Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Merc GL450

[Adam Green (flatcrank]

I wonder if this is a practical joke by someone trying to draw me out into
the open? : )  Sadly, I confess to having an informed opinion on the GL.
How embarrassing!

I've been looking at the GL in some detail since before it came onto the
market.  The early GL's were prone to a lot of build quality issues, but
remained generally reliable.  Fuel economy in the 450 is not horrible for
the size of the engine and the weight of the vehicle or its probable usage
of slow-n-go around town.  The 320 diesel is the better vehicle (than the
450) but both drive with remarkably enjoyable handling, confident road
manners and very low NVH levels which almost invariably bring mention from
passengers of the comfortable and quiet cabin.

Towing capacity is below equivalent domestic SUVs (7K lbs versus 10K) and
space behind the third row is comparatively small.  Off-road performance is
equivalent to a Cayenne but the longer wheelbase compromises it somewhat.
On-road, the 7spd slushbox is buttery smooth and all three engine options
give the car ample oomph to run up an on-ramp at a gallop and merge at 75
mph without feeling any strain.

In terms of a better car than the Honda minivan, the Toyota Sienna,
especially in AWD, is a logical progression and a superior all round vehicle
with all the most appealing optional amenities.  If you can stand a mini-van
once, maybe you can get one again?  : )

Compared to a minivan, the GL has the seating capacity, but not the cabin
space or versatility for traveling.  It has better road manners and towing
as well as "soft-roader" off-road capabilites which no mini-van can match
although the AWD Sienna is famously sure-footed in rain and snow or even ice
given the right tires ... yes, I'd get a Sienna if I could stand the
self-image of being a mini-van driver picking up our two kids from school
... my fragile ego still needs to be cocooned in a Cayenne Turbo with 520 HP
rarely if ever being asked to answer the reins.

Compared to a Ford Expedition, the GL loses on all counts except brand
prestige and that sublime NVH character -- the GL has "Distronic" and older
models have the "Off Road Technical Package" (low-range transfer case, bash
plates, an extra inch of air suspension travel and ground clearance.)  Some
GLs were optioned with the "Adaptive" sports seats (which I quite like) but
most GLs have about the same basic option packages (literally named I or II)
so if you want "minivan" functions like a power rear gate, rear camera or
stuff that's probably standard in most Hondas and Toyotas (electric seat
memory, nav) then you need to use a site like edmunds.com to familiarize
yourself with the various option pack contents for the '07 and '08 model
years.  I can't quite bring myself to buy another Ford, though their quality
reports are now equal to or better than Euro equivalents.  I have a Ford
Excursion, which has been a prodiguous workhorse with a relentless 6.0
turbodiesel, towing 12K+ in a triple axle race trailer, winching down trees,
retrieving other full size SUVs from the ditch beside snow-covered mountain
roads ... a hard act to follow.  Also a noisy, smelly, four year-old 60K
mile act to follow ... : )  At least it runs 50-80% bio-diesel some of the
time.

In short, I think the secondary market for a decent example is appealing and
the capital saved up front would pay for a lifetime of poor fuel consumption
(fiscally, not ethically ... : )

I agree with the advice to buy through a dealer and pay for the extended
warranty product.  Keep in mind that the warranty is indeed a "product" so
its price is negotiable.  Expect to shave $500+ off whatever the going rate
might be.  Say $2,000 for a budget.  Given the size and complexity of the
vehicle, even a minor problem will eat the entire up-front cost of the
warranty in a single gulp.  Most owners report good reliability, but then
again, most reports to date are under warranty, so they're not reporting the
cost, just the inconvenience.  As these cars age, I'm sure owners will grow
tired of occasional $500 visits to the dealer to fix whatever motor fails
next.

Looking at operating costs, service charges are pretty high at Mercedes, so
even a simple brake rotor and pad swap could be expensive.  I budget on
doing some of those things myself as targets bear.

The '09 model has very few changes let alone improvements, suggesting the GL
was basically sound from the outset.  Larger wing mirrors address a common
criticism and I would retrofit those mirrors if I got an older model.

My opinion, as evidenced by my delay in swapping from the Cayenne Turbo to
whatever comes next, is that the GL is not a compelling vehicle.  Mercedes
stupidly limits some options to some models -- the GL550 gets the sports
seats, the GL450 gets the Distronic cruise and the diesel gets none of the
above.  Why?   The 550 is relatively very expensive, but its performance is
far from significant, so its price is only for its distinctive (to the
discerning eye) appearance.  The 450 is old news, so it has no cachet and
the 320 diesel is not yet heavily discounted, so its operating cost (mpg)
advantage is negated.

That said, I'd encourage anyone to look at the diesel, which is both fun to
drive, responsive to the helm and delivers better than Hybrid SUV mpg
(around 25-28 real world.)  You might also look at current models of dealer
'08 models for significantly below invoice offers.  Note that MB invoice is
quite close to their MSRP, but the total discount should be in the 15-18%
range (this number is the thing I'm least sure about because I haven't
tested it personally, but I'm planning on looking at a diesel GL as soon as
time permits.)  There's only a couple of active Mercedes forums where the GL
is commonly discussed.  Some of the generic car enthusiast sites also have
GL forums and threads.  Here's the two I've monitored from time to time.

http://www.mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-x164-77/
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/gl-class/



Adam





On Tue, Feb 24, 2009 at 1:22 PM, LS <lashdeep [at] yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> Buy an extended bumper to bumper warranty...
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: "jimshadow [at] verizon.net" <jimshadow [at] verizon.net>
> To: LS <lashdeep [at] yahoo.com>
> Cc: The FerrariList <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 4:17:11 PM
> Subject: [Ferrari] Merc GL450
>
> Anyone own one or got an informed opinion?  Used prices are very attractive
> and its time to replace my wifes Honda Odyssey......
>
> Jim
> Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed
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-- 
Adam