FormerGLdriver

Funny. Someone above compared a Mazda Tribute to the 2015 450 and you were silent. Hmmm, why is that?

FWIW, it was not any Explorer but rather the Sport model, the only model with the same engine, rims, brakes and stylistic treatment as the SHO. Is the Explorer Sport in the GL's competitive set? Nope, not a chance. Is it about the same size, a seven seater, and even faster than the 450? Yup. Is it about 1/3 the price? Yup. Is paying 1/3 the price something I might consider as I'm very pissed off at MB? Yup.

I'm surprised at all the fanboi defense of this new, higher priced, yet anemic 450 but I guess people get invested in their buying/leasing decisions. I just don't. I look at the value proposition, the competitive set, and possible replacement choices and make my decision. After three 450s it's obvious I found the prior combination a good one; I just find the new iteration an overpriced and underpowered choice.

jerome8283

I don't believe the poster above compared anything. You certainly did compare a Ford Explorer, oh wait, not just any Ford Explorer, the "Sport Mercedes Like Explorer' to a GL. You do sound very upset at MB. I see multiple posts by you bad mouthing MB. Why are you here? I'm sure Ford has a forum.

FormerGLdriver

So one post, with part of it about my test driving an Explorer, and now I need to find a Ford forum? And I never called it a "Sport Mercedes Like Explorer" so no idea why the quotations. You're just making stuff up now for some reason. Well, we know the reason.

Yup, fanboi.

And you would be wrong about the poster and the Mazda. He very specifically stated how coming from a Mazda makes the current GL 450 look good. Well, coming from three prior 450s, the current one does not look good.

blittle

I have a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid......probably one of the best American cars I have ever owned....that said.....the service and the overall "atmosphere" does not come anywhere near what I receive and expect from MB. Still.....the Fusion is probably our best effort......of course my 2012 Vette is one hell of a fun machine!

luv2sleep

We decided on a '15 GL450. We've owned a '09 GL450 and a '10 GL350. I loved the GL350; awesome torque and a great road tripper! I test drove a CPO '14 GL450 before deciding on the '15 GL450. There is definitely a difference between the V6 and the V8 biturbos, and obviously the V8 definitely has more umph. The V6 is no wimp either. It felt like the naturally aspirated V8 engine in the previous generation GL450. I personally think the V6 biturbo is just fine for my "soccer mom" wife. The deciding factors were mainly MPG and the performance of the V6. Though I loved the low end torque of the GL350, I didn't want to deal with the little diesel annoyances; just getting old and lazy, I guess. I thought the V6 biturbo was plenty powerful for what we are going to use it for-hauling around kids and road trips. Now if it was my primary ride, I'd opt for the GL550. I'm currently at the sport sedan phase of my life and I'm extremely happy with my current ride. When the kids are out of the house, I'll take a hard look at the super charged Range Rovers.
If you are on the fence, definitely do a thorough test drive. For most people, the V6 will do the trick IMHO.

Bocahoo

That all makes sense. I currently have a 2012 GL and it has more than enough power for my wife and our nanny shuttling the kids around. The only time I drive the GL is on weekends and on road trips. I guess it's just more of an annoyance to me in that I was looking forward to the upgrade from the current GL to a more powerful TT v8, and spending $70K+ on a top-of-the-line mercedes benz SUV only to get a v6 engine (for the same price as the old V8) makes it feel like I'm being cheated. There's too big of a step up in price to consider the GL550. At the end of the day, I'll probably end up with a GL450 v6 when the warranty on my 2012 is up, although if BMW comes out with an X7 with a v8 option, I will give it strong consideration. Had Mercedes stuck with the TT v8 in the 450, I doubt i would have even looked at alternatives.

I will also say the engine trend at Mercedes is a little concerning. The ML and E class have both dropped V8s from the line up unless you go with an AMG version. IMO, this leaves too big a gap in the line-up (there's no mid-size sedan competitor to the 550i or S6, and no midsize SUV competitor to the X5 5.0).

TangoRed

The CAFE standards are really making Mercedes make some choices. I'm OK with Mercedes going the TTV6 route for the ML and E-class; do you realize the 550 TTV8 versions of both those models made up less than 5% of their sales? MB will be OK.

Stinks the GL450 went from a fantastic powerplant to an adequate one though. I'm sure people will enjoy the mpg boost but meh. I guess this will solve the complaints that the GL550 wasn't a big enough step up.

Also- The GL isn't the only vehicle stricken by CAFE standards. The Land Rover LR4 also ditched its V8 and is now using a supercharged V6 with very similar results.

Bocahoo

Oh I understand all that and agree with you, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. But yeah, in addition to the CAFE standard reasons, it's also just a financial decision for MB since their volume on the E550 was so low as you note. It's a shame though, because my next car will likely be either a 550i or an S6. The E550 would have been in the mix, but the E400 won't be. But I guess there were too few people like me willing to pay the premium for v8 powered sedan or MB wouldn't have made the decision to discontinue it.

luv2sleep

First off, I love BIG block engines; I'm a huge fan of American muscle cars! My dad was one also and I grew up on them-just luuuuuuuuuv the deep growl of a fine sounding V8. Call me a trader but I've learned to "respect" the smaller engines with superchargers and/or turbos (supercharger preferred). It is indeed hard to let go (and I'm not defending MB) but look at some of the performance numbers of these engines. Take a long test drive and judge for yourself. Afterwards, if you still miss the V8, opt for the 550. Not many of us have $$$ flowing out of our pockets; I sure don't. I understand your pain, brotha!

jerome8283

I'm I miss-reading most of the articles about MBs plans for 2016? There will be 4 models, GL400 (v6), GL450 (v8), GL350 diesel and the GL550?

Bocahoo

Yes, you're misreading it. I believe there will be 3 models. GL450 (TT V6), GL 350 diesel and the GL 550 (TT V8)

Bocahoo

Oh I definitely respect what they've been able to do with smaller boosted engines. The new TT V6 has more power and torque than the current NA V8 in my 2012 GL. So there really shouldn't be any reason for me to not like the TT V6 except that it's NOT the TT V8 which by all accounts is an amazing engine. There's no way I'd opt for the 550. I drive the car 500 miles a year mostly on weekend outings with the family. And my wife wouldn't know the difference between the 550 and the 450.

WRT the sedans though, I think it stinks that MB has ceded the v8 mid-sized sedan market to BMW. I suppose with the sales volumes of the e550 it was clear they had already lost that market, but the e-class no longer has anything to compete at the non-AMG high end of the mid sized sedan market. It will be interesting to see the pricing of the E400. If they follow the GL/ML strategy of pricing the TTV6 similarly to the outgoing V8 model, I don't know how it will compete with the 550i which has 116 more HP and 126 more ft-lbs of torque. If they price it more in line with the current e350 it could be a compelling alternative to the 535i.

jerome8283

Here are the articles I have seen,


http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...lass-spy-shots


http://www.newcarnewsandreviews.com/...benz-gl-class/


http://www.newcarannouncements.com/2...-gl-class-suv/


http://www.autoevolution.com/news/20...-us-84042.html

Bocahoo

Very odd. I wonder how old those articles are? The MB website currently has 3 2015 models. The GL450 (TTV6), GL 350 (diesel) and GL 550 (TTV8). It seems really unlikely that they would downgrade the GL450 from a V8 to a V6 for one year, then bring back the TTV8 in 2016. One article also mentions a GL400 with a V6 with 333HP and 480 lb-ft of torque, which causes me to question the validity of the source. Outside of a diesel, I'm not sure it's possible to deliver that level of torque from a v6 without also yielding higher horsepower.

cadetdrivr

I suspect that one small bit of the confusion is MB's worldwide naming when comparing apples-and-oranges of "spy" reports from different markets. The situation is not helped when those same web sites carelessly crib from one another.

For example, in North America the current 450 has the V6. In other markets the identical truck is sold as the 400. What could possibly go wrong?

luv2sleep

Just look at Infiniti when they renamed all of their vehicles. Q whaaaat?

cordoor

Yes, if someone's budget is tight.

But here's another way to look at it: Over the course of a three year lease, that gas savings buys you a 10 day trip to Cancun for you and a significant other staying at the finest all inclusive resort.

People look at finances differently. Just because someone is concerned about the gas savings doesn't mean they are pinching pennies. Many people would rather put that value somewhere else. Even a lot of very wealthy people think this way even though they could easily ignore the gas savings and still get the trip to Cancun.

"Can" doesn't necessarily mean "should" for a lot of people.