Mercedes-Benz GL-Class Press Drive

A few weeks ago I attended the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class press drive in Santa Fe, New Mexico to learn more about their 2013 line of SUVs that will have Moms everywhere swooning over the safety, space and elegance. I will go into more detail about the specifics of the GL-class, but I first wanted to share a little about my time test driving in New Mexico.

This was my first time in the state and I was amazed at the landscape- far different from flat Iowa! We stayed at the beautiful Four Season’s Rancho Encantado which was a peaceful resort with no neighbors as far as the eye could see. We sure had a peaceful view, but our days were jam-packed with test driving the Mercedes SUV, the new GL-Class.

Our first morning involved a press briefing where we learned in detail about the new GL-class and heard from the CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, Steve Cannon.

From there we headed out on our own for the 3 hour trek to Taos Ski Valley, a ski resort in the beautiful New Mexican mountains. I was able to hop in a GL-350 with Zippy from Champagne Living and Liza from Buy-Her so you can imagine how fun our ride was.

We had a pit stop at Earthship, a community of radically sustainable buildings made with recyclable materials. This was a very interesting place and apparently there is at least one Earthship house in every state!

Liza was our driver up to Taos Ski Valley and let me tell you… this girl has no fear! Swerving around those twists, turns and gravel roads, we really got a feel for how equipped the GL-Class can handle rough terrain. Even though we were speeding around mountain corners and mud pits (true story!) the ride was one of the smoothest I’ve been on.

But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the scariest! As you can see Zippy and I were holding on for dear life as the mountain road we were on looked right over a huge cliff!

We made our way to the Bavarian Lodge and Restaurant in Taos Ski Valley for some lunch and a break from driving. This was my first time at a ski resort and the view was stunning! I’m sure it looks even more breathtaking when it’s snow-covered.

The night ended with a relaxing dinner. Here are the few mom bloggers (in a sea of auto bloggers and magazine writers) that went on the press trip. (From left: Alicia from The Mommy Insider, Liza from Buy-Her, Me!, Zippy from Champagne Living, Stacie from The Divine Miss Mommy and Desiree from Stress Free Baby, not pictured)

It was an interesting experience for all of us Moms, being given the keys to a Mercedes for a 6 hour trip up mountains, around cliffs and through the gravel and mud. I think because we were thrown into this new experience we gained a greater knowledge of the car then if we were to be driving around a test track.

So stay tuned for my thoughts on the new 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class!

I was invited on an all-expense paid press trip to New Mexico to test drive the new GL-Class but received no compensation. Thoughts are my own.