eugkim

I'll probably be ordering a GL350 with ADS II. The ride of the GL350 is a little too soft for me, but I was happy with the ride of the GL550. Has anyone ever driven a GL350/450 with the ADS to compare it to the GL550? I'm making the assumption that, save the extra mass and the 21" wheels/tires, the GL550 ride should be similar to that of the GL350 with ADS. Is this a reasonable assumption?

dougpark714

I thought the standard suspension was fine with the 20" wheels. Better than with the 19". Is it really worth getting ADS? I had adjustable suspension in my car 20 years ago, and it was ridiculously expensive to fix after warranty. I have no idea if ADS adds more complexity to the existing air suspension but I am assuming so.

I'm planning to pass on it.

blee911

I have ADS on my 2011 GL 350. Use it all the time depending on the road conditions and who's in the car. I've also driven my neighbor's GL 550 which has ADS standard on it. Feels about the same except his wheels are lower profile and wider. As I understand it, all GL trims come with air springs. The ADS button just enables adjustment unlike the case of Audi and BMW where you'd need to pay 3-4K to go from std suspension to adjustable air suspension.

eugkim

The Audi, BMW and Porsche with the air suspension vs. steel suspension is that, specifically with the latter two, the steel suspension is quite stiff and harsh. Definitely "sportier," but tooth rattling if you ask me. When I was looking for an SUV about 5 years ago, I never considered either the X5 4.8 is or the Cayenne, because I couldn't stomach the ride. It wasn't until I drove the Cayenne Turbo standard air suspension) that I found the car I wanted. In the "sport" mode, it was very responsive, but still not as harsh as either the X5 is or the Cayenne S with steel suspension.

Actually, the Audi Q7 steel suspension gives a firm, sporty, but comfortable ride. I'm not sure that I would bother with the air suspension, and I was adamant before the test drive that I'd only buy one with it.

With the GL350, the standard suspension seemed very soft, to the point that I'd almost welcome a non-air setup. I was told that there was nothing that could be done about it, and the salesman wasn't aware of any aftermarket fixes. It wasn't until I searched on this site that I found the ADS availability.

Given blee911's direct comparison of the GL550 and his GL350 with ADS II, I feel much more comfortable that we'll be very happy with a custom ordered GL350. We'll go with Diamond White, ADS, P2, Lighting, Tow Hitch, Running Boards, Parktronic, Rear Entertainment, MB Tex cashmere, Blind Assist, Rear Heated Seats, and possibly Distronic. We're probably looking into ordering after the New Year.

Thanks for the help.

EWT

Eugkim - out of curiosity, are you planning to tow your 262 with the GL? I've got a 263 and one of the main reasons for getting my 550 was for towing.

eugkim

They're great boats, aren't they?

I actually bought my Cayenne with the feeling I'd tow the Cobalt with it. I ended up not even buying a trailer for it. I leave it docked at our house in Long Beach Island. I was going to trailer it back and forth to PA to use and store here, but didn't feel it was worth the trouble in the end.

Loved the 550 - if we didn't already have a gas guzzler (both Porsches get less than 13 MPG), I'd love to drive it. In fact, I've thrown around the idea of getting rid of the Cayenne, getting my wife the GL550, and I'd drive my 928 and an old E320 TE that's sitting around. I just can't bring myself to get rid of the Cayenne, as it's a great car.

EWT

A friend has a Cayenne Turbo and really likes it. I wonder how well it would tow something as big as a 262/263 though with the relatively short wheelbase. I definitely knew it was back there with my 550.

I love our 263. It is a great all around boat - it has a big boat ride but still handles like a smaller boat. We tube with it, overnight on it, and have a lot of fun on it. I looked for ours for over year before finding it. Here's a picture of it the one time I've towed it so far:



I want to take it to a truck stop to weigh it and figure out what kind of tongue weight I have, but I'm going to need to recarpet my trailer bunks before towing it again.

eugkim

How's this for towing with a Cayenne wheelbase. Its cousin, the Touareg, towed this:

EWT

Heh. I'm guessing bridge clearance might be a problem with that tow. However, you don't even need a Touareg to pull an airplane: