lbrooksd

I am looking to buy one of the above and can't decide on which would work out best in the long run. Not sure if the costs equal out with the AdBlue and buying diesel. What do owners think? Help

lkchris

450 requires premium gasoline--diesel fuel is cheaper.

AdBlue cost is trivial.

Fuel mileage difference is not.

Biggest decision point is whether you can tolerate runflat tires.

jimmyp

I just got the gl350 also, I think it will hold resale better due to mpg. The runflats are fine and the tax credit you get(1800.00) is a big plus.

Texas993

Just a reminder that if you are a USAA member, you can get a rebate of $2500 on the GL450 and 3500 on the GL350. Plus the 1800 tax credit on the GL350 from the government.

One other note, if you do a search, you can see that the Adblue is very cheap. But the dealer prices it like liquid gold. VW dealers and truck stops sell it for a fraction of the price. Some on this board say that it doesn't need to be flushed either.

My GL350 is finishing(ed) production this week and should be on its way soon. Woohoo.

43221B

Agree, Adblue is a non issue. It will cost you $10-$13 per 2.5 gal container at any truck stop in America and you will use about 5 gallons per 10,000 miles. It is non toxic/biodegradeable. If you can fill up a mower with gas, you can fill up your adblue tank. It will soon be everywhere because all but International diesels manufactured after the first of this year will use it. The only downside to the diesel in my opinion is the Turbo lag you experience accelerating from a stop. Other than that, the engine delivers a ton of power without the high revs and downshifting of most gas engines. It might be a little slower than the 450 but other than accelerating from a stop, you wouldn't think it was slower. Keep in mind, it has more torque than the 550. The Turbo lag is a small price to pay for roughly 30% better fuel economy. This is my first diesel and unless the economics of owning one changes, I'll never own another large SUV that is gas powered. Filling up every 475-500 miles in the city and 575-600 miles on the freeway isn't too bad either. On long trips, I seldom have to refuel before getting to my destination.

Fourdiesel

There are two situations you need to analyze:
1) You run the vehicle 'till the wheels fall off': In this case the diesel total operating cost will be 'way less because of the way diesel engines have to be built - especially Mercedes - they last a lot longer than gassers. The 350 diesel and 450 gasser have virtually identical torque capabilities, diesel fuel has 30% more energy than gas and that translates to lower fuel cost per mile (I get 30 hwy mpg on my '08 320 CDI [@ 72mph]).
2) You trade in or sell it for a new vehicle before it is worn out: Check Edmunds, Auto Trader, and Kelly Blue Book (kbb) for used suv prices. You will find that used diesels ALWAYS go for substantially more than gassers for comparable condition and mileage.
Right now, in my area, ULSD sells for 5 cents/gal LESS than regular gas.
Any more questions?

43221B

This is a good point. The runflats are MUCH more expensive than the tires on the 19" wheels. Since you'll be changing them every 20 to 30 thousand miles, they can get expensive. Having said that, most of the 2010 450s that I have seen have the 20" wheels with runflats anyway. I personally find them to be very high quality tires that are extremely smooth at high freeway speeds. The sidewall is so hard that you would have to try very hard to damage your rims. Noise also isn't bad. The only downside other than cost is that they are a little rough. I personally like it though because I think it gives you a little more feedback. I think the construction of the tire reduces your chances of a blowout or other catastrophic failure. I carry a tire patch kit in the trunk with a small compressor and I purchased a full size spare to carry when towing. If you tow, the donut size spare on the 450 isn't going to do you much good for any real distance either unless you aren't pulling much weight.

crazygordon

Got mine two weeks ago, very surprise about the fuel mileage. Previously I was driving a Yukon, can't believe the MPG gain. Trying persuade my wife to get the E class diesel when it comes out because we both drive a lot. She was concerned about the old diesels that made a lot of noise, but that is no longer.

Blk04cobra1

The gas mileage alone would persuade me towards the diesel. As stated above, the adblue can be found at a fraction of the cost that a dealer wants to charge you. If you're worried about the run flats, just purchase the wheel/tire warranty and you'll be good for 5 years. IMO, the run flats run/ride just as nice as the regular tires. Now, you might be surprised by the short lifetime of the tires on the GL, but other than that it is a superior SUV.

dbtk

I don't mind the run flats. I actually run it with 33 psi in front and 42 in rear. They are extremely smooth on even pavement.

Fourdiesel

Try to avoid asking a tire change technician their opinion on runflats. They HATE them. VASTLY harder to mount / or demount runflats compared to 'ordinary' radials.
Usually this means you'll get charged more for mounting (or the price is higher) than for standard tires.

lkchris

And, this will be at a Mercedes dealer, as you won't find these tires in stock anywhere else.

43221B

I just had three Runflats remounted on three new 20" wheels. Total labor was $179.85 not incl tax at my Mercedes dealership. Definitely wasn't cheap. I would be curious to know what the same procedure would run for labor on the 19" wheels/tires? Can anyone get their paperwork out?

sqchris

2010 GL350BT Premium package abd bixenon 12670km asking $75900 CAN
incl Aluminum running boards keyless go. How much should I offer?

Brocktoon

Calgary?

Brocktoon

I don't think I want a gasser truck ever again...

sqchris

No Ontario.

StevethePilot

Ahem ahem. First your mileage - are you able to substantiate 30mpg at highway (i.e. "72 mph") speeds? I can do that but not unless I'm running downhill. Second, reliability. My biggest reason for buying Mercedes diesel was its reliability. As you may be able to see from my various posts around here, that has not proven to be a wise decision on my part - to the point of exhaustion. I've been so back and forth about selling this beast and getting a different vehicle because it's been so expensive. But it's also no longer got my confidence on long drives! And while it's not just the engine that's gone bad, that has been a big enough part of it to make me worried. The short list is as follows;

Under Warranty;
Turbo hose blown off (3 times before properly fixed)
Crankshaft sensor recall (no failure but the potential existed - happens to all vehicles in one form or another, added so the repairs can be taken in sum)
Not Under Warranty;
Left front strut leak (entire strut had to be replaced)
Parking sensor (possibly an insect hit it? the whole bumper had to be removed to fix this! labor put it over the top)
Right front strut bag exploded (mine was the first they'd seen at Schumacher)
Relay switch causing full-on limp mode (labor was 3/4 or more of this bill because of where the switch was)
Perfectly good control arm replaced (because bushings were bad and cannot be replaced)
Entire turbocharger replaced at ~80,000 miles (because one part had failed but cannot be replaced alone) (Was told, "You sure drive this thing a lot!" I bought a Mercedes diesel to park it?)
I'm now having an intermittent left rear strut "flat" when I return to the car. Could be a strut leak, could be a valve in the control box - which, if that is the problem, cannot be individually repaired/replaced. The whole control box would have to be replaced.

The issue with mine is, what I've put in to it is gone on resale. Then again, will it continue to cost me more than what I'd be paying for a newer, much more reliable vehicle? And is there anything out there with the GL's capabilities that'll give me that same smile at highway speed? (While it's running, that is.) My biggest problem lately though has been with the wife, who loves the truck but is now worried about taking it on long trips. It's not her, per se, but what she said that has me terrified; "You've fixed so much, surely nothing else can go wrong with it!" Run!

jimmyp

If yours is a 07 its still under warrenty right?? This is my second benz and I do most of my own work but I will get the 3yr ext warrenty on it since I plan to keep it awhile.

StevethePilot

Nope. I've got over 90,000 miles on it now. At 50,000 the warranty was up.

dbtk

There are fewer GL350s out there than GL450s/550s (at least for now). And with a possible range of 700+ miles it makes for more convenience and fewer wasted minutes at the pump.

Fourdiesel

You are right, the 30 mpg (actually a little better than that) is per the Mercedes trip computer in the truck and is the reading while on the road. Since it is made by/for Mercedes it MUST be accurate, right? [wink, wink].

Actually tank-to-tank calibrations are not quite that good because of the in-town driving and braking that is involved. I've checked the computer readout of mpg since last fill up against the actual gallons (or, in this case the mpg calculation on my calculator) three times. The first two showed the car computer was 'optimistic' ie non conservative, by about 1.5 mpg. The last check (at the last full tank of fuel) showed the computer reading was conservative (mpg lower than actual) by about 1.25 mpg. [Actual mpg was 1.25 mpg better than the computer said]
Fuel measurements were per the digital pump readout at the filling station and miles were per the odometer reading in the multifunction display.
So, there you have it, calibration readings on both sides of the computer readout. Is the mileage as good as the computer says? Probably not quite but I'm not prepared to make a guess as to which way it is off and by how much. As always, "your results may vary"!
Oh, and the driving was not all 'down hill and with a tail wind' [but that does help]. I've also gone 800 miles on a tank of fuel a couple of times. That takes a bit of nerve and knowledge of just where the next diesel station is though...

StevethePilot

Oh, yeah, the 800 mile tank is a real smile-maker! It is really tough to calibrate mileage on the dark side as it can be tough to tell when the tank is actually full. Also, the fun little credit-card trick (maximum amount allowed requiring a second transaction and a re-start) can screw up the calculations. But I've found 25-27mpg on the highway's about the best I can do on flat ground (light load, conservative driving style) and about 19+ in mixed. I'm just wondering how you're showing 30mpg in either trip computer or routine tank-to-tank calculations? Or was I reading that incorrectly? (You're using US gallons, right?)

Texas993

Steve,

Maybe the difference is the A/C. You live in the hottest part of the US and fourdiesel's info says NW corner of CONUS which I read as WA. Probably rarely uses the A/C.

Just a thought.

43221B

STP, those are about the same numbers I'm getting with my 09 Bluetec. I have one 20-25 minute trip that I do a lot and the speed varies from 40-50 mph. I drive 5 over if possible but usually there is light traffic and some goof that wants to drive 5 under. It is pretty much flat as it follows a river the entire way. There are probably 10 lights along the route. If I don't hit many red lights, I have seen the COMPUTER show mileage in the high 29 to low 30 range. Usually though it reads in the 25-26 mpg range.

I average 17-19 with city driving and that's from doing the pump/tripometer math. I did a 5 hour round trip over the weekend that was probably 20% flat 80% gentle rolling hills. Had my cruise on 68-69 the entire way (saw about 40 state troupers in each direction, no joke) and the computer was reading 26.8 mpg. My experience is that it exagerates 1.5-2.5 mpg. Considering I filled up before leaving, I have to say that it was pretty incredible to think that the diesel had been running for almost 5 hours on the freeway and I was showing just a little under 3/4 of a full tank upon returning home.

btw, just as an aside, I have learned never to discuss fuel economy with a guy that drives an American pickup truck. The several that I have breached the subject with, all have claimed that their V8 gets mid to high 20's (like 25 to 28 mpg) in MIXED driving. They always have some rationale like, "the engine is so big in that thang that it hardly has to work. It just idles down the road." Whatever...