Claiming that the current GLS is the “S-Class of SUVs” is a bold statement, even for Mercedes-Benz, but there’s a good chance its successor will be worthy of the description.

Spied in motion for the first time, the GLS replacement is currently in prototype form, but interestingly enough, unlike the one caught by our vigilant spy photographers, this one features a sunroof, and roof rails.

Other than that, it remains pretty much the same, from what we can tell from the camo and plastic cladding, but we do expect an entirely new design, similar to the upcoming GLE, with that beautiful Panamericana grille used in the range-topping AMG model(s).

Poised to go against the upcoming BMW X7 as well as the Range Rover, the next generation Mercedes-Benz GLS still has a few major problems to deal with: rivaling the Range Rover SVAutobiography and Bentley Bentayga.

However, it appears that an even more luxurious version of the SUV is on the table, one that could see the ‘Benz’ suffix replaced by ‘Maybach’, but first things first, let’s wait for the ‘regular’ one to arrive in 2019.

VIDEO