Off-road adventure!

I CAN’T think of a better way to spend an afternoon in Bahrain than driving a gleaming BD29,900 SUV around the desert.

Fortunately for me, Al Haddad Motors recently held a media event where I was invited to do just that.

I took the Mercedes-Benz GL450, a beast on wheels, across the island to Sakhir to put it through its paces in an exhilarating on and off-road adventure.

This bulking 4.6-litre 335bph all-wheel drive SUV not only boasts a generous amount of power but also has enough space to comfortably seat seven people.

That makes it a dream come true for both off-road enthusiasts and safety conscious drivers with large families alike.

What’s more, this spacious 7-seater is as luxurious as it is large and, trust me, it’s pretty large!

The entire cabin is adult-sized which means that even if you’re relegated to the back seats you needn’t worry because it still provides more legroom than many airlines I’ve travelled with!

In terms of interior aesthetics, it is clear that a great deal of thought went into the design. The Grand Edition I drove featured luxurious wood finishes and two-tone leather seats with arm rests and a wood/leather steering wheel in black ash.

However, it’s how the marque performs that counts and it appears Mercedes-Benz’s objective with the GL450 was to create a vehicle that outperforms its competitors ... and they might have just succeeded.

This SUV delivers all the qualities that matter to drivers who expect big things but also appreciate the little things.

After a perfectly comfortable drive along the highway to Sakhir, I already liked this model a lot. I found it responsive and sturdy although the drive felt a little light for such a big vehicle.

Once we hit the sand, I fell in love with it when I found out that all the little buttons in the centre stack were more than just decorative.

With nothing around except the treacherous terrain it was time to see what this beast could do. The hill descent control, made light work of the hills and slopes and the adaptive damping and air-suspension (which raises the height of the vehicle by as much as 300mm) also made driving off-road a doddle.

The GL450 comes with a 7-speed automatic transmission that adapts to your driving style and the 4Matic all-wheel drive system directs the engine’s torque to the tyres that need it most, converting grip into momentum. This comes in particularly handy when negotiating rough terrain, especially sandy dunes (very practical for off-roading in Bahrain).

As for safety, the GL Class is ahead of the curve and offers a plethora of features to appease those looking for a family car. It comes with side curtain airbags for all three rows, side-impact airbags for first and second rows, antilock brakes, electronic stability system and even a pre-safe collision-mitigation system, which tightens seat belts and closes windows prior to impact.

This SUV does everything short of driving itself … oh wait, it does that too! Thanks to the cruise control feature the GL450 practically drives itself. Once you’ve set your desired speed, you can take your foot of the accelerator and the car maintains its speed until you touch the brake or accelerator again. This feature is very handy for those who have trouble keeping to the speed limit.

The only complaint I have about this SUV is the position of the gearstick.

Call me old-fashioned but I believe a gearstick should be placed between the driver and front passenger seats, not behind the steering wheel near the windscreen wipers. I found it clumsy and very impractical.

However, that’s a very small price to pay for all the other impressive benefits of cruising in this Mercedes-Benz.

For further information, contact Al Haddad Motors on 17785454.