Cz7

I am ordering a GL450 (obs. metallic black) and my husband seems to think he needs the 20" wheels (for appearance and feel of it) that you get in the Appearance Package. I thought I read somewhere it gives a rougher ride. Any insight from those in the know? Also, are running boards recommended? Not sure about the look. My local dealer has nothing in stock to look at and it's hard to decide in photos.

Another option I am torn about is the Driver Assistance Distronic (already plan to get the Park Assist & Lane Tracking). I don't put many highway miles on so not sure if it's a waste of money. Also not sure about the Lighting Package (again, mostly in town driving). Your thoughts about either are appreciated.

cookstar

bigger rims always mean rougher ride, does not matter if its a GL or a Phantom. Got the running boards and happy with it, have the driver assistance package as well and love it.

sraza

All good options to get-- yea bigger rims will be a somewhat stiffer ride but not a major issue- in reality not a huge deal and not a deal breaker- if looks and aesthetics are important get the appearance package- looks very nice especially with the exposed exhausts-- but this ride looks good regardless..
as for distronic I did not get it.. and based on your driving you will likely not need it.. lighting package not only looks good but lights up the road much better...
and consider the surround view camera option too-- def a plus

running boards with kids are very helpful-- and are part of the appearance package too

rob.anderson

Get the wheels. They make the car look better.

UAG1

Here are all men and we love bigger wheels
: )

captivabenz

The 20 inch wheels are beautiful and I feel are much nicer than the standard 19 inch.
Ride comfort should not be an issue.
Agree the parking assist package is recommended.

Cz7

Yes, I have fives sons (plus hubby) so I know how men think! lol

Just didn't know if the big wheels and running boards will make it more "truck-like". Downsizing from Escalade ESV and wanting something sleeker, but I can see the running boards are functional especially for that third row.

So is the lighting package is a "must-have" even with city driving?

Cz7

That's good to hear as that was my worry.

I'm definitely getting the Park Assist & the Lane Package. Probably not the Distronic/Drive Assist since I rarely drive highway/cruise control but not sure if I will regret that! But you do get the "Active" lane & blind spot with that which would be nice. Does anyone use that regularly or is it distracting?

South Ocean1

Cz7:

While I would not have ordered it (it came standard on the GL63), I must say I use the Blind Spot Assist all the time. It is actually one of the features I find really helpful (and not distracting) - and one I miss immediately on the highway when I am driving another car. I haven't used the Distronic Plus so can't comment on that. Knowing what I know now, and if I had the choice, I would order that option to get the Blind Spot Assist.

As to the wheels, my GL has the 21 inch wheels and the ride comfort is really good - so I suspect the ride quality with the 20 inch wheels will be even better. And this is coming from someone when ordering my E63 that purposely skipped the larger wheel option to preserve ride quality on these terrible Chicago area roads.

Good luck with your purchase!

patyoung

Looks like I'm in the minority here, but I prefer the standard 19" rims to the 20" ones. Normally, I like the bigger wheels, and I wish they offered the AMG package in the US because I would certainly have gotten that. I just don't like those particular 20" wheels. Also a couple reviews indicated that the ride was noticeably better with the 19" though I wouldn't have expected that to make much of a difference.

Steve Maislin

Said it before and I say it again, 19" rides better and gives you a bit more protection from the accidental curb accident. I think that the wheel manufacturers have done a fine job of marketing the look of the low profile tire. Yep, sometimes emotion wins out over factual-based decisions.

Oh, and if you need to put on snow tires, anything bigger than 19" is plain silly.

2013 GL450

i'm in the 20" camp. I feel that if you're hauling around a lot of weight, it's better to have the larger wheels. As for a rougher ride, i can't say because I can't compare it to the 19", but I can tell you that I would hardly call the 20" a rough ride.

on the sideboards, I'm glad I got them because it helps the kids as well as elders get in and out. i would buy them again if i had a second chance. same with the lighting package. I wish i had the parking feature.

fabbrisd1

Appearance package is " running boards + wheels + dual bumper/tailpipe exhaust - frankly for the money it's a great deal.

I am not in agreement 19's are softer/smoother - I personally prefer the way the 20's ride/feel and how they fill the wheel wells better.

carpersn

My wife detested the running boards and i dont much like them...we are fairly young (40) and do not need the, for entry to the vehicle. she was fine with the 20" wheels i wanted so I bought those separately (not in pkg). Not a bad price compared to other wheel choices.

wamochi

i'm a woman on the forum and like big wheels. nothing gaudy or insane, but the 21's on the 550 are part of the reason we chose the 550 this time over the 350/450.

i had the appearance package on our 2011 GL450 with 20" wheels and never thought it was rough or uncomfortable. in fact sometimes it almost felt too soft for such a large vehicle.

even on our current 550, the 21's are very smooth and refined. we previously had a cayenne GTS with factory 21's with lower profile tires and that thing was a lot rougher in ride and felt like rolling on bricks in sport suspension mode.

personally i like the look of the running boards. they are really well done and designed (with the aluminum finish and rubber studs, not to mention LED illumination) and just complete the side profile of the car IMHO. whenever i see a GL without them, it just looks naked to me. i have two boys 3 and 5 that would have a hard time climbing into the car without them. my in laws were here recently and my mother in law is in her 70's and really needed them. and i use them EVERY DAY climbing in and out of the car. it's easier to get into the driver seat especially when wearing a skirt or dress.

blittle

I have the "driving assist" love all of it!!! Have the "lighting package" and would NOT be without it! Parking Assist package has the camera...the camera is worth it the whole cost!!! the automated parking function is almost useless...but with the 360 cam you can park the vehicle on a dime! I like the running boards, would NOT want the 20" wheels and associated tires ( I drive in lots of snow & ice and rough roads) That being said...... I like the look of the larger wheels and tires!

Steve Maislin

Between the surround 360 degree camera view and the right mirror dropping down a bit, parking is a cinch. The automatic parallel parking is in need of enhancing as it rarely finds a parking spot on its own. Between the distance sensors and the cameras the GL is quite easy to handle and it keeps you from doing damage. I would be much more stressed without these nice guidance systems. I like the stock audio system, no complaints at all. I wish I got the distronic, but now I have a reason to get a new one sooner rather than later. Next time I will also get rear seat heaters so my passengers love me more in the cold of winter. The intelligent headlight system is simply BRILLIANT! Love it.

335X-ray

Having just recently driven the 450 with 20's and the 550 with 21's, both ride smoother than my BMW X with 20's since the side wall on the MB wheels is larger. Neither car has a harsh ride, so go with what you want, don't worry about a poor ride. The 20s are a nice looking wheel if you want the 450, much better than the 19s though the 21s on the 550 are really nice looking.

The 20s are slightly narrower @275 vs the 295s on the 21s which give you better snow/ice traction but slightly less traction in the dry (you probably will never even notice driving a 2 1/2 ton suv). The 20s are also cheaper to replace and will last longer so something else to think about (Having just replaced one of my wife's rear tires today 315/35 20 @$500...)

In regards to 20" snow tires being silly, I disagree. Both my wife and I run 20" snows on our X5s since the BMWs come with summer performance tires when you go with 20s and those are just dangerous in the winter. We have had no issues getting through anything winter has thrown at us for 3 winters. Car feels like a beast, super planted.

Good luck with your decision.
X

blittle

Therein is the whole issue......usually the the greater the wheel diameter, the greater the width of the tire and width is becomes the enemy of good snow performance......my original 07 GL450 came with 18's, my 2011, 19's..... I test drove a 13 with the 20's and then one with the 19's..... I personally like the ride of the 19's better. With regard to snow....the Continentals that have come on each of my GL's ( regardless of size ) have not been good for snow driving or tread life ( read the reviews on Tirerack ) so increasing the width only amplifies that issue. That being said....the Continentals ride better than some alternatives that I have tried which were better in the snow and got better tread wear! Its all a trade off process!

carpersn

I would imagine parking assist is useless but can't seem to get it figured out as I cannot find in manual, and have yet found time to sit PARKED in car to go through digital manual..

Cz7

Thanks, everyone, for your input and suggestions! I decided to add both the appearance package and the lighting package. I'm also getting the Parking Assist and Lane/Blind Spot assist but not the Distronic/Drive Assist which was an extra $2000. Will I regret that? Almost all of my driving is in town and so I rarely ever use cruise, and I didn't know if I would feel comfortable "trusting" it when driving! I did like the fact that it upgraded you from blind spot/lane change "warning" feature to "active" feature but didn't know if that alone was worth it.

I got a host of other options but hate to pay for things I won't need or use.

Elric99

Overall I'm happy I paid the extra for the driver assist package. On my hwy commute it's nice - the minimum distance setting on the distronic is far enough from the car in front that you don't feel nervous about trusting it. If the car in front slows down, it slows you down too in order to keep that distance, so you can immediately see it is working properly and you still have enough time to react should something go wrong (so far in my week of testing, no problems).

By the way I think they changed the distronic display picture - it now shows the view from behind the car looking forward. In the 2013 GL manual it seems to show a side view of the vehicles?

Off the hwy I'm usually a good enough driver to not trigger the active lane keeping intervention, but sometimes get the warning vibrations. But I like knowing it will help keep the car on the road if I spend too much time fiddling with the COMAND display. Car came with it set to Adaptive, but so far I've been able to stand setting it to Standard and haven't been too annoyed.

sraza

good choice getting app package and lighting package-- distronic for non hghwy use is not really needed-- park assist nice to have - takes a little bit to learn it.. blind spot and lane assist also neat packages to get..
congrats!
enjoy it safely.

Elric99

One other note on the distronic, it also includes the Pre-Safe automatic braking feature. Helps keep you from rear-ending someone or hitting stationary objects at lower speeds. Without distronic, the car will warn you if you're going to hit someone, but not actually apply the brakes itself until you begin hitting them first.

sraza

gotta correct that- presafe is standard not related to distronic..