorgeous cream leather that is perforated, quilted, and stitched to perfection, but that’s not even the best part about the interior. in fact, the nicest thing in either of these interiors is the cut crystal topping the shifter and inset into the iDrive controller and start button in the X7. It’s beautiful and a conversation piece and with the sun streaming in through giant panoramic sunroof, they catch the light and scatter a dapple of rainbow-coloured patches around the interior like you’ve been caught in a kaleidoscope. My kids love the ability to change the interior lighting to a variety of colours, but the BMW’s shifter elicited that same childlike glee and wonder that many might want and expect from their hundred-large luxury family barges.

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The GLS interior is nice, and the quality of the trim and leather is superb, but the monochromatic grey and silver lack panache and wow-factor in this configuration, and it’s only the Burmester speaker covers that add a touch of artful design to the staid interior.

SW: I’ve stated openly that I disagree with you on this, Jonathan, and I’ll stand my ground on it. I think the interior on the GLS is gorgeous in its understated subtlety, and this dark grey interior with open-pore wood inlays is the ideal expression of what might just be the most beautiful three-row SUV interior on the market. Of course, if you have the wherewithal and the budget, both of these brands offer personalization programs that can help you make each vehicle your own, whatever your preferences.

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But speaking of kids and what they love, my daughter has rarely been as enamoured with a rear-seat feature as she is with the GLS’ $5,600 Premium Rear Seat package. This adds heat, ventilation, and massaging to the second-row captain’s chairs, as well as equipping the centre armrest with a wireless phone charging pad and a small tablet that controls vehicle functions like radio, navigation, and HVAC settings. In my case, it would mean I’d never get to listen to a full song again — my kid’s attention span for music is about the same as a dog that’s just seen a squirrel — but there’s no question that it makes the second row of the GLS one of the more pleasant places to pass the time in a vehicle, in this price bracket or otherwise.

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It’s also important to point out that the GLS is larger than the X7 in almost every measure, and while the differences look minor on paper, it does result in some real-world differences in practicality. The GLS’s 1,823-millimetre overall height results in just a tick more head room for passenger than the 1,805 mm in the X7, for example. Plus, the 355 litres of cargo room behind the third row in the Mercedes makes the difference in us being able to fit a folded jogging stroller, while we can’t get the hatch closed when we try to squeeze it into the BMW’s 326-litre space.

JY: With plenty of cargo space for a small vault full of diamonds or a pallet of gold ingots you might be carrying around, these large SUVs need the power to haul themselves and their cargo, and they have plenty to spare.

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The GLS weighs in at a staggering 2,610 kilograms (5,754 pounds), and with a towing capacity of 3,500 kg (7,700 lbs), it better have some serious grunt to live up to the effortless motivation that buyers should expect in this segment. It does indeed live up to that, with 483 horsepower on tap from its 4.0L bi-turbo V8. Plus, thanks to a bit of a boost from its mild hybrid setup, it has 516 lb.-ft. of torque just raring to go from 2,000 to 4,000 rpm. Granted, it has multiple dynamic setting which curb the power delivery for slightly more efficient launches and cruising, but when called upon, the torque can get down to all four wheels and gently press you back into your seat. Power goes through a nine-speed automatic that is faultless in its operation, but still disappointingly controlled via a flimsy stalk shifter.

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BMW shows Mercedes how to make the space occupied by the shifter worth the tradeoff, and despite one less forward gear, BMW’s eight-speed automatic can be just as fluid in stepping through the gears, or more aggressive in Sport Mode. BMW takes a typically BMW approach, its slightly larger 4.4L V8 also sporting a pair of turbos, skipping the hybrid gear to save weight ( though hybrid versions are coming to more and more BMWs in the coming years ), and dialing up the turbocharger’s boost to deliver more power albeit slightly less torque. The X7 M50i tops out at 523 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque, and its delivery is silken smooth in Comfort or efficient mode, and satisfyingly swift in Sport mode, and the X7 matches the GLS with a tow rating of 3,400 kg (7,500 lbs) when properly equipped. While the BMW elicits a touch more satisfaction in its acceleration, power will not be a concern in either of these rigs.

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SW: Speaking of drive modes, they introduce some play in the handling of both of these behemoths as well, although the results vary. In the X7, a two-axle adaptive air suspension is standard, and the $4,750 Dynamic Handling Package included on this test unit adds on a predictive response feature that uses navigation information, the forward camera, and data on your own driving style to anticipate and adjust how the vehicle will react to upcoming conditions. That all sounds great on paper, but the reality is that neither of us were especially enamoured with the X7’s drive dynamics in Comfort mode, which we feel comes across as overly forgiving in a way that lends itself to driver overcorrections. Sport mode fixes the problem nicely, so long as you don’t mind driving around that way.

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In the GLS, we also find a standard air suspension with adaptive damping, although here it’s independent on all four wheels. We’re still talking about a three-row SUV here, so it’s wise not to expect miracles, but the results are pleasant and predictable in both the comfort and sport modes. (And when you pop it into sport mode, the GLS reminds you not to get too uppity if you have a cargo box mounted on the roof. Such delightful German prudence.)

And while it’s not unusual to need to pay extra for safety features in the luxury space, it’s important to expect that going in. On the GLS, the $3,000 Intelligent Drive Package includes a long list of technologies most buyers will want, including blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, and forward cross-traffic alert, among others. On the X7, those first three features are standard, and a $2,000 spend on the Advanced Driving Assistant Package gets you the latter three.

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JY: The X7’s next-generation Driving Assistant also impressed me with its display, letting the driver know that it is tracking not only vehicles ahead and behind, but also vehicles in the neighbouring lane. It’s something that many high-tech cars are starting to do, but seeing that the X7’s brain was tracking that jerkface about to cut you off helps me to adjust and accept the capabilities and feel more comfortable trusting them to protect us. Both cars also have epic head-up displays that present crucial driving information right in your line of sight, with adaptive cruise and safety systems and even some infotainment info temporarily appearing when scrolling through stations or songs on a playlist.

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Then again, both cars also have next-generation voice commands that actually do what you ask for (most of the time), and smartphone integration means you can also access Siri or Google to get your phone in on the action. The infotainment systems themselves offer almost endless possibilities for connectivity and giving you access to the preferences you’ve developed in your phone, but when it comes to the native system, the BMW’s iDrive controller and a few other fixed controls (eight numbered shortcuts to favourite stations or functions!) was overall a little easier to use and the system easier to navigate than MBUX and its track pad or touchscreen controls and I preferred BMW’s goofy gesture control (my kids thought I was a WIZARD!) over MBUX’s augmented reality navigation, mostly because I use my phone’s navigation almost exclusively. Mercedes-Benz caters better to rear seat passengers with a pop-out tablet that can control MBUX and access the internet, plus a wireless charing pad to keep your VIP’s phone juiced.

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Both these cars have seemingly endless lists of features and options, not to mention the customization of interior materials available directly from the factory, so each can offer a personalized oasis of luxury. You might shy away from the BMW’s awkward grille, be turned off by the Mercedes’ flimsy transmission shifter or prefer the driving dynamics in one or one sound system over the other , but they are both spectacular flagships for their brands. However, they are also three-row, seven-seat SUVs, and you don’t move up to one of these from the smaller X5 or GLE (or perhaps G-Wagen) if you don’t want or need more seats and more cargo. With most other advantages and preferences balancing out between the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS, it’s the GLS 580’s practicality of a more usable third row and superior cargo capacity that earn it the win for better fulfilling its mission in this segment.

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