To compare the Mercedes-Benz GL with anyone else, you need a fair amount of audacity. Thanks to the air suspension, the ground clearance of the Stuttgart giant reaches a maximum of 307 mm, and a ford depth of up to 600 mm is no obstacle. The optional Offroad-Pro package turns the car into a nearly full-fledged off-roader: here you have a two-speed transfer case with a low range, and locking center and rear differentials. Under the hood of the test version is a 4.6-liter gasoline V8 producing 340 hp, paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. And what will Audi counter with? The ground clearance at the maximum air suspension setting here is more modest — only 240 mm. Instead of a pair of lockers, there is a single center self-locking Torsen differential. However, there are also trump cards: the Q7's suspension makes extensive use of aluminum, which benefits handling. The chassis is tuned to combine a sporty character with comfort on dirt roads. The engine is a 4.2-liter V8 with direct injection, developing 350 hp. At the same time, the Audi's price tag is noticeably more democratic: almost a million rubles cheaper than the Mercedes-Benz GL. Although in this class, such a difference is unlikely to be a decisive factor.

FEEL THE WEIGHT

The main stumbling block is a persistent prejudice against the Q7's mud talents. I already have experience driving an Audi on sand, mud, and broken country roads, and the car did not disappoint me. But the residue remained. It is clear that the GL will go where the Q7 will get stuck, but how big is the chasm? On the other hand, less off-road potential usually translates into better behavior on asphalt. For this pair, the statement is generally true, but it oversimplifies the picture. Many details remain behind the scenes of advertising brochures and only manifest in hard-fought battles on and off the pavement. But who will give a potential buyer the chance to thoroughly thrash a test car in a quarry? A few brief observations on the way to the quarry. The GL honestly lets the driver feel its size — with all the consequences. The Q7 is a true illusionist. Outside — an elephant, inside — the feeling of an ordinary passenger car. Sitting behind the wheel, you constantly forget that you are driving a five-meter all-wheel-drive vehicle. The Mercedes does not hide either its dimensions or its mass. It does not play hide-and-seek, but you have to pay for this honesty. The main nuance is a slight lack of directional stability. On smooth surfaces, this is almost imperceptible, but on wavy asphalt, the GL requires steering corrections — of course, at high speeds, but still. The steering is not as informative, and the body rolls more actively. I respect the Mercedes' off-road capabilities, but you still have to get to them, and this path is more pleasant to travel behind the wheel of an Audi.

EQUAL IN MOTION

In the quarry, a small but treacherous slope with loose soil awaited us. First — preparation: raise the air suspension to maximum, disable ESP, lock the gear. In the Mercedes-Benz, we engage the low range and lockers — unlike the Audi, here they are available. The GL starts first. Having accelerated about four meters and hesitating a bit at the very top, it still took the obstacle. Then the Q7 — it crawls onto the same surface noticeably easier and smoother. After several runs, conclusions suggest themselves. Both cars are heavy for loose ground and only hold on thanks to lockers and their electronic imitations. In motion, they go almost equally, but the Audi does it more comfortably. However, as soon as you slow down in a problem area, the advantage shifts to the GL — it gets out more calmly and confidently. The difference was especially evident when, having cut deep ruts into the sand, the cars exhausted their suspension travel. The Q7 sat on its belly, and only a shovel could help it, while the GL continued moving and, having made a couple of circles around the stuck rival, drove out onto solid ground. "I told you!" — Alexander, a photographer for Club 4x4 and a big Mercedes fan, remarked ironically. "Why did you drag this aluminum can from Ingolstadt here?" I am not an Audi fan, but if a car drives as long as there is enough ground clearance, that deserves respect.

FOOL PROTECTION

As long as there is ground clearance, both drive. It remains to find out how far. We move toward a gentle sandy hill that we have already tried to storm on various all-wheel-drive vehicles. There were Jeeps, Dodges, Skodas, SsangYongs — no one climbed higher than the middle. Pedal to the floor — and the Audi hangs at the same mark. Playing with the throttle is useless: the electronics hold the revs at 2000 and do not let the engine rev up. This limitation cannot be disabled. Next — the GL. It bursts in a couple of meters higher but also stops. However, it does not freeze completely: it responds to the floored gas pedal with a slow but confident increase in revs. The wheels gradually turn, the car crawls. A little more — and the summit is taken. The GL's electronics are clearly tuned for serious off-roading and will do everything to pull this heavy car out with its owner. There are no rev limits — both 2000 and 7000 are available. The main thing is to stop in time and not overdo it. There is no fool protection here, and you really want to fool around… The Q7's electronics algorithm is different: with the wheels fully locked, it is impossible to rev the engine above 2000 rpm. Off-roaders are unlikely to like this, but ordinary owners will say thank you — this way it is impossible to ruin the gearbox (and on the test GL, after journalists' experiments, one automatic transmission had already been replaced). As usual, it is difficult to fit the test results into a couple of phrases. In normal conditions, both cars are adequate and no fundamental difference is visible. But when it comes to extreme driving: the GL requires caution on a narrow wavy road, especially when overtaking trucks — its next action is harder to predict than the Q7's behavior. The Audi is always lively and predictable, but on loose ground — a beach, a quarry, a snowy field — where the Mercedes lives a full life, the Q7 gets only brief pleasure. But who would dare to claim that one of them is worse than the other?