2022 Honda Odyssey vs 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS

If you are a minivan aficionado like we are, then you know that the 2022 Honda Odyssey is the most enjoyable one to drive. It has that light, effortless, responsive driving character that Honda bakes into every one of its cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans. But you also know that the Odyssey’s rivals are successfully outflanking it in terms of stylish design, all-weather capability, electrified efficiency, infotainment technology, and outright luxury.

In response to these new threats, Honda makes no changes to the 2022 Odyssey. Good thing its “original recipe” approach remains pretty tasty.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class sits at the top of the automaker’s luxury SUV range. The three-row GLS is the biggest SUV Mercedes offers, and the “S” in its names signifies its status as the SUV equivalent of Mercedes’ flagship S-Class sedan.

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 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.

Mercedes withdrew most of its V8 models from the United States for the 2022 model year, leaving only the base six-cylinder GLS 450 4Matic model. The automaker is expected to begin resuming dealer orders for V8 models as you read this, though, so the GLS 580 4Matic, AMG GLS 63, and Maybach GLS 600 4Matic models should return to showrooms soon. Because it was the only version available at the time, we tested a GLS 450 for this review.