sk31

Hi everyone,

Im sorry if someone has already started this thread (of which im unsure of) but im really confused about going for the GL450 or the 550. I do not have a family yet, so it's just me and my girlfriend, but i really like SUVs, and i'm thinking of upgrading from my ML350 to either a GL450 or a GL550. Can any of you recommend which one i should get?

Thanks!

Chicky Monkey

I want all the extras so for me the price of the 450 plus all the options ended up just a few thousand shy of the 550. I like the biggest most powerful engine and I really love the stying details of the 550--fender flares, grill, chrome roof rails, etc.

So for me, the 550 was it.

StephenK

Go for the 550, more power the better, never heard anyone complain about that one..

blittle

The only reason to go for the 450 is slightly better gas milage and/or the biggest difference ( if you live in snow country or want to travel on dirt/mud roads.............fantastic enhanced 4 wheel drive system)

85mm

I leased my GL450. I really liked the look of the GL550 but it's residual and money factor were much less favorable than the deals they had for the GL450. So from a lease perspective, I would have been paying for a premium on the price and financing.

Why did you go with the ML350 over the ML500 or ML55 (or whatver the AMG version is)? That might help guide you this time.

BeanCounter

If you are going to get a fully loaded up GL you should get the 550. Everything is pretty much standard on the 550 and by the time you get done loading up the 450 your price differential to the 550 won't be that much and you will get the bigger engine, wheels, fender flares, etc. If you are just going to get a GL with a few options then the 450 is the way to go (probably about a $20,000 difference between a base 450 and a "base" (which is fully loaded) 550). Can't go wrong either way..........

sk31

what does blittle mean about the 'fantastic enhanced 4 wheel drive'? does that mean the GL 550 doesn't have enhanced 4 wheel drive?

blittle

What I mean is.......the 320 and the 550 both come with the standard 4 Matic all-wheel drive system. Only on the 450 is the "Off-Road-Package" ( sometimes called "enhanced off road" by MB) offered. It allows you to lock the center and rear differentials and also adds an increased ability to raise the vehicle beyond what the standard system allows on the 320 and 550. These features give the maximum 4 wheel capability in those situations that demand it.

sk31

i see. well i wont need that enhanced off road package. but i still cant decide between a 450 or a 550. why did you choose the 450 yourself, blittle?

blittle

Precisely because of the available Off-Road-Package. I travel back and forth to New England a lot in the winter and specificly on some snow or, sometimes mud roads, in the hills of Vermont The ORP adds more functionality to an already great SUV!

Newbie_2_MB

I agree with the others -- price out the 450 you want, then if it is close in price range to the 550, then get the 550.

For me, I wanted the P1 package & the sunroof (this was in 2007 when they were separate options) and that was it. The 550 wasn't available when I bought my 450. I love the looks of the 550 but in all honesty, price was a consideration for me, hence the 450 with very few options.

I would say test drive both, if you can. If $$ isn't a major consideration, then go for the 550 -- lots of "goodies" and a powerful engine.

Waiting-4-550

I wanted a loaded car and a 450 loaded approaches a 550 in price.. So the 550 just made a lot sense for me..

LETO

sk31- A lot of people got 450's as they were the only model available when the car was introduced. I purchased a Premiere edition (which came equipped with close to all options, 20" wheels, running boards, roof rack etc), this car stickered in the mid 70's if the 550 was around it would have been a no brainer of a choice.

Build a 450 if you have no need for the off road package and you cross 70K after options, just go ahead with the 550. Will save you from buyers remorse IMHO.

Have to mention that this is the best SUV I have ever driven. Even better that Range Rovers in terms of handling and highway manners.

best

Chicky Monkey

I agree. Never driven a Range Rover, but in the last 8 years I've had 3 SUVs, a Durango, Pathfinder, Land Cruiser plus the Lexus GS430 sport sedan. I think the GL is the nicest drive and ride of everything I've owned.

Not bad to look at either.

blittle

There your are......

lkchris

Oh, I suspect there's a difference in insurance rates, too!

Get the diesel and you'll get the best of all.

Puggy

When we went to visit our local Mercedes dealer in August the plan was to order a 2008 ML550 due to size (the wife didn’t want a SUV that was bigger than her current Lexus LX470). Upon entering the dealership she immediately saw a GL450 on the showroom floor and next to it was a ML55 AMG with 20” wheels. She like the GL better than the ML but liked the AMG wheels on the ML. Our salesman, being the helpful type told her about the new GL550 with 21” AMG wheels. I didn’t stand a chance! Personally I would have liked to have seen her in a GL450 only for the 60 series tires vs. the 40 series on the GL550. When she had a BMW 4.4 X5 with sport package and low profile 19” tires she curbed the wheels on more than one occasion, the Lexus wheels never touched a curb; I hope she can do the same with the GL550.

dunderhi

I agree on the lease savings. Below are the October lease rates. I plugged in a fully loaded 450 ($72,315) vs. a standard 550 ($77,750) and came up with $1,222/mo vs. $1535/mo for a 36 mo, 12k/yr, $0 down lease. Using the difference in payments and a conservative 5% interest rate, the difference in cost of the lease is approximately $12,000 over 3 yrs. The difference in cost to purchase would be much lower given a likely higher resale value for the 550.

oknish

Not so sure of your base numbers. A fully loaded 450 will be slightly north of 78K.

dunderhi

I left the single options that they have in common off of both models, and left off the ORP and 19 wheels on the 450. Last year I wasn't able to get the 19" wheels without the ORP. The ORP & wheels combined cost $3770. Clicking yes to every possible option gets the 450 to $80,050 and the 550 to $83,125.

85mm

The lease special they are advertising for the 33 month term now is what I got at the end of August where the money factor was 0.0019. This lower money factor wasn't listed on the public sources I looked at. I was ready to go with the 0.0024 money factor. However my salesperson knew I was shopping at a neighboring dealer and told me about the better 33mo money factor.

The 0.0019 money factor must still be available because the special lease term they are advertising is exactly what they had in August. So the rough equivalent interest rate of a 0.0019 money factor is 4.6% and 0.00355 is 8.5%.

tm4exc

! Wow Puggy you are in Julian. Trust you made it OK and your neighbors/friends came out OK. Re: this decision, I went through the same analysis. No deal for a 320 anywhere in Nevada or Oregon, except a little off MSRP and we can't have them in CA anyway! Never did figure out how to register it even if I got a good deal. And there was no decent deal (did not think of Costco or the route Jen went, stupid me) for a 550 from thousand oaks to San Luis. I live in Solvang. So it was more like a 10K premium for a 550 and then you don't have IR glass, which I wanted since we do enjoy the sun in the Santa Ynez valley or the ORP system which I thought I might need when I go to the snow. So a very loaded 450, Pewter on black like yours, with a decent, competitive deal, is what I will get in about 10 days. With the 450, you only lose a little chrome and about .6 secs to 60 mph, and a big, big star on the front.

oknish

Get one of each

JRAMGV8

I'd go for the GL550 that might be my next vehicle..

GLDriver

It would have been expensive to go 550 .

I got what all i wanted and was 67K after taxes. If I had to go 550 it could have been easily going over 80K. One thing I miss not getting is ORP.

I should have added that to the order. I love the rest of it.

Another thing I noticeed that newer trucks dont have a separate button for headlight washer (Mine does, May built). I wonder if 550 has it .

from reading all the posts I believe 550 does not offer

IR glass
ORP

Which is