sahmad287

Hello all,

This is my first post to this website and wanted to get some feedback as to what I should be looking for in my new Mercedes. I was initially looking at the ML350 with Pkg 2, but the reviews I have read online about it make me skeptical. Also, after a test drive, I felt that the acceleration was too heavy (if that makes sense). I am now debating on looking at the GL, but I know that the 2013 will be coming out soon. Should I wait? I want a really good deal (like any consumer would) and am looking to purchase. Any suggestions?

aeggroup

You will not get a good deal on 2013 GL till about at least next spring. So, if you wanna save some money - 2012 GL is your best bet today. On the other hand - residual of the new 2013 model will be better after 3-4 years of ownership. Usually diesel models have better residual than gasoline, but you have to go to a dealer and do a test drive of both version to see which one you like better. It's hard to tell you for sure what to do. It's your money - you decide. After owning diesel GL I leased diesel E class and never wanna go back to gasoline versions, but everyone has their own personal taste.

Anyway...they all great cars, you can't be wrong.

BlownV8

The diesel E class is great but for some reason the diesel GL has lots of expensive engine related issues and seems to be the least reliable of the GL's.

aeggroup

What is the source of that information ? I have it for more than a year and have zero issues. I rarely hear somebody has issue with MB diesel.

sahmad287

What woudl be a competitive price for the 2012 GL in your opinion? Also, what is your take on the ML? I am afraid that the GL might be too big for me.

JimBarnhart

I've had both an ML and a GL, both gasoline models. I think you need to make two decisions and they may be independent. First is ML vs GL. They are different target audiences. The GL is a big SUV for people who like/need/want that. It has room for 6-7 comfortably. With the 3rd row seat down is has ample storage. The ML is a mid-size SUV, seats 4-5 comfortably. It is smaller and peppier as a result. If you don't have a need for the big SUV the ML will probably suit you fine.

Then the gas vs diesel question. The gas models have more horsepower and are peppier than the diesels. I'm speculating that the difference is less noticeable in the ML, but I haven't driven them to compare. Most choose the diesel for the high mileage per gallon. They do seem to provide higher residual value down the road.

sahmad287

I am pretty sure i want to go the gas route. I would be fine with a 5 seater vehicle since its just me and my spouse at home. How well does the value of the ML hold up? I went to the dealer yesterday and they are willing to give me $53k for a $59k ML, but I am not sure whether or not I should be looking for more. Also, I have seen on other forums that people have been getting 10k off of the 2012 GLs since they are tryign to get rid of their inventory. Any advice woudl be much appreciated.

rkao

I am moving from a '10 GL to a '12 ML...whenever the ML decides to show up at the whim of MBUSI that is!

I leased the GL when our 2nd child was born and I thought I needed a 'bigger' car coming out of my '08 E63. But the fact is, I NEVER used the 3rd row seat!

My wife has a minivan, her 2nd now, and we usually use that car for family trips since it too has 3 rows of seating for the kids and the dog, has a lower loading height for the things we carry, and has the RSE to help pass the time on the multi-hour driving trips.

The GL is a great truck, but still a truck and the new W166 ML drives more car-like but still with the higher visibility, and plus has better fuel efficiency for me since I drive much locally as a realtor. So I'm downsizing...

The plan is for my wife the take over the ML (we ordered the RSE this time) when her Sienna lease is over and I'll lease another MB with my one per year fleet discount through the firm I work with.

But if you don't need 7 seats, the ML will likely suit your purposes.

yellowsugga

We were looking at ML but decided to get GL. I find the ML "looks" small. This is only an issue when you see the two side by side. I think the ML would provide you with more than enough room. One thing to consider as well is that if you buy a 2012 ML, it will be the current model for the next few years, whereas if you are buying a 2012 GL, it will be hte "old" model next year. I thought I would have a hard time driving the GL, but it drives really well. It drives much smaller than it looks and actually doesn't feel much bigger than the ML we test drove. We got the diesel version for the great mileage. It's slow, but we are talking about SUV's here, not sports cars. I don't need a super fast SUV. However, if you felt the ML was slow, then the GL will seem even slower.

JimBarnhart

What's a better deal - $53K for an ML ($6K off sticker) or $60K for a GL ($10 K off sticker)?

I'm going to guess if you measure the deal as dollars off sticker, the GL is a better deal. If you are going to measure the deal as out the door price the ML will win every time.

I'd suggest trying the ML forum to see what deals people are finding to know if $6K off is a good deal. Since that's 10% I would guess that's reasonable.

Innocent_Stud

If you're comparing ML350 Bluetec vs GL350 bluetec then yes, the GL will definitely be slower.

But the GL450 (I have achieved 6.4 seconds 0-60, some a little bit quicker like in 6.3) should be quicker on average than the regular gasoline ML350. Not including the obviously quicker/faster ML550 and so.

Engine power differences here and depending on how much options added to the weight of the GL. Mine is bone stock with nearly nothing on it so it works out for me. But really though, it's no sports car at all so I'm not always comparing it like this.

ML vs GL. Depends if one needs the space or not really.

BlownV8

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...iesel+problems

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...iesel+problems

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...iesel+problems

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...iesel+problems

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...iesel+problems

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...iesel+problems

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...iesel+problems

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...iesel+problems

aeggroup

Thanks for spending your time to provide me all the links. I may agree, that diesel is more delicate. On the other hand ( I don't have time to do it ) V8 engine, which is the same engine for E, S and CLS class and there are a lot of stories when people have all kinds of problems with their engines. I'm sure forum has lots of stories like this.
Thanks anyway.

P.S. Here is some kind of official data to defend diesel : http://www.vincentric.com/Home/BestV...UVPremium.aspx

sahmad287

Thank you for you advice! Crossing my finger.... hoping to purchase this up coming week!

dpayne7571

53k on a 59k ML350 is a great deal, I would take it and run!