Scoop55

Went out this morning and checked out the GL450 for the first time. I wanted to give it a once-over before ropeing the wife in for a test-drive.

On the outside, it's looks really good from the front. The rear?....eh....so-so. The exhaust tips look a bit odd (I like the new ML's, or the sport ovals better).

The 18's are o.k. I guess....wonder if there will be any optional MB wheels available??

Very roomy on the inside. Headroom in the 3rd row is excellent! I'm 6'2", and I must of had a few inches of head clearance easily!! I know some 3rd rows are intended for children only...not this one.

I was happy with the storage space behind the 3rd row as well. Fine for the average daily needs, IMO.

Overall interior looks/feel...average. I think the Volvo XC90 was better.

2 things that were sorts odd:
1) the rear sunroof has no plastic sliding door to block out the sun, only a sun screen, (similar to the rear window sun screens). Wonder if it is enough to diffuse the the sun beating directly onto your head?
2) the gear shift is on the right hand side of the column and is put into D or R by simply pushing up or down on it a little bit. I jokingly said to the sales guy, man, I hope I don't bump this thing into R when I'm driving down the freeway. He said when the wheels are moving forward, he didn't think it could be engaged into R. Hmmmmmm....I hope not.

He said it was about $53 base, and ~$62 pimped.

Overall, I would say above average. Definately enought to give it a spin....

AutoSaurus

#1 - Good point. I didn't catch that but I see what you mean.
#2 - Not an issue. THe ML , R and now '07 S all have it. Its great and very easy to get used to.
#3 - $55,675 base and expect mid to upper $60's for most on dealers lot. Everything optioned will push up to mid 70's though.

G55K

I just test drove a GL450 and Cadillac Escalade back to back. I was extremely impressed with the GL450. The Caddy is nice but the GL feels much more refined. The rear seats fold flat in the GL but they don't in the Caddy, this is a deal killer for me. The only thing that I'm not crazy about in the GL is third row access which is not great. I'm also not crazy about the location of the DVD player in the GL which is under the rear seat. Cadillac places it in the dash which makes so much sense.

I was most surprised by how much more powerful the GL's engine felt. The Caddy has about a 60+HP advantage but the GL felt quicker, smoother, and more responsive. The GL is also extremely quiet. Overall, a very impressive SUV.

carpersn

isn't the Cadillac DVD dash slot for Nav? I thought the Cadillac entertainment system was a cheap old roof-mount panasonic that was terribly inconvenient to load (admittedly that is based on the new Denali, not the new Escalade, but the old escalade and Denali were the same)...

Juice it

I checked out the GL, Escalade and the Q56 (again) today as I need to make a decision soon. The wife likes the GL but I am not big on the fact that the bottom is painted black like the first ML's and I would bet that will change quickly to the monotone paint and I really like the captains chair second row option so the kids can go through to the third row without having to move a seat forward. As mentioned above the Escalade's third row doesn't fold flat so the seat takes up too much room for our St. Bernard so it looks like the Q56 is the winner for us. It comes standard with a ton of options and with everything you can get it stickers at 57 and can be bought for 53. Not the best looking truck I have ever seen but it should do the job!

rgiorgio

Think twice. The Infinity is one of the most unreliable SUV's you will ever own, right there with the Navigator. Don't take my word for it, do some research and you will see.

Juice it

How bad can an Infiniti be? They have one of the best warranties in the biz and since I had one of the first 02 US gwagens I don't think anything could have more issues. Seriously though, what kind of problems have you heard? I have spoken to two owners and both were very happy so far but there cars were only a year old. A new model Benz isn't exactly confidence inspiring these days either. I figure since it is in the 3rd production year it should be ok. If not it will be my first and last Infiniti!

carpersn

I have also heard this...everything from electronic gremlins(of which MB unfortunately knows well) to mechanical/structural(seats improperly installed, coming loose in frame)...have heard it's one of the only Nissan debacles in a while, but a HUGE one...(applies to the Armada too, of course, since the Infiniti is simply rebadged)

PaulX608

Took the wife and two of the kids for a GL test drive today. I'll definitely agree with the above comment about the third row. My 15 year old son, who is 6'3", 260lbs. sat back there with my 6 year old in her booster seat. He said he had more room back there than he does in the rear seat of our 163 ML. I really liked the power folding third row seat feature, not sure if that's standard, but definitely a nice touch. The one we drove didn't have the three zone climate control, but the 2nd row vents in back of the console seemed to be adequate for our short trip on this sunny 78° day. My son did close the screen over the 3rd row to escape the direct sun, and he said it made a good bit of difference in the amount of dircet heat he received. Again, it was a short trip. I found the little gear shifter thing to be a little funky at first, but it seems like something that would become familiar quickly. The power was adequate, and the ride was decently firm without being stiff. I like the interior, and the steering wheel functions that my ML doesn't have are nice. Now I know what all you M-B sedan drivers already knew, lol. All in all, we really liked it. I'll definitely be on the lookout for a used one in a couple years.

Our test drive vehicle was price around $65k, and with the additional options we'd like it would've been closing on $70k. When we got back to the showroom, the sales lady gave us a close look at the Launch Edition or whatever they called it. That thing had all the bells and whistles imaginable, very cool. It's sticker was at $79K! Whew! Like I said, we usually buy used, so I'll see what's on the market in a couple years. In the meantime, we may get another ML, newer than our '01, to replace our pickup. The dealer had a 2005 black special edition ML500 on hte lot with only 19,000 miles. We'll see!

Frugal1

I was waiting to see the GL to decide if I want it over the ML.

There are enough little issues to make me pass.

I liked the look but the second row is a deal breaker. The first and third rows were great . . . really great. And the 3rd row fold down function . . . You pretty much cannot tell there are seats in there. It is perfectly flat. When up the seats are very roomy for a 3rd row in an SUV.

But the second row was really, really bad. Very poor design and execution. There was no salesman around to show me 3rd row access but I could only get in from the right side and only after a DOUBLE FOLD of the 2nd row seat. My old Suburban was far superior for crying out loud. Also, the severe overlap design of the second row headrests FORCES you to use them and you have to use 2 hands to operate them or they jam. So if you don't raise them BEFORE you get in, you must contort yourself around to raise them. You HAVE to raise them or they stick in your back since they come halfway down the seat. There is no way a normal person can sit on those seats with the headrest down unless you are willing to make a boatload of excuses for the vehicle. And the middle seat in the 2nd row feels like concrete on your back and it pushes you too far forward. What were they thinking?

Even if I'm wrong about the access issue, the headrest thing and uncomfortable middle seat was enough to pass on.

Look at these subtle issues again before you commit to one of these. Yes, I'm the driver and will never sit back there but I ALWAYS check out the back seat of any car I buy and the GL failed miserably.

Since I DON'T absolutely have to have 7 passenger seating, it will be the ML or R class for me.

Now if all you haul in the second row is an in-law, by all means, GET IT!!




PS>>> No sunroof for the 2nd row either. Third row gets a little fixed glass roof with a shade . . nice touch. But the second row gets nothing. Obviously the space was needed for the front row sunroof but it just doesn't seem right. And who said it's roomy? You can't be serious! NONE of the 7 seats were any more roomy than an E class. It's so tight in the second row I can't see where they're going to be able to put in an entertainment system.

If you care about what's behind the driver and front passenger at all, look at the R class. That's like a limo compared to the new GL.

AsianML

Nice little review. Now go test drive the darn thing and come back to us!

#2--I don't think it can be moved after like 7mph. Read that somewhere, could be lower.

Germancar1

Not to belittle your review, you found what you found, but why not ask for help with the seats before assuming so much? A Suburban is a much larger SUV so you may have expected too much with the GL which isn't nearly as big. There isn't another SUV on the market besides a Suburban/Yukon XL or Excursion that has a third-row seat that is truly as comfortable and aproaches the room of the 2nd and 1st row seats.

M

Frugal1

You didn't read my review carefully.

It's the SECOND row I have a problem with, not the third. If I'm wrong about the access, tell me. There were no handles visible on the driver's side and all I could get the seat to do on the passenger side was double fold. If it would have slid forward and the seatback hinged forward (like the burb does) it would be easier.

It's not as large as the burb but it's darn close and yes, I was expecting more. That's what MB's all about, isn't it?

jayj

the second row seat slides forward and completely folds to allow access to the third row. thats on the passenger side. i don't know about the driver's side as i assumed it was the same. its not automatic but its spring loaded so its quite easy.

Germancar1

My fault on which row you were talking about, but as far as space is concerned I wouldn't expect it to be even close to a Suburban without looking at their respective measurements. Just because it is a Benz doesn't mean its going to be roomier if it isn't the same size vehicle. "More" when it comes to a Benz vs a GM product means more refinement, technology etc. not more space as GM products often provide plenty of that but less refinements and details.

M

AutoSaurus

When I first saw the GL in person for my "hands on" review I found the 2nd row folding function a little confusing at first too. However, once I was shown how it worked it was easy to do and access to the 3rd row was fine. I actually find the 2nd row seats more comfortable or at least just as comfortable as our 06 ML.

Scoop55

Good review, Frugal1. To be honest, I never did sit in the 2nd row, only the 3rd...I guess I was more concerned about the third row headroom. Oh, and I believe you can only access the third row from the passenger side.

Frugal1

Thanks! I was starting to think I couldn't say anything negative in here!

Don't get me wrong . . . overall, my impression is positive. It's just I was dissapointed in that second row. If I needed 7 passenger seating, I would be all OVER that GL. But I just don't need it. And after checking out how well they did on the R class for room and comfort, I was expecting more out of a larger vehicle that's priced higher.

The ML320CDI is now my goal since it's actually in the ordering computer (you can't order until Sept. though). If they come out with the R320CDI soon, that will be a contender too. Heck, maybe I'll change my mind about the GL . . . diesel engines have a funny way of making me forget things!

PHYBENZ

I think the headrests are purposely deigned to stick on your back when not raised, because it forces the passeneger to raise the headrest for saftey reasons. It is like volvo's rear head rests that fold over the seat and your are forced to raise it, otherwise you can't sit down. The fact that it is difficult to raise when seated is a different issue.

hcden

The 2nd row headrests can be pulled all the way out until you feel the first click which locks it into normal position. I dont see any reason why anybody wants to lower it until it overlaps with the back support unless you want to fold all the second row seats which requires you to push the headrest back. This folding method is different than folding method for access. The 3rd row headrest requires full retraction in order for the seats to be fold automatically. It needs the passenger to pull it when in use then you push it again to allow auto folding. Now thats the only problem I can see for my future 3rd row passengers. Im sure they will always be in that situation.