luv2sleep

I just bought a '11 GL350 Bluetec and we love it so far. We've never owned a diesel so here's a dumb question.
Does the engine get quieter over time? It has less than 100 miles on it so I'm thinking that it will sound "smoother" over time, I hope. I could swear that it was guieter during the test drive or, I didn't notice the engine noise due to the sales guy's yaking.

alx

it gets quieter when it warms up and reaches operating temperature. as for the mileage- i assume it will quiet down a bit as it is broken in, but overall diesels generally get noisier with mileage.

learn to love the noise. its part of the character.

Max Blast

At 30mph and up you'd never know it's a diesel. Granted, it's a bit trucky at low speed but you'll get used to it. We thought the same in the beginning but think nothing of it now. When I drive around solo in the car I often roll the windows down just to listen to the turbo.

TamZ

Our '11 GL350's ENGINE is surprisingly quiet, especially once up to freeway speeds. It was one of the reasons I relented when my husband was so desperately trying to talk me into the diesel. Of course, my GL makes so many other odd noises, that the engine noise is the least of my worries! The only time I really think about the diesel engine is when I roll my window down at a drive through and I have this, 'oh yea..it's a diesel" moment.

Enjoy your new GL!

luv2sleep

I have to agree that it is definitely quiet at highway speeds, more so than our GL450 (soon to be history). It's my wife's ride and she's just happy to have a white GL. I'll be happy about the MPG. It's all good! Thanks for the replies.

luv2sleep

I've been kind of following your "noise" debacle. I feel your frustration. Our '09 GL450 went in 5 times for warranty work. I think all of the bugs have been worked out with ours. We looked at other vehicles and none of them offer the whole package when it comes to hauling around a family of five in luxury and comfort. The closest competitor would probably be the '11 Infiniti Q56 but it's a little too big; it's also experiencing some growing pains, from what I'm gathering. At the end of the day, we love the GL. Hopefully, your GL will get all better so you can fully enjoy it.

TamZ

Thank you Yes, I looked at pretty much every 7+ seater available as well, and ultimately chose the GL. I was so excited to get it...and I want to be able to say, at the end of the day, I love mine too!

I'll be updating my saga soon, I hope they will get it finished tomorrow! Crossing my fingers. This Thursday will be 2 weeks they have had my vehicle!

43221B

+1

Much of the noise comes out from around the front fenders. When you pull up at an ATM for instance, the sound of the engine is bouncing right back into your window sort of amplifying the sound. I've had my GL parked next to a BMW X5 and believe it or not both me and the guy that owned the X5 were remarking that you could hear the X5's 3 liter idling over the GL's diesel engine. We were standing about 30 feet away from the cars.

It is a little noisy when accelerating but again, that is part of the character.

rich4368

Leased my 2010 GL350 about a year ago replacing the leased 2007 GL450. Yes the diesel engine was really loud the first few thousand miles, I am now 17k the engine seemed quieter or maybe I got used to it? Now my problem is we signed up for 10k per year but we are 7k over for the first year. My wife suggested getting a Prius for trips that don't need the big daddy, or just buy that off. Tough decision.

Brocktoon

I don't know what sort of terms you have on your lease, but 7,000 miles is quite a bit over, so it could be worth it to add another cheap car for short trips. On the other hand, most diesels coming back off lease are in a positive equity situation, meaning you could sell it at the end of term, pay out your option and make money on the deal. At least that's the situation in my market. If that's the case, you have nothing to worry about unless you put mega miles on it.

Remember, it only matters if you are over if you return it. If you can get out whole by selling, that's the best. I have been leasing for 15 years (six cars) and I have only once been upside down at the end of the term. It was a 97 Stratus. I had payments of $179 a month, an option to buy @ $12,000 and street value was $6,000 to $8,000 at the end of the term! Chrysler paid ME to drive that car! Other than that awesome deal, I have sold the rest and got out at least whole.