A NEW version of Mercedes' luxury seven seat 4x4 has been announced and is due on sale early next year.

The next generation of the high specification GL-Class will feature a range of technological improvements as well as more economical diesel and petrol engines.

It is also more rugged in appearance with sharper lines across the body.

A niche rival to the Range Rover, the GL-Class comes with devices to cope with high crosswinds, handle trailers and a steering system designed to make the vehicle more manoeuvrable in adverse conditions.

Powered either by a three-litre diesel or a 4.6-litre V8 petrol both the GL350 and GL500 models have improved fuel efficiency compared to the previous models.

The diesel is not only more powerful at 258bhp - up from 211 - but it can now average 38mpg with emissions down to 192g/km, an improvement of some 20 per cent.

The V8, which develops 408bhp and can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in less than six seconds, is said to average 25 to the gallon with emissions of 262g/km.

Options available on the premium off-roader include Mercedes' anti-collision system as well as automatic parking and an all-round camera system to help not only parking but also on and off-road driving.

While not as bigger seller as the Mercedes M-Class SUV, the GL sits alongside Mercedes other 4x4s which include the R-Class mega-estate car and the heavy duty G-Class.

Mercedes has still to announce exact UK specification and pricing but the current GL  costs from almost £60,000 for the GL350 and more than £70,000 for the GL500.