Prefo

Hoping some of you can share your driving experience and thoughts on the GL 320. I have ordered an '08 GL 320 with delivery for November. I have not test drove one yet as the dealer didn't have one in inventory, but did drive the R 320 CDI and power was adequate for me. I'm a low mileage driver with most of my driving consisting of city stop and go with short trips -kids to school and activities etc. I am hearing that diesels might better suited for high mileage and highway driving, so wondering if I made the correct choice - will the 320 be ok for this type of driving or maybe I should change my order to the 450? The reason I ordered the 320 is fuel economy and that the (msrp) is about $10k less than the 450. Can anyone offer their thoughts or experience on using the diesel for the type of driving I will be doing?

lkchris

The beauty of diesel is that its city mileage is often about the same as its highway mileage. You'll be sorry if you change to GL450.

StevethePilot

I'll have to respectfully disagree that you'd be disappointed if you switched to a 450, but you also shouldn't cancel your 320. Yes, it shines the brightest on the highway but it does great in the city. One thing you might find - at least that I have found - is if you want to rocket off the light, there is a delay (discussed elsewhere) of up to three seconds, which can be enough to close a hole in oncoming traffic during a left turn, followed by a neck-snapping acceleration.

For me, I find that putting about half throttle in reduces the delay in acceleration by about two seconds. You'll come off the stop a lot slower, but when the turbo and the torque converter kick in you still might lift off the acclerator a bit to avoid really shooting off.

There is one thing you'll be sad about if you cancel your 320 for a 450; looking down at your trip odometer, which you re-set after your last fill-up, and seeing nearly 600 miles on a tank of fuel. Then, if you're in a rural area or near a freeway, paying 20 cents less a gallon on top of that is just icing on the cake.

STP

carpersn

i have still never experienced the 3-second delay of which you speak. Your dealer has offered no help?-do they acknowledge your delay? I acknowledge a delay of about 1 second, but never enough not to be able to enter traffic, but of course i have driven fairly aggressively since purchase to get the throttle response set to my preferred style...

StevethePilot

Huh. If I hit the pedal to the floor right when the light turns green, I get a "One thousand, two thousand, three!" before we go, and then it's whiplash time. I should take it back to Schumacher. Phoenix Motor claimed to put in a software update but it didn't change the delay that much. Besides, they said the update was about "hesitation," and what I see now is that it seems to hold on to 6th a lot longer before shifting to 7th.

MB_Vclass

My '07 320 cdi is extraordinary. I have owned numerous SUV's and find the 320 the most amazing vehicle. Besides getting between 600-700 miles on a tankful and up to 25mpg on the highway, 20mpg in the city, - the torque is amazing at a red light. I also use the behind the steering wheel shifters if I want to change the gears and want more pick up, such as going up a hill.

After owning several ML's, Lexus 470, Cayenne, I cannot say enough about teh GL. I have only had mine for 2 months, but it actually makes driving in traffic enjoyable here in Los Angeles.

oinick

I agree that the GL 320 is a great vehicle. I have been a big BMW fan, but have always wanted an SUV for road travel (GMC Suburban, then X5, then Escalade, then LX 470) with the family. I wanted a smaller car for in town driving, hence a long line of BMWs (3 and 5 series). But the GL320, though large, drives like a much smaller vehicle. And the previous posts about torque and fuel mileage are spot on correct. As a consequence, I have sold my 545i and use the GL320 for a daily driver. The only down side is that I am putting so many miles on it (10K in 5 months). The GL 450 is a great vehicle and has more get up and go from a stop, but it cannot touch the GL 320 in torque. It's great to go so far in between fill ups. How often do you really need to go as fast as possible (7 sec. in the 450) from 0 - 60? The GL 320 does it in nine seconds according to the literature, but I swear it feels faster than the 450.

I was a little worried about the availability of ULSD, but it is everywhere.

You made a great choice. Don't second guess yourself.

Wigwam

I just took delivery on my 2008 320 CDI last Thursday and only have 300 miles on it. So far I love this car - it is the best new car I've purchased. The car looks great inside and out. Regarding the power/acceleration I don't have any issues with this at all, and was driving an 8 cyl. BMW 745i before this. Of course that car was faster, but I don't really have any issues with the power on the GL320.

I experience a very small delay with the turbo, but it is not 3 seconds like the other post nor do I find it to be an issue. I have no problems getting the car going off the line when it needs to and it does great at highway speeds, quickly accelerating from 55-70. The GL320 has a lot of torque and you can feel this kick in and move the car along.

Last nite I was driving on the highway at 62 mph and the computer returned 25.9 MPG - incredible for a car this size. With 600-650 miles per tank this car has the range of a stealth bomber!

StevethePilot

Purchase date: 5-10-2007
Current Miles: 10,392
Avg. Daily: 138
Avg. Yearly: 50,000+

Now, I doubt I'll do that, but thus far this thing's being put to work for me! I drive it everywhere. My other vehicles are jealous. I kept my LX470 until it had well over 200,000 miles on it, which did take 8 years, and since I got the GL I don't miss the LX at all. My wife loves our Excursion, but I try to never drive that. The V10 gas engine gets about 10mpg, city or highway, and it rides like a hay wagon. The RX330 is a nice little city car, but since I got rid of the LX, the RX just cannot compete.

I almost forgot:

Avg. Smile: Ear-to-ear!

STP

scottybdiving

I just ordered a GL 320 for my wife. It will be my 1st MB, but I have owned diesels for nearly 25 years. The diesel was the only option for us since we have had nothing but good luck with them and live on a small ranch about 30 miles out. We currently own an Excursion 7.3L Powerstroke and a 2007+ Chevy C3500 HD with the 6.6 L Duramax. We love the Excursion (17 MPG) but now it is time to move to something smaller and more compact. The GL 320 seems to be the ticket. It's quiet the little hot rod, to me, coming from a Superduty Powerstroke. The turbo lag is minimal IMO, and an improvement over my 4 month old Duramax (365 HP, 660 ft/lb) We will be watching this forum for more information while anxiously awaiting the delivery of the GL 320.

infamily

We traded our YukonXL and got GL 320 CDI about 2 weeks ago. I am very impressed with this car and love the way it handles..have been driving mostly in city (some freeway but mostly side roads). , we got just over 21 mpg. Though we miss the extra space we had with Yukon, we feel the compromise was well worth it. Drives like a car, we had one long trip with 6 adults, a dog and luggage (forces us to plan our long trips more carfeully), amazing what you can fit in this car with little planning. Although I am thinking of buying a roof top luggage carrier so we can have little more room.

BeanCounter

Prefo, if you are doing primarily highway driving the difference in gas mileage between the 320 and 450 should be minimal. When I drive to California I usually get around 22 mpg doing 75-80 the whole time. I think the greatest difference will be in city driving where I get around 15 mpg or less depending on how bad the traffic is.

GLDriver

If I were to spend 60-70 K on a vehicle, it won't make sense to still crave for that 0-60 time. Agreed 320 has better milage and yes its not a sports car but there is a big difference how 450 drives in city. I absolutely love it. Test driving a 320 in city did not impress me much at all. It felt like something was holding it back and it ran out of gears pretty quick.. if you know what I mean .On the other hand, 450 felt so alive.
Highway driving last week (840 miles round trip) yielded 21.7 MPG and I think that is great for vehicle of this size. (haven't got my first service done yet )

As far as torque is concerned, I am not sure how that comes in place if both vehicle have same tow rating.

Nevada Jack

Good highway mileage GL...I suspect the 550 will show better in real life than on the EPA charts also. My S550 was rated at 22 I think and I got over 25 mpg on a 5500 mile trip where I averaged 63 mph.

sraj

When I test drove the 320, I was not very impressed with the acceleration. I don't know where all of that low RPM torque is going. In comparison, the 450 felt responsive and engaging, the 550 even more so. I agree that if I am spending this kind of money, I want more than adequate performance.

GLDriver

where did you get the 10K difference in msrp ? number of 10

gordongl450

My wife has a 2007 GL450. We are trading it in for a 2008 GL320. I had some serious questions and interest about the 2007 GL320 when we were shopping for our truck, but my dealer had no experience or knowledge about the 320, none to test drive and my wife loved the GL, so we just went with the gas model. I personally consider it my mistake to have not pursued the GL320, but, then again we probably would have had the intercooler hose problem, because we were shopping last January.

We recently test drove a GL320 and the pick up is acceptable for an SUV.

We love the looks and the safety and convenience features of the GL450. However, her gas mileage around town is 11 to 12 mpg.

We took a beach trip this summer with with the GL450 and with highway driving at 70 to 75 mph the mileage was 19.8 mpg. That's pretty good. But this kind of driving is so infrequent for us.

The majority of the use of this truck is for around town. We just feel that 11 mpg is too costly, especially when having to buy premium gas. With all the crazy and unpredictable flucuations in gas prices and supply, 11 mpg is just unacceptable. Premium around my town is now about $2.90 (not too bad), but with one little blip in the Middle East it can be $3.50 or $4.00. It just doesn't make sense when you can have the exact same vehicle, in the 320 CDI, in terms of safety and comfort and get 20 mpg around town. We calculate that it will save $700 to $800 per year and that pays for the insurance.

An SUV is never going to be a sports car. We have a Z3 for that.

Nevada Jack

Solid logic on your part and know you will enjoy the 320 as you have the 450.

sraj

I agree, the 320 is a great vehicle for the right buyer; I'm just not that buyer.

abcdef

I am really surprised by your observed city mileage of 11/12. We get 15 around town with our GL450 and 20 on long freeway trips. We used to get 11/12 around town with our old Ford Expedition which we replaced with the GL. I know the GL450 and GL 550 with the 7 speed transmission should beat that. Given the low MPG, are you sure your wife is not taking the GL to the drag strip?

I would have been interested in the GL 320 but I live in CA so I can not get one for now.

scottybdiving

Update. The Jan '08 delivery date was just unacceptable. I took the advice from another topic, and did my own research, located my truck, and made a deal. We pick up our 320 this Sat. Boy were they willing to deal, compared to our local guys, to the tune of about 4K.

It was our devotion to diesel engines that led us to the GL 320. We have been a two-diesel family for over 10 years. Although the acceleration is impressive for a diesel, I never expected an SUV to be a sports car. I hear the GL 420 will rival the 450 in performance, if it ever becomes available here.

gordongl450

The mileage I posted was based on the MB computer, not raw calculations. The interesting thing is that the computer also calculates the average speed for my wife, with the around town driving and it is usually under 20 mph! It is a lot of short trips and stop and go driving at traffic lights and stop signs. We live in a small town and everything, work, shopping etc. is really close by.

So, abcdef, if you are getting 15 mpg that is really good, but I guess your driving conditions are a little more open road and more favorable for better gas mileage.

mbslk350

Those short trips with avg speed under 20 mph are real mpg killers. Long idle periods at red lights and frequent "0 to whatever" acceleration take their toll.

I typically average 20-23 mph on my 16-mile daily commute and that translates to about 19 mpg on my GL320. On rare days when traffic is light or I hit the green lights, I can go as high as 28 mph avg and 21-22 mpg.

gmartin

Not much to add. If you care more about mpg than 320 is your ride. If you even care a little about acceleration than DON'T test drive the 450. Once you drive it you won't go back to the 320. My dealer didn't have the GL320 so we drove the ML 320. It's lighter but still felt slow to us compared to the GL450.
ScottyB - I'm glad you chose to blow off your closest MB dealer and hook up with the one that gave you a discount. Everyone has there own pet peve about MB and mine is the local dealer with the silver (I'm sorry Pewter) spoon in his mouth who won't let ANYTHING off the lot less than MSRP.

gordongl450

sraj, you said the following:

"I agree, the 320 is a great vehicle for the right buyer; I'm just not that buyer"

Just to play devils advocate for a moment.

I have justified my reasons for thinking that a GL320 is a more than adequate SUV. It does what all SUV's do, gets your family and a lot of stuff around safely and comfortably and the GL320 does it more economically than any other full sized SUV out there on the market. And it has a certain amount of style even with out options.

What if I were to turn your quote around and say "I agree, the 550 is a great vehicle for the right buyer; I'm just not that buyer"

Justify your reason's for needing a GL550. Why are you the right buyer for a GL550. Must you have more chrome, must you have plastic fender flares and a bigger grill, is a bigger V8 engine (than the GL450) necessary? Is it just for more bling and to not have an Escalade?

I am not being smart, just wondering. I have not really understood why the GL550 was the next logical step for Mercedes Benz in model year 2008.

Nevada, feel free to your 2 cents in on this.

Gordon