Mercedes GL X166 towers over tanks: "Great car"
Created: 06/07/2022, 14:21
By: Simon Mones
At over five meters, the Mercedes GL X166 is one of the largest SUVs.
According to the Verkehrsclub Deutschland, it is even larger than a tank.
Stuttgart/Hanover – A few years ago station wagons and limousines dominated the streets, but now it is SUVs that are very popular with car buyers.
For example, every fourth new car in May was an SUV, also thanks to the trend towards electromobility.
This is because the shape of the vehicle offers many advantages for manufacturers.
But there is also a lot of criticism, especially because of the dimensions.
SUVs are often referred to as "city tanks".
A comparison by the Hanoverian district association of the Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD) shows that this nickname is not entirely out of thin air.
He posted a graphic on his Facebook page that put the dimensions of the Mercedes GL X166 in relation to a Wiesel 1 tank.
The SUV towers over the military vehicle both in terms of length and height.
While the Mercedes GL X166 is an impressive 5.10 meters long, the weasel is only 3.55 meters.
The height difference is only two centimeters.
The Mercedes GL X is longer than the Wiesel small tank.
(Iconic image) © Daimler AG
Mercedes GL X166 towers over tanks: "Great car"
However, the comparison by the Hanoverian district association of the German Traffic Club is not entirely accurate.
Because the Wiesel 1 is just a small tank designed for air transport.
At 3.60 meters, even the popular VW e-Up is longer than the military vehicle.
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However, compared to the Leopard 2, the Bundeswehr's main weapon system, the Mercedes GL X166 is almost a small car.
The tank measures up to 11 meters in length – including the smoothbore gun – and is therefore almost twice as big as the SUV from Stuttgart.
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Mercedes GL X166 towers over tanks: criticism of comparison
Accordingly, there is criticism of the comparison of the VDC, also because the Mercedes GL X166 built until 2019 is rarely seen.
It is therefore a conscious distortion, so the accusation.
However, some Facebook users take the comparison with humor, as a look at the comments shows:
"Even a VW Golf 8, which is much more common than that nasty, nasty SUV, towers over the Wiesel at 4,284mm in length."
"I told you: city tanks."
"Convinced I need a weasel for errands around town."
"One is a tank, the other is 'just' a weapon carrier."
"Awesome car"