Mercedes Benz GLS-klasse 350 D Exclusive 7 Posti — Rome

Seven seats, diesel torque, and the kind of road presence that makes a valet pause before handing back the key. The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS 350 D Exclusive is the SUV you choose when the group is larger than four and the standards don't bend. This is a genuine seven-seater — not a compact SUV with a vestigial third row. Adults sit comfortably in the second row with legroom to spare, and the rearmost seats accommodate older children or shorter adults without the usual airline-economy contortion. Fold that third row flat and you have a cargo hold deep enough for a week's luggage plus golf bags, strollers, or whatever a family holiday demands. The diesel drivetrain matters here more than the spec sheet might suggest. On the A1 toward Orvieto or the longer stretch south past Naples toward the Amalfi approaches, a diesel GLS covers serious distance without the range anxiety or frequent fuel stops that come with a petrol equivalent of this size. It's a motorway cruiser that also threads Rome's tighter residential streets — Prati, the avenues near EUR — with more composure than its footprint implies. That said, Trastevere's narrowest lanes are better left to a sedan; the GLS earns its keep on the open road and the suburban ring. Handover works cleanly at Fiumicino or your accommodation outside Rome's ZTL-restricted historic centre. If you're arriving by high-speed rail at Termini, collection nearby is straightforward. For groups heading to Castelli Romani — Frascati, Marino, the volcanic hills above Lake Albano — the GLS makes a compelling case: space for the whole party, air suspension soaking up the SS218's curves, and enough boot room that a case of Frascati Superiore actually fits on the way home. One variant is available, from €400 per day. For multi-day routes — a Tivoli morning followed by a leisurely Umbrian overnight, or a proper Riviera-length run down the coast — the daily rhythm inside this cabin stays quiet, composed, and remarkably civilised for something that seats seven.