Volkswagen Id.5 vs Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class

What's the difference?

At long last, Volkswagen’s electric mid-size SUV duo has landed in Australia.

The appeal of the ID.4 as an electric family SUV alternative to the likes of the Tiguan is obvious, but where does the more coupe-styled ID.5 fit?

It comes in a single GTX trim for now, taking aim at some of the more performance-oriented EV SUVs on the Australian market, of which there are now quite a few. But now it’s arriving later than many of its rivals.

Has VW done enough with the ID.5 GTX for it to justify a spot on your test-drive list? We went to its Australian launch to find out.

The ‘Upper Large SUV over $120K’ segment of the Aussie new-car market is what you might call the top end of town, not only in terms of the extravagant models available but also their purchase prices, which stretch well into six figures and require monthly lease payments that rival home mortgages.

It’s where you’ll find some of the most prestigious marques in the automotive world including Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Range Rover, Lexus and BMW. And, of course, Mercedes-Benz with its big GLS which represents the flagship of the German manufacturer’s SUV fleet.

It was given a refresh in 2023 with cosmetic and multimedia upgrades along with powertrain enhancements, but there have only been minor changes since then. We were recently entrusted with the keys to the latest GLS to see if the ‘S-Class of SUVs’ leaves any room for improvement.