IloveC300

Hi there guys,
coming to this forum after a long time. I currently own a 2012 C300 and 2006 toyota sienna. its time to retire my sienna and i'm tempted towards GL550. i have started doing some research but want to hear from the experts here. I'm looking for either a brand new GL550 or CPO with low mileage and couple of years old. what do you guys suggest? Which model is best and were there any major changes to looks/engine/etc in any of these years 2013-2016?
Also what options are absolutely must and which ones are nice to have?
thanks guys.

BlownV8

Yes, huge changes to the 2013+ models. Engine is a biturbo V8 vs NA on the X164. Not to mention, the exterior is more attractive than the previous GL 550. Given the decision, I would go with the X166.

CBR Dude

The 164 is old school. There is no bluetoothing music in the 164's. If you have kids that will make that known big time. All the good stuff started in 2013 with the 166. Also the GL is going away for 2016. The replacement is much smaller. I like it but will miss the real estate the GL offered. Will there be a hit in resale due to the body change? Who knows. Interior is much nicer too. The 164 was getting old. It lacked a whole lots of style. If getting used go for the CPO. You pay more for the lower financing and warranty put if you plan to keep it until the wheels fall off it's well worth it. Once they are past the warranty they plunge in value and interest rates go up. DO NOT buy an extended warranty that's not Mercedes, they never pay out.

BlownV8

The ML is going away. The GL is just changing names to the GLS. It's still going to be around so don't worry.

I don't agree with the advice on the warranty. I had one that was awesome on my GL but unfortunately the company doesn't sell them anymore. Have a great one on my SL that almost paid for itself on the first claim. Still have lots of time left on it too.

islandbeef

We were in the market for a used 2013 GL but when we came across a CPO 2012 (lease return, still looking new) with low mileage, it was hard to resist and we pulled the trigger on the 2012. I'm always weary of maintenance/reliability issues with these Euro rigs, the CPO puts my worries mostly to rest.

I'd have to agree that the 2012's and older are behind the times tech-wise and I wish the NAV screen was positioned higher like in the 2013's (and newer).

The V8 grunt compared to the turbo whine of the newer models was another bonus.

YodaSyrup

There's no debating that the later X164's were way behind when it comes to in-car technology. While there's no excuse, the life cycle of the X164 began in the mid 2000's and the bottom fell out of the SUV and luxury car market in 2009. Combine that with a low volume of sales and nearing the end of the model's generation - you can understand why MB let things slide. And to make matters worse, the period of 2010-2012 was a time of great progress for in-car tech with most auto manufacturers - so the GL looks sad compared to some of it's competitors of the same era.

That said, I still prefer the interior and exterior styling of the X164 vs. the X166. IMO, the X164 has a more masculine appearance and design elements like the twin hood domes, the visible chrome exhaust tips and the center grab bars that run between the two front seats. It's almost like Mercedes wanted to make the X166 appeal more to women - so they cleaned it up and neutered it a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I think the X166 is a good looking SUV too, but I prefer the X164 and think it's a bad *** looking vehicle. And yes, NOTHING beats the feel and sound of a naturally aspirated V8.

alx

The x166 in non- Amg guise looks like a minivan. The x164 looks like a proper large suv.

The price advantage of the x164 far offsets the minimal benefits of the x166. The x164 has already taken most of its depreciation with and without warranty where the more complex x166 when out of warranty still has a long way to go down in depreciation.

And yes the infomatics of the x164 are sad. But so are the x166. If you want modern ones get a Lexus.