disclaimer: these are my opinions only!

First: I think this is a great truck, by far the nicest vehicle I've ever owned!

Good:

--I've had a Toyota Landcruiser and a Lexus GS430 sport sedan and the GL drives more like Lexus than LC. To me, this is a good thing.
--no body roll, very tight
--suspension is best I’ve driven. Soft without being mushy. The ride is incredible.
--brakes have a great feel
--so so quiet!
--cockpit position is wonderful…high up, nice driving position
--the styling is beautiful...exterior and interior. The interior fit and finish is top notch and I love the contrast baseball stitching of my black interior.
--all kinds of neat luxury car extras that I can't get enough of.


complaints:

biggest complaint: no ventilated seats. I'd give anything for this option! I had it in the Lexus and in the area I live that is 90-100+ all summer it is the option I am most disappointed in not having!
--mirrors are too small
--sunglasses holder? This is lame I know, but I like them.
--there's a bit of oversteer that takes some getting used to along with just an over light, sensitive steering sensation
--more console space!
--the IPOD kit is a joke!! A lame, poorly integrated afterthought. I can't pause the IPOD?!? I have to switch to radio, then mute in order to pause. Geez, what a disappointment.
--it is barely big enough…any smaller and I’d pick something else. I personally like a big SUV and therefore never even considered BMW, Porsche or Land Rover as their SUVs are too small.
--little irritable thing: WHY do I have to hold the memory seat button the entire time the seat repositions? Why can't I just push and release and have the seat move??

But really, I LOVE it and can't drive it enough. I've had it a week and I've got 1,000 miles on it already. I get compliments everywhere I go and I love the black on black.

 

Everything is a trade off, for me the GL550 is way too big--but I've no family
that's why I love the ML320CDI

 

I think you can thank some lawyers for that. Not sure...

 

After a month with my GL450, I have gotten used to the mirrors .. they no longer seem too small.

Agree with your gripe about the iPod integration. I also would like to see the currently playing "artist name" appear in the GL console, along with the song name. I have a many many playlists on my 80GB iPod and I find that it is quite cumbersome to switch between the different playlists. The ability to "pause" would be a nice feature.

 

Love your goods and as far as the bads, I feel your pain on the sunglass holder, console space, and iPod integration (Not being able to pause drives me up a wall).

My biggest frustration is the crazy memory seat adjustment. On our Audi, it actually recognizes my key vs. my wife's and adjusts the seat automatically when you open the driver door. If I get into the car with my wife's key, then I just push the button once and they seat adjusts to my settings automatically. I too wonder why the GL can't do this.

 

Great review. I can't agree with you more on the negatives...
For those wondering about the lack of ability to pause songs on your iPod, I suppose you could buy an iPod dock from Apple, which comes with a remote.
Only concern with that would be if the dock can pick up the remote's signal while its in the glove box.

Link: http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...&nplm=MB125G/A

 

That's an easy one to answer from their lawyers' point of view : They don't want any 300 lb 6ft 8 inch driver impaled against the steering wheel when he presses his 85lb 4ft 11 inch wife's seat memory button by mistake.



IPOD integration does suck - it should be controllable and visible on the COMAND screen and use it's " soft " buttons , like all other AUDIO choices.

 

EXACTLY! Why our 06 Honda minivan could do this and the GL can't is beyond me!

Adding one more to my like it list: like the keyless go. I don't think I've taken the key out of my purse once, yet.

 

I agree! And, I really like the fact that I can take the little glove box key with me when leaving the GL with a valet driver. Don't have to worry about stuff being messed with.

 

They used to have this on the S-class but apparantly (to paraphrase the explanation from Phoenix Motor Company's one shop manager), Mercedes owners are too stupid and got scared that the seats and stuff moved when they got in. (They also got scared when the seats moved back when they took the key out, and when the passenger side mirror tilted down - it just confused them! We are a stupid lot, aren't we?)

 

 

De-contenting is all about money and all the explanations by MBUSA and dealers is pure...as stated above by nish!

 

Hey, I never said it was my explanation. Besides, I'm clearly too stupid to know what the real reason is.

 

Why don't we keep a list of design changes, irks, or pure user-vicious items that we would like to see fixed on the 09 GL's. Maybe as a seperate page but after reviewing the various threads, we have a better high end audio, ipod integration with controls, how about integrated blue tooth without having to buy a $700.00 dongle, larger mirrors, more automated memory seats, wireless headphones, etc.....

 

Too much heartburn, especially, if you document it all. Plus it's more fun to beat on dead horses at times

And, it's not like Ma Benz in US would listen.

 

I think the US would listen, just not sure the Germans would take any action.

 

The reason you have to hold the memory seat button is so that you don't accidently bump it & have your seat move on you while you are driving!

 

I have NEVER bumped any of my other memory seat buttons in previous cars that only took one quick push to adjust...

I guess MB doesn't trust me!

 

I don't like the fact that you have to hold down the button either ..........

but;

I was at Costco last spring and I found two barstools that I wanted. There was a threat for rain all day so I decided that I could fit them in the back seat of my Silverado. After struggling for several minutes, I decided the only way to get them in there was to run the seat all the way forward so they would pass, thinking there would be plenty of room once they were inside. Well they barely fit once they were in there, but all was good. When I jumped in the driver's seat, without thinking, I instintively hit the memory button, since I was crammed against the steering wheel. The seat started back and there was no stopping it, and it got a little panicky when I started hearing crunching. The seat was not going to stop. Luckily, it was only the heavy cardboard boxes the barstools came in. I suppose I could have hit another button or tried to overide it but that wasn't the first thing to pop into my mind.

 

I see your point!

 

Interesting non sequitor; my Dad's old 1980's era Caddy had a memory driver's seat that would routinely go all the way down and all the way back while he was driving. I wonder if not having a complete program run at the touch of a single button would have prevented that? All I can say is it's a good thing he's tall or he'd have been in a couple of wrecks in the beast (not that he'd have noticed in something so huge, but still).

STP

 

Absolutely right on! My 2004 Eddie Bauer Explorer (great value, very reliable car and tow vehicle) had the drivers seat slide all the way back whenever the key was removed. In 5 years I have banged more than one set of passenger legs, having forgotten that the seat would move automatically back if I removed the key. Never did learn how to disable the "feature".

 

if I didn't drive so much and fuel wasn't going to hit $5 per gallon in the next 6 months, I would definately have a 550. Its sweet.

I'd sign up for a 500 diesel...lol (or a diesel that looked like the 550).

very cool.



75th post..... btw... now I'm a "member".

 

That'd be the GL 420CDI, which may or may not be available as a BlueTec version in the US in the distant future. Because none of us wants a V8 diesel, yeah?

 

HMMM! Looks like a 550 with a V8 diesel.