aggst1

Should we also say who cares about mpg? After all it's a truck. If one wants a fuel efficient car - buy Toyota Prius, or Nissan Leaf.

dbtk

Ha ha, so true. That's why I sold my GL. The Cayenne Turbo is so much more fun!

aeggroup

I think we talking about trucks. I don't see how Prius or Leaf fit in that category.

aggst1

It all depends on one's requirements and priorities. What do they value most? Fun factor? Space? Fuel Efficiency? Safety? Etc... It isn't possible for any one vehicle to be on top in all categories...

aggst1

Similarly I don't see how a 500 HP AMG or Porsche with racing type suspension and tires, lowered to the ground can be called a truck.

aeggroup

Just re-read my post. I said - if you need a speed - buy a sport car/sedan. I never said - buy a truck for speed. I think truck has different purpose of ownership. It's my personal opinion and you don't have to agree with that.

aggst1

And I am questioning why is it ok to buy a different faster vehicle if one wants more speed and not do the same - buy a different car if they want more mileage per gallon.
It might not be a top priority to you to drive a somewhat faster car (like the GL450/550 gas model) but it is for others, so don't dismiss it.

LEOSOPHIE

I care for one.

FastMoneyPlaya

Exactly. After driving my wife's GL350, I hopped into my Audi S5 - the speed and handling are night and day (and I'm glad my wife drives the GL). Unfortunatley, I drove my friend's Panamera Turbo a couple of weeks ago, and that make my S5 feel like a dog - literally no comparison off the line.

FastMoneyPlaya

The Cayenne Turbo is very fast. However, if you need a third row and a decent sized trunk, the GL works. Driving my wife's GL350 is like driving a bus - it's big, doesn't handle so great, sounds a little like a bus, but transports my family of 5 with luggage comfortably.

Personally, I care very much about the mileage because my wife's previous vehicle was a Land Rover LR3 which only got about 12 city and 16-17 at best on the highway. So by moving to a GL350 I'm saving about $1500 a year in fuel, and helping the environment a bit. If every SUV was a diesel, we wouldn't have a fuel shortage/price problem in this country, however our politicians seem to like to waste taxpayer money subsidizing the Volt which only sold 8,000 vehicles last year, is a POS and catches on fire.

aggst1

If every SUV was a diesel we would have the same fuel price problems we have now since both gasoline and diesel come from crude oil.

Regarding the Volt, I think we should give it a chance. It's only out for a few months.

FastMoneyPlaya

True, gas and diesel are both refined from crude oil. However, we would consume a lot less if every SUV on the road was a diesel.

The problem I have with the Volt is it is comparable to a $20K vehicle but cost $40K, so not many people will buy one and it will save very little fuel overall. A lot more fuel would be saved if every SUV was a diesel, and it would actually save the consumers money instead of cost more. Furthermore, the Volt gets it's energy from plugging it into a wall socket. That energy comes from mostly natural gas and coal, so there still is an impact on the environment - especially since burning coal is dirty.

aggst1

Although I understand your reasoning regarding diesel, I believe that we residents of the US should find ways to limit our use of fossil fuels, all fossil fuels. To do that we should rethink our ways and invest in mass transit systems (light rail etc) for metro areas. MPG is almost irrelevant if you replace your car with a train/bus for your daily commute and use your car on evenings and weekends/vacations.
This however is all off topic. Personally I find it laughable when diesel owners of premium vehicles talk about the environment. The ONLY reason people buy diesels is
mpg and saving a few bucks by paying more up front for the car and in my city paying more at the pump.

aeggroup

I don't wanna use public transportaion even if it will be free for me. I hate it and will never take it if I have a chance to use a car.

aggst1

You are NOT alone. Most people in the US feel like that. Most Europeans and Asians however did not grow up this way and it is typical to see folks from all walks of life (even corporate execs) taking public transportation because they get downtown in minutes as opposed to an hour plus. If we build it, they will come. Also, our population is only 4% of the world's entire population (300 million out of 6.8 billion people) but we consume more than 25% of the resources consumed annually. The time will come that this trend will no longer be sustainable and will result in huge changes (international, political, economical etc)

aeggroup

I grew up in Europe and I used to take public transportation till I was about 25. This is probably the number one reason I hate it so much

aggst1

I grew up in Europe too until I was 18 and had the opposite experience. I hate driving back and forth to work 20 miles each way taking at least an hour each way. If there was a train even at low speeds like 60mph it would cover this distance in about 20 minutes. I d take that any day.
We take plane rides inside planes that here in the US are dirtier than any light-rail train I have seen and subject ourselves to scans and body searches from security personnel while we have our shoes off. That doesn't bother us. It is the daily public transportation that bothers us...

dbtk

Ha ha. Yes, definitely fast, but not as fuel efficient as the GL (20mpg highway on a good day) and impractical for a large family. But then again, I am single with no kids or pets, and spend most of my time driving around SF, putting on about 1500 miles a year on each car so fuel purchases are not common.