2023 Volkswagen ID.4 vs 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS

The SUV that’s now known as the GLS was launched for the 2007 model year as the GL-Class, when Mercedes decided it needed a bigger, more luxurious SUV to sit above the M-Class in its lineup. The GL-Class and M-Class were rebadged the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class and GLE-Class, respectively, in 2014 when Mercedes introduced a new naming scheme across its lineup.

The current version of the GLS was introduced for the 2020 model year, and represents the model’s third generation. It’s aimed at other full-size luxury SUVs, including the BMW X7, Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX80, Land Rover Range Rover, Lincoln Navigator, and Lexus LX.

Four models are available in Canada: the base six-cylinder GLS 450 4Matic, the GLS 580 4Matic, the AMG GLS 63 4Matic+, and the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 4Matic. Availability is currently limited, and specifications for the 2022 model year are not available. However, they are expected to be very close to those listed for 2021, which were used as reference for the information provided here. We tested a U.S.-specification 2022 GLS 450 for this review.

The Volkswagen ID.4 electric car is still relatively new to the marketplace (it debuted for the 2021 model year) but VW is already making some important updates to keep it competitive and fulfil goals set when this compact electric SUV first launched.

The 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 adds a new base model and a smaller 62-kilowatt-hour battery pack alongside the carryover 82-kWh to increase affordability. VW will also begin sourcing cars for its North American dealerships from the same Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory that builds the gasoline-powered Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport. The automaker has been discussing this since the ID.4 was unveiled, but at first cars for our market came from Zwickau, Germany.

The 2023 ID.4 retains single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) and dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrain options, but gets revised exterior and interior styling, some software changes, and a few more standard tech features and driver aids.

The new-for-2023 base model is dubbed simply ID.4, slotting below the ID.4 Pro and ID.4 Pro AWD. We recently spent a day on a test drive with the U.S. equivalent of the ID.4 Pro AWD model, along with a shorter drive in a base ID.4 model.