Refreshed Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 spied winter testing

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Customers with deep pockets can’t seem to get enough of SUVs – especially ones with menacing faces and oversized engines. Sitting squarely in this category is the Mercedes-Benz GLS, particularly the hot-rod Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 variant. Our spies have caught a test mule of such a rig stretching its legs in wintery Arctic environs.

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Skin tight camouflage on the machine’s front and rear fascia areas suggest forthcoming exterior changes will be limited to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it refresh, likely including new light signatures on its nose and almost certainly incorporating some new illumination tricks on its aft section. Those jumbo square quad exhaust tips, which are large enough to easily double as sorely needed new storm drains in Los Angeles, are a dead giveaway we’re looking at an AMG variant. Those large intakes in this test mules front bumper jowls, adorned with twin strakes, are another AMG hallmark.

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There isn’t much else in the way of new exterior frippery or addenda, but you can be sure Merc will have plenty of styling packages on offer when this thing goes on sale. After all, the money mavens in Stuttgart didn’t earn last year’s bonuses by selling plainly wrapped examples of their SUVs. A set of Maybach-like running boards are present, though it’s unlikely this vehicle is intended for the uber-lux arm of Mercedes, thanks to the appearance of a huge tri-star logo on its grille instead of a stand-up hood ornament. Still, those tasked with applying camo to this thing may be pulling a fast one. We’ll see.

Changes under the hood and inside the cabin are still up in the air, but there’s nothing to stop Mercedes from gifting the GLS a new steering wheel from the S-Class and fresh infotainment displays. All hands in the luxury realm are currently locked in a screen-size arms race to see which brand can pack in the most digital real estate, so changes here would not be a surprise. Also look for a continuation of Merc’s expressive (and, in this author’s opinion, tremendous) ambient interior light show.

At present, the existing Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 4Matic starts at $171,300 and can easily blow past two stacks if a customer were to get exuberant with the options list. Power shows up as a towering 603 horses and 627 lb.-ft of torque courtesy of a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 assisted by a mild-hybrid drive system.