Rebeccams

Hi.....I am purchasing my first Mercedes GL450 and need some color advice. I tend to gravitate toward classic colors with a bit of "flash". I'd love advice on what colors look best in this body style with the Almond Beige interior. So far I'm most interested in Dakota Brown, Iridium Silver, Black (either flat or Obsidian) and Steel Gray.....
Thank you in advance!

sraza

white on almond is pretty sweet, steel gray, definitely obsidian black, i personally havnt seen a dakota brown gl but saw a dakot brown ml550 last week- really nice color, kinda flashy too- u can never go wring with Iridium silver- only issue is, since u like the flash, the chrome accents wont show as distinctly with iridium silver

JimBarnhart

Welcome to the X166 forum.

Here's a members posts of a steel gray with almond interior. Note that it has the satin ash special order wood feature.

https://plus.google.com/photos/11677...Iv5nMC2x9KxswE

I personally love Obsidian or black with an almond interior, but having had macadamia in my 2007 I opted for black leather. I love how the chrome and black play off of each other, both in the exterior and interior. Arctic or Diamond white with almond would also look good to my eyes.

I also like the look of the special order tobacco/auburn leather. You can see it in the 'special order options' thread. If you like 'flash' that's a unique interior that you don't see much in any make/model.

Of course in the end it's what you like that matters. We all have opinions, likes and dislikes. Make yourself happy!

Rebeccams

Thank you for your repsonses-a couple of follow-up questions. Can you describe the Dakota Brown color? It looks bronze on the website, but some Internet snapshots make it appear darker. I've never had a black car before (my husband has the flat black S550 with black interior and it's gorgeous)-appearance wise do you like the black or almond interior better with a black exterior? Is the flat black or the Obsidian easier to maintain? I also would be open to a white car, but my husband doesn't feel the same way:-). Thank you so much for your help!

Rebeccams

Also,I'd love the auburn/tobacco interior...but am not sure I can do a special order.....I think I've seen some for sale but are typically the GL550's.

sraza

you can def do spc order auburn brown with a 450 as well-
black would look great with a black or almond interior- theyr both awesome-
between flat black and obsidian- i'd say they'r both tuf to maintain- but obsidian is kinda like a flashy black- looks real nice on a gl

the dakota is like a darker bronzish brown in real life- it def got my attention as i drove by it in a parking lot- its not too dark; looked pretty nice-

JimBarnhart

I haven't personally seen the Dakota Brown, but from everyone's comments it seems more like a brown leather you'd see in a couch in your living room. Some photo's make it look bronzer. But I would have to see it before I'd order it.

Regarding black exterior and interior color, I guess I have to say on my GL I like the black better. The 2013 really looks good with black leather, with the gray stitching, chrome trim, etc. I do think on sportier vehicles I might choose the almond, but we had a convertible with black leather and loved it. The lighter interior does show dirt easier and many have remarked how dark colored denin can leave marks.

I personally have always liked the sparkle of the Obsidian, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me between Obsidian and Black. They are black, so get used to washing the car. There's no car prettier than a freshly cleaned black car.

sraza

thats the honest truth- black is by far the king of colors when clean--
and yes black interior with gray stitching is really nice- very classy

a warm classy look might also be dakota with auburn interior-
thats toooo brown for me but i think will look classy and very different

Rebeccams

I agree 100% that I have to see the Dakota Brown in person. I wonder if it would be easier to maintain than black? The darkest car I've had in the past was Navy (RR Buckingham blue), which I loved, and didn't find it too hard to maintain. I think I'll go to the dealership on Saturday to look at interior and exterior colors-unfortunately they only have the Cinnabar Red in the GL. So I'll have to use my imagination. I'm noticing small inventory on the GL450's.

cookstar

I was going to go for the brown exterior with Tobacco interior but decided against it as it was just as a pain in the behind in terms of scratches as the Black, Went with Diamond White instead

sam9187

Iridium silver for me. I currently have a black 550 - pain to keep it clean

fabbrisd1

Let me say if you are looking to buy off the lot - there are a select few GL450's out there, or in transit to the dealers in your area - and frankly you have to decide on how best you value the specific features in each of those available GL's - including if the GL has appearance package or not - and you to balance that for yourself as compared to your "value preference" in color interior/exterior color preference.

If you are going to order for late-Spring delivery (today end-April/early-may depending on the specific dealers availability) - then with order you can get both your preferred color preference AND your specific feature set for delivery let's call 3 months out..

In general my impression is that with the body lines in the GL450 - darker colors to me accent the GL body better - make a better visual statement - and driving/viewing a statement especially as a early adopter in large part what being a early adopter is all about.

White and Iridium silver to me visually minimize the body lines - to me reduce the statement - and white's and i-silver fall into that group.

I like the Steel Gray a lot - I don't like the name of the color which infers Industrial - but Steel Gray under bright daylight "pops" elegantly, and the night time presence makes a good impact.

I am not a fan of Cinnabar - it is the addition to the current GL that treands back to early pallette of the original ML/GL's starting with Merlot - it is a unique color, but to me will always be a bit "odd"..

Black w/almond is a "classic" - Obsidian is $750 and that's visually different in your garage or at 3 ft distance, but again $750 is not much of a uptick.

The Steel Gray and Almond is quite sharp - and exterior statement is very solid - like people notice your GL when parked... and the appearance package wheels accent Steel Grey very nicely too... so you understand the reason for my "fav vote" .

Have fun with it !

Dalema

I went with the Black exterior with the Almond Beige leather interior. Really is a classic color combo.

With the Steel Gray, I preferred it with the Black interior - but that's just personal preference. I didn't like the Cinnibar Red and similar to your husband - I have a general dislike for white on a car. White does seem to be quite popular right now though.

Anyway, best bet is to see the combinations in person. You could also ask to see the colors on different models if a dealer doesn't have a good selection.

Good luck - enjoy!

JimBarnhart

Fab brings up a good point. You'll have to decide what's important to you in taking one off the lot or on the way to the dealer. I have bought 3 MB's (ML500, GL450, GL350). Since my first was the ML500 (the premium model in the class at that time) I am spoiled to high end features. I ended up ordering my 2013 and it was a good experience, I got exactly what I wanted.

Fab has excellent information, if he says you can order and get it in about 3 months you can believe that.

Good luck in your shopping - whatever you pick you will be so impressed and it will definitely turn heads.

sraza

this is true-
also if you order now- you'r prolly looking at delivery by Aprilish - you may wanna consider waiting another couple months and get MY14, probably with some advanced features (though i'm certain they wont be considerably different) but usually new style rims etc will likely be available-
or get lucky and get one sooner or get one you like off the lot-

sraza

i too like the steel gray- i've had 2 cars in that color and yea- Fab is right def stands out-
but to be honest if i had to pick a dark color it will def be black, flat or obsidian, preferably obsidian- i saw a 13' lunar blue gl350 the other day and it too looks nice, but def not like thE RR bukingham blue-

after having my share of dark colors, now i tend to stick to i-silver and white; ALOT easier to keep clean and swirl marks dont show as much-
good luck!

Rebeccams

This is all very helpful information. And yes, I will have to decide about whether to special order. I did special order a Porshe years ago and had a great experience (choose navy then too with a deep luggage color interior:-) But in recent years my car has become a means of driving locally transporting children (I only have 11k miles on my 2011 RR). So, as long as I can get the appearance package, running boards, premium 1 and a few other options I will be happy and comfortable.

I did see a 2010 Steel Gray and the color did catch my eye-twice, once in a GL350 and once in a smaller sedan. I am also excited to see the Black with tan and still interested in at least seeing the Dakota Brown. I agree about the Silver but my current RR is Silver and i think I'm ready for a change.

I think my local dealership has the Steel Gray and Black, but maybe not with the options I mentioned. We have a relationship with the manager and I am waiting for him to return from vacation so he can assign me a salesperson.

I did a bit of research on the MY14..... looks like it may be more like a wagon?
I'm coming off my 3rd RR and am afraid I will miss being high up when I transition to the GL-the MY14 could be an even bigger difference.

It's a big decision for me to "abandon" my relationship with Range Rover.....but I suspect I'll be very happy with the Mercedes:-)

sraza

i meant MY14 GL, yes my feelings for RR have been hurt by the new shape- it doesnt bother me so much that it looks exactly like the explorer but sadly has lost the look of a RR- i dont have my RR anymore - do miss it sometimes- but i'm sure you wont miss it either when u get you GL

Rebeccams

Yes, it's ashame about the RR new shape-they should have kept the height and made it longer (to create more cargo space) all while maintaining the classic RR styling. I'll be curious how it impacts their sales. But thank you for assuring me that I'll love the GL:-)

aeggroup

I just leased my new GL Lunar Blue Metallic with Almond interior. I lile this color. It looks very nice in sunny weather. At night it looks like black. To keep it clean - it's even more headache than black color. Every tiny thing is visible. I only got it because I'm leasing, never would buy it for a long time use. It's a full time job to keep it clean.

Rebeccams

So, as luck would have it, I found myself behind a Dakota Brown GL350 today. I think the color is pretty, but I think it would look better in a different model. Don't get wrong, it was pretty and I wouldn't "kick it out of my garage" but I'm feeling the color isn't quite what I'm looking for. I do think it would be very nice looking in a sportier model:-)

fabbrisd1

AEG - I heartily recommend a $22 bottle of Einszett Glanzwax (Blue Top) from Amazon and DYI or have a detailer do the wipe-on/30-min-cure/wipe-off for the paint and wheels, repeat every 6 months.. it will help a lot, it's the perfect product for the new MB clearcoat.

Becca - Good insight, to me the Dakota Brown doesn't accent the GL body as a larger vehicle, although on the ML the Dakota Brown is quite striking. If your thinking includes the 13 or 14 RR - you will be happy with the GL450 - but on the same hand there is a lot for you to love in the scarcer-hard-to-get GL550, which would be a order-May-delivery..

Mbenz260e

I meant to respond to Fab earlier, but I ordered the Blue Top Einszett Glanzwax from amazon based on his recommendations and am very impressed. Turned out to $17 or so and so far very comparable to the $40 sealant I bought last year. Very very easy to apply and wipe off, no machine needed. I tend to over apply always (bad habit) and even so comes off very easy after letting dry 30 min. Car looks great after, feels like butter. Next time I do an applicable may split a panel between the Einszett and my previous sealant just for comparison, but I see myself just purchasing this product going forward based on performance, price is just a bonus.

Mbenz260e

Oh and to the OP, we ended up going with Steel Grey (ordered) after having an ML in Obsedian black previously. The Steel Grey just looks great to us on the GL. I always liked the idea of a steel grey type color but when I was E shopping didn't look quite right on the body. On the GL though I really am enjoying it. Have it paired with grey MBText.

aeggroup

Thank you. I just bought it on Amazon.