oknish

All the best, Gordon. I do hope that you end up with zero out of pocket. It does sound like you have a good dealer and that by itself is worth a lot.

str8line

I have a love/hate relationship with our GL320. Because of its fantastic interior execution it is a phenomenal UTILITY vehicle. The mileage is great, the interior beautiful and luxurious, and the features are impressive.

HOWEVER, I don't like driving it. The off-line delay in acceleration is annoying. Yes, you can eliminate some of it but not all of it, and if you really need instant power good luck. The ride is butter smooth but the flip side is that this thing is a wallowy pig(good reason to buy a GL450 IMO). The transmission is far from smooth and it has been in the shops several times for harsh downshifts. The steering is pretty good but over-boosted IMO. The brakes are touchy in the extreme and although I compensate, it is still bothersome at times. Of these negatives the biggest to me is the overall ponderous feel which could have been remedied with an adjustable suspension. My Duramax, while huge and stiff, drives with much more road feel and predictability.

Even with all of its faults it is a beautiful vehicle and I just drive it at 5/10ths when we go out as a family. If I'm solo I invariably hop in the old(2000) 528it.

That said, it is my wifes daily driver and while she shares my sentiments regarding the way it drives, she wouldn't trade it for any vehicle on the road.

StevethePilot

Wow, what SUV are you comparing the ride to? My Excursion (V10 gas) has what one might call a "more predictable road feel" but it's more like a spinal attack. Coming from an LX470 (and riding in Suburbans/Tahoes), the very last thing I'd call the 320's ride is "ponderous" or "a wallowy pig." No, no vehicle is perfect, but it sounds like you're terribly unhappy with your 320. Maybe you should be driving a Cayenne?

GL 4 her

Thank for the warm welcome everyone. I have found much of your conversations useful and addictive. Our build date was Sept. 17 - so delivery should be within two weeks. We are keeping our fingers crossed that our dealer (Autohaus -Pompano Beach, FL) ordered correctly. They have not done right by my husband in the service dept., that is why we are getting a "deal" on the GL. Can't remember offhand.
Again, thank you for the welcome.

mbr129

Does the 450 have a different suspension or suspension tuning? If not, I don't see how this makes any sense. Maybe the overboosted steering is throwing you off?

I'm just starting to look at these (we probably won't be buying one for 3 years or so). Right now we don't need a GL but I can see how in the future, as our family grows, we may need one. Right now we have a V70R as the family car and a 330i (w/ perf. pkg) as my car. The V70R is supposed to be a superfast sportswagon (300hp/300lb-ft) but I never would drive it over my older 330i - not even close. The V70R is heavy, the suspension is not nearly as well sorted out, and the steering and drivetrain just sucks compred ot the 330i.

I don't think I will care much for perfromance on the family vehicle, since I hope to still have a sporty sedan/wagon AND add a sportscar (Boxster/Elise). But I still want the vehcile to handle well in the highway. I hope any vagueness is something that can be addressed thorugh better tires. I want a 320 CDI for the fuel range.

str8line

Try driving a X5, MDX, or even a Q7 or Outlook/Acadia and "ponderous" or "wallowy pig" might not be the last thing you'd call the 320.

As I said my wife loves it and that's good enough for me(plus it is incredibly good in many other aspects). But like I said if I have to make a solo trip and the 320 is in the garage I always take the 528 wagon.

Nevada Jack

Comparing the ride quality of a GL320 with a 528 Wagon is hardly a true comparison. You should have a GL550 parked in your garage and I bet the 528 wagon will gather dust...:-) The power of the V8 coupled with the ADSII and the 7 speed would put your 528 to shame.

I test drove a GL320 and certainly did not find it to be "wallowy" or "ponderous." A little slow from the line which is true with most diesels and particularly a 5400 pound SUV.

StevethePilot

Ahh, sorry, I thought we were talking apples-to-apples here. The GL's about 1000lbs heavier than an MDX, about 500 more than the X5. I wouldn't drive an Audi again, and I don't know about the Outlook/Acadia/Enclave, never ridden in one of them.

Anyway, like I say, it sounds like you're really unhappy with the car yourself. It's a shame you'd spend so much money on a vehicle that so fails to meet your expectations. Though ... it does get pretty good mileage! Does GM have a diesel version of the Saturn/GMC/Buick?

scottybdiving

Maybe my expectations were a lot less. When I got behind the wheel of ML 320 with a 3.0L engine, I expected something between the 1981 Toyota diesels pickup I had in college and the 2007+ Duramax (365 HP, 660 FPT). What I got was an unbelievable acceleration and the very positive torquey feel of a diesel power plant. I said "geez, this is only a 3L V6? How did they do that?" What an amazing feat of engineering.

The bottom line is that there are diesel people and there are non-diesel people. The diesel people like that feel that you get when you drive around in a parking lot, when the tranny never shifts up. You never have to hit the brakes because the exhaust braking more than compensates. It feels like you could hook onto anything and take off down the highway with it. The fact that you can have that feel, untouched by any gas engine in the world, and the luxury and comfort of the GL, and throw in 25 - 30% better mileage, is right up these diesel monger's alley.

The flip side is; you probably have driven one or more serious sports cars and/or high performance SUV's. Your priority is not economy and you want a large high tech SUV but you don't want to sacrifice too much performance. The GL 450 offers all that and a more responsive V8. The GL 550 is the ultimate of everything and says, I spared no expense and will not sacrifice performance in order to drive an SUV. I can travel down any gravel road or show most cars my tail pipes any time I choose, or both at the same time if necessary.

It seems that MB has addressed both worlds. There is no sense waisting time comparing apples to oranges (GL 320 to X5 to GL 450 to GL 550) They are not the same vehicle and clearly do not have the same goals.

str8line

Well, as I said it is a love/hate relationship, and it meets a lot of my expectations. I can definitely live with it and find joy in a lot of aspects of it. It is a GREAT family vehicle with plenty of power and amazing design/utility. My wife loves it and that is by far the primary concern. I just wish it didn't handle like our former 1995 Isuzu Trooper and suffer from the other problems.

str8line

True. Great post.

But I still think the 320 could benefit greatly from a sport mode to firm up the suspension a bit, or maybe just a slightly stiffer suspension. Just because it's a diesel shouldn't negate the viability of a sport mode.

oknish

Very well said, Scotty.

jhcicco

To quote Scottybdiving "Maybe my expectations were a lot less. When I got behind the wheel of ML 320 with a 3.0L engine, I expected something between the 1981 Toyota diesels pickup I had in college and the 2007+ Duramax (365 HP, 660 FPT). What I got was an unbelievable acceleration and the very positive torquey feel of a diesel power plant. I said "geez, this is only a 3L V6? How did they do that?" What an amazing feat of engineering."

I agree with Scottyb. After driving the BMW 524TD for almost 20 years, I was awed by the acceleration of the GL 320 - I couldn't believe that it was a diesel. At the time that we bought the 524TD, it was touted as the fastest diesel on the road. I believe that MB did a fantastic job of marrying the 320 CDI engine with the 7 speed transmission.

Nevada Jack

I would agree with that and there is no reason that ADSII was not a stand alone option on the 320/450 instead of only coming with the ORP on the 450. It is now standard on the 550 and was a deal breaker had it not been offered.

koaltech

Who knew that folks would want large 7 seater SUVs...to handle like sports cars...LMAO

The wife and I recently picked up her 2008 GL 320 CDI. We live in the DC Metro area...and do a fair amount of city driving, with some weekend trips up to New Jersey and back (500 mile round trip.)

She loves it...I like it...is it a high performance sports car...of course not...is it a safe, comfortable ride? Certainly.

It has more than enough acceleration in city driving, unless you like to race people from light to light...and does just fine on the highway...but it's an SUV...and to get GREAT car mileage out of an SUV is incredible...

mbslk350

I agree completely.

I've put 4100 miles on my GL320 in three months. In the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that it's just a bit peppier and the fuel economy is just a bit better. I thought it was because the weather is cooler and I'm not using the A/C as much. But it was hot and humid this weekend and I was using the A/C the whole time. Still saw the improved pickup and fuel economy. I wonder if anyone else has noticed these things after a few thousand miles.

GL 4 her

We picked up the GL two weeks ago and I absolutley love driving it. Thank you for your input. I am just wondering how to get 20mpg city driving.

gas-man

Truly we all have experiences about our cars and treasures those especially the good ones. I have my GL 320 for 2 1/2 months now and have about 5800 miles on it( I love driving it especially on long weekends). You are right as the miles go up the engine seem preppier and mileage has improve. I get average on the highway from WV to NJ about 25-26 miles/gallon. I am happy that it only took full tank of diesel for the trip from WV to NJ.

scottybdiving

City driving is very sujective but unless it's a lot of bumper to bumper stuff, you shouldn't have any problem getting 20. After 2500 miles, we are up to 22 mpg, mixed highway and city, and seems to be improving with every tank full. This is actual mileage, not going by the DIC.

GL 4 her

I have less that 500 miles on the car/truck so I was hoping that it would go up the more I drove. I have also filled up when down to 1/2 a tank just because diesel stations aren't all over town so when I know I am going to be near one - I fill up. But that shouldn't have any affect on the mpg?

HoustonRider

at roughy 8 pounds per gallon, 27 gallons = 216 pounds. Roughtly a chubby person sitting in the third row, lol. weight will affect mileage, but not enough to matter at 200 pounds.

I've had mine about 10 days or so, and racked up about 2000 miles. Don't worry about filling up at half a tank, unless you're 250 miles from the next station.

I filled up Sunday at noon, I've driven 600 miles and the low fuel light just came on. It tells me I've got 64 miles left (range), we'll see. I've only filled up 3 times (I had a full tank on delivery). Filling up is the LAST thing on my mind

Oh, worse tank was 20mpg, best has been 23mpg. I drive the way I want, I don't baby it.

BJ021

Back to the original question - we drove our '08 GL 320 home 10/1 and have never enjoyed driving a new vehicle so much! Up until now we have been Volvo owners for the last 8 years (2 s80's an '00 2.9 & an '01 T6 Executive and an '04 XC90 T6) and prior to that various cars & trucks - mostly Nissans. This is our first Benz. I thought very seriously about buying a nice used S500 but since MB released the new body style of that car, the older model felt just that...older.

We realized that driving 2 SUV's would be smart with 3 kids...& I loved that they made a diesel version...I have always been a closet diesel fan. My father drive a converted diesel in his 1979 Olds '98 and again in his '84 or '85 Mark VII with a BMW diesel. I always loved the smell of the good ole black smoke! Reminds me of dad pulling out of the driveway in the morning... Anyway, back to the 320...

Our first tank produced 22.9 MPG doing it the old fashioned way, not from the computer as I was not sure how or when it was set... We live in the 'burbs and drive a fair mix of hi-way miles.

I find this truck to have incredible speed off the mark for what it is - and decent pick up at higher speeds. The lag is just not really there as I have always had the habit of pushing the accelerator just a bit before take off...high school racing habit maybe?? The only area where you truly see a drop off in pick up is while driving at 65+ and you have to pass on a two laner. There's just not much left as most the power is at the lower speeds. Is it so weak that it can't make the pass? Well, depends on how aggressive you are and how much you know the vehicle you are driving. This is a non- issue for me as I am 42 with 3 kids, I don't need to pass people at 90 anymore! I got that out of me years ago...

The fit and finish of this truck is outstanding. We even settled for the tex seats which I swore I would not do but have been very happy with them. Even let the truck sit outside in our odd 90 degree day last weekend and it cooled down after driving very quickly and the seats felt fine. And I am pretty picky about textures. The reason we "settled" was I needed new wheels now vs. 2-3 months waiting for the one with the right options. So we got the rear entertainment (expensive for what you get - but it's been nice to have), wheel package, a must for the look of the truck, ipod integration (so why can't we control it more??), P1 (the auto dimming mirror is a little annoying, as I like to see things in full light behind me...like "is that a cop?"! hard to tell when it is dimmed so much) - oh, and Sirius radio - first time with this as I am mostly a city driver and didn't think it was a necessary item. I was wrong, love it!

Anyway, thanks to the peps on this board, makes owning this MB more fun! Would like to hear from more people on Blue tooth phone integration and a complete list of phones that either work or also work with phone number uploads...vs. just going to the MB site which seems like a bunch of outdated phones. I know there must be a few other phones that work besides a V710, etc. that was outdated for 3 years ago. I'd really like to hear which pda/crackberry uploads phone numbers...

Thanks-

BJ

lkchris

Regarding range ...

I've done
Albuquerque->Tulsa
Trinidad, CO->Lincoln, NE

Low fuel light on both times, but nevertheless a LOT of miles.

tm4exc

Interesting how some of the US option items are standard equipment sunroof, bluetooth, sirius radio, HK system, etc. Canadian users have only 3 options it seems, xenon, rear climate control and a premium package (COMAND APS with navigation
Rear view camera
EASY-PACK power tailgate
Heated rear seats
Separate rear audio controls)
Talk about marketing and configuration expense!