Already spied sporting the taillights of the original facelift, the second facelift of the GLS-Class SUV has been caught testing with star-shaped taillights. Introduced by the 214-series Mercedes E-Class, the love-it-or-hate-it taillights feature no fewer than three stars per group compared to two on the E-Class sedan, wagon and wagon-based Mercedes E All-Terrain.
The revised taillight graphics are hardly surprising, which can also be said of the camouflage film on the front of the full-size utility vehicle. You can expect a revised bumper with slightly different upper and lower grilles than the previous model, along with a pair of redesigned headlights.
Unfortunately, it is unclear whether the headlights equipping this prototype are the real ones or improvised units. In the photo AMG With Continental rubber wheels sporting the R21 badge at each corner, the second facelift of the 167-series GLS also sports a subtly updated cabin, with a particular focus on technology.
The only clear interior photo shows a new digital instrument cluster that connects to the touchscreen infotainment system, which in turn connects to the passenger-side display. In Mercedes-Benz AG parlance, this is the MBUX Hyperscreen. The lesser version that debuted in the sixth-generation E is called the MBUX Superscreen, a highly clever and equally distracting triple-display setup.
For starters, MBUX Superscreen includes a selfie camera and a video camera that allows for online video conferencing when the vehicle is stationary. Of course, third-party apps are available, with highlights including Webex, Zoom, Vivaldi, TikTok, and Angry Birds. Since the GLS is the S-Class of SUVs, there’s no denying that the 2027 model will get either the Superscreen or the more elegant Hyperscreen.
Photo: SH Proshots
Along with the GLS, the S-Class and GLE are believed to be moving to a three-screen cockpit for their second facelift. The Stuttgart-based automaker has resorted to second facelifts due to slowing demand for electric vehicles, which has forced Mercedes and other automakers to extend the lifecycles of their internal combustion engine vehicles.
A good example is the Audi Q7, whose second facelift is available for the 2025 model year in the US market. Speaking of the Volkswagen Group, the mechanically similar Lamborghini Urus also got a facelift with the 2025 model year Urus SE at the expense of the combustion-only Lamborghini Urus Performante and the Urus S.
A monocoque sports utility vehicle with similar underpinnings to the GLE-Class Off-road and Coupé, the GLS-Class SUV is the largest utility vehicle produced by the three-pointed star. Longer than the fully electric EQS SUV, the GLS can be purchased in three different variants, starting with the Benz brand line.
The AMG is available exclusively in the V8-powered 63 series, while this generation of the GLS also featured the first GLS to wear the Maybach badge. Similar to the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 uses a twin-turbo V8 developed by the folks at AMG. Given the growing demand for hybrids and increasingly stringent regulations on fuel economy and carbon emissions, the second GLS facelift could feature a higher level of electrification across the board.