lemonspinner

I am currently driving an Odyssey with 3 kids age 5, 8 and 12. We drive both highway and city equally. I put many miles on my car, about 21K/year. We are in a very warm climate (Houston). I plan on owning this for at least 5 years. After reviewing this forum, I have come up with these options:

Palladium Silver
Grey/Black Leather (what headliner comes with this?)
Anthracite Poplar wood trim
Wood Steering Wheel
3 Zone Climate
Keyless GO
Power Easy Entry
Rear Seat Entertainment (they watch lots of DVDs)
Ventilated Front Seats
Multi-Contour Seats
Lighting Package
Premium 1
Active Curve System
Soft Close Doors

Has anyone seen the new Diamond Silver exterior? I am torn right now between Palladium and Diamond White. I was also leaning towards beige/black leather with anthracite but I'm not sure that combination works so decided to change it to grey/black. Any input on these combos?

I would love to do Designo Porcelain but am afraid to with the kids. I don't like the auburn and the black designo with anthracite is a possibility but may be too dark for me and I don't want to lose the wood steering wheel (and will not pay 1,000 for it in designo).

I am very concerned about the Power Easy entry. This is a feature I really wanted because we use the 3rd row every day. However, this is a problem with children in boosters or out of boosters. I see someone posted where Mercedes issued a TSB today. What does that mean? I had resigned myself to having the 12 year old (we tried it and she says the headrest doesn't bother her) and 5 year old in the second row, and putting the 8 year old in the third row. If it becomes very bothersome we will either recline the seats or have MB remove the pins so we can flex the headrest back out of the way.

Anyone have the massage function and think its worth it? How vigorous of a massage is it?

I would like to get the appearance package but am scared of the change of the ride with the larger wheels, do this make that much of a difference in the ride going from 19 to 20?

I have included ACS, can someone explain to me how this differs from the sports mode in the off road package?

I included soft close doors even though I have never had them, is this also worth the $400?

Finally, I plan on getting an ECU tune, I understand Renntech is good but possibly too expensive, any other good alternatives out there now?

I have learned so much from reading this forum appreciate anyone's input.

JimBarnhart

It looks like a pretty good build to me. If I was going to suggest a few things, I'd consider getting distronic cruise, active lane keeping, active blind spot. These features really give me a feeling of being safe, and I think distronic is just awesome if you use cruise control.

Light leathers do rub of some color from blue jeans, and of course show dirt from the kids more. I believe the gray/black combo has a gray headliner, even black has a gray headliner on the 2013, so I assume it's gray on the 2014. Black headliner is a special order option.

I have not seen the new Diamond silver, so can't really comment.

I have the soft close doors, they are nice, but I don't have kids, so not sure they get a lot of use. I would probably get them with kids.

OzFl

I second Jim's comments on Distronic and Lane assist. I love this feature. A must have in my opinion.

i have soft close doors and they are ok to have for $400

I also have massage option and i dont like it. All it does is inflate up and down, not really a massage, but like someone pushing on your back with a balloon. I have not taken long road trips yet, so may be it will be more useful then. Having said this, I like the multi contour seat adjustments.

I have ACS too, but i dont know how different it is compared to cars that do t have it. Feels pretty solid though.

fabbrisd1

Let me say this from the start - you are almost out of time - going into peak selling season you need to place your GL on order in the next "few" days - and I mean "few" if you want delivery by Holiday.

Diamond Silver - Palladium - Diamond White : Darker metallic to me lends a more "sharper" look to the body accent lines - lighter metallics "smooth" out those same body lines - my personal preference is the "sharper" look.

I would love to do Designo Porcelain : There is a "lot" to love with Designo - sexiest and most luxurious interior for any SUV- go for it - if available ! All worth it big time.

Appearance package - get it ! The "comments" are nonsense.

ACS: Great choice - this upgrades the suspension best description side-side both front and rear - makes the GL a awesome handling machine. No need in your situation for off-road.

Soft close doors: great choice - in detail it's a added safety feature

wamochi

what about parktronic and the 360 camera? i find those to be incredibly useful.

also the blind spot assist is very nice. i had this on our 2011 GL too and can't imagine having a large SUV without it.

i like the massage function personally. it's not vigorous by any means, not even on the highest setting. however it's better than nothing and i drove back late at night the other day from a party and it was nice on a long drive. on a day to day basis i don't use it much unless i'm stuck in traffic.

don't be worried about the ride on 20's. we have 21's standard and it is very smooth and refined. we had 20's (appearance package) on our 2011 GL and it was very good too. plus you get the running boards which i think make the truck look better.


i have the special order black headliner and think it makes the interior feel smaller and sportier. i think it would be very snazzy with white designo.

i have the black leather (non designo) and anthracite trim, for a full blacked out cabin. https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...teel-grey.html


the satin wood is nice too. i would say the only drawback to the anthracite is that the grain is hard to see in low light conditions, so if you LIKE seeing the wood grain all the time, then it's probably not for you. most of the time the anthracite looks like piano black gloss trim.

lemonspinner

Thanks all for the feedback.

I meant to include the parktronic. Looks like I will be adding appearance as well.

As far as the distronic, I never use cruise control in my daily driving but perhaps it will come in handy? Just not sure if it's $2000 worth of handy. I sit in bumper to bumper traffic each morning and some evenings, do you use it in these situations? I do like the idea of blind spot assist which is why I initially picked that option without the distronic.

I was thinking of adding the trailer hitch, not because we will be using it now but because it is so expensive to add on later and it will provide bumper protection.

Wow this is getting expensive!

OzFl

360 view is a fantastic option and must have IMO. It makes it very easy. Parktronic (active park assist) is not needed for me and I havent tried it anyway. If you are going to parallel park and you are not very good at it, it may be a consideration.

I used distronic in morning traffic and still do. It is fantastic! Just note that it can only apply 40% break pressure. If the car needs more break pressure to not hit the car in front of you, you must break. It will beep and warn you, but keep that in mind.

Distronic, active lane assist and 360 view are my favorite features of this vehicle.

wamochi

the parktronic option includes the parking sensors on the front and rear bumpers that sense the distance closing in when parking or reversing.

i agree w/ the PP that the parking assist is not very useful but the sensors are helpful. unfortunately you cannot just get the parking sensors; the parktronic option is $970 and includes the parking assist.

the 360* surround cam adds another $320 to the above.

JimBarnhart

If you park in a garage, which I do, I use parktronic every time I drive. I drive until the beep goes to a solid tone, and hit park. Very easy.

I don't have the 360 view camera, I think I will parallel park perhaps 1-2 times in the 5-6 years I plan to own it.

JimBarnhart

I'm going to try to be politically correct and not confess doing distracting things while driving, so let me say it like this...

We've all had times when we aren't as attentive as we should be - especially in stop and go traffic. I find distronic to be an excellent safety feature to keep me from rear ending a vehicle in front of me, or when traffic starts up again avoid getting honked at by the person behind me for not moving out right away.

It's not 100% effective as OzFL states, but I think it might be better at it than I am.

OzFl

Agreed. I often use distronic because I know it will slow itself down IF I were not paying attention (which is pretty rare anyway). A good safety net indeed. However, this may cause some people to trust this system too much and stop them from paying attention thinking that the car will stop anyway. I am still nervous completely trusting

lemonspinner

Can anyone tell me if it is a problem for children to put the second row seat back up? We tried it out in the showroom and it does take some muscle. Only my 12 year old was able to do it. Do these things loosen up over time?

wamochi

i doubt it loosens over time. i dont' think it's the mechanics inasmuch as the weight. both sides are quite heavy, especially the 60% split side.

i can see an older child being able to do the 40% side, but the 60% is even hard for me. not to mention once you get them up they are very vertical and you need to use the lever to recline it a little to make the seats more comfortable. that part i think is even more difficult for a child to do without the seatback caving in.

lemonspinner

Yes, she will have to push the seat down, adjust the seat back, and then push the headrest all the way up every time she gets in. This is our main cause for concern with this vehicle. My husband wants us to get the Infinity QX for this reason because you can take out the center console and have a direct path to the third row without folding seats.

I feel like I would rather deal with folding the seats and drive something more enjoyable. We've never had a car where you have to flip the seats up so I can't decide how much of an impact it will be in real life.

wamochi

i would say that you will probably end up leaving the 40% bench up full time rather than constantly lowering it and having your 12 year old putting it back up to let the third child in the back. the power easy entry is really just a "neat-o" factor and would be 1000x more useful and worth the headrest issue if it could somehow return itself to the upright position. putting it back up is way more work then folding them down. our 2011 GL didn't have power entry and it was easy to get them to fold with the lever.

and you are right - the raising of the headrest is actually no picnic either. there is a little bit of friction and it probably would require both hands from your 12 year old.

that's a tough call though. captains chairs are definitely preferred for 3+ kids. for us, we have the 2 boys so the third row is only used for them when the in laws are in town, which is at most 3 weeks out of the year.

but like i said, you could just drive w/ the 40% folded. the cons are that the passenger seat can only move back so far and the trunk space is obviously more limited. so it's a toss up.

OR you could have the 12 year old climb in thru the trunk and sit in the 3rd row seat and then leave the 2nd row for the younger children.

lemonspinner

You bring up some good ideas I hadn't considered. If I don't get the power seats, will she still have to adjust the headrest and back angle after putting the seat back up? Is there a way for the third row to let themselves out if there's no button?

If I get the power easy entry I will probably end up leaving the 40% seat up unless we have the occasion when we need the extra trunk space, or the 12 year old decides she would not rather sit next to her sibling and prefer to go through the mechanics of the second seat.

Thanks for your input!

wamochi

yes, you still have to adjust the back angle and slide the headrest all the way up when you are returning your seat back to upright position.

the 3rd row does have a red pull-handle under the 2nd row bench seats that 3rd row passengers can pull (HARD) to release the 2nd row seat.

we didn't have power easy entry before on the 2011, but if i recall correctly, you'd still have to lower the headrest manually if you want it to completely tumble and fold out of the way.

so really the "power" $400 option gets you : one button operation to lower headrest, fold seat and tumble towards the first row. it also "gets" you fixed non-removable headrests which are part of the design because the button drops the headrests super quick when you activate it.

you should also note that the power easy entry button DOES NOT activate unless the passenger side door is open on that side.

lemonspinner

Does anyone have experience with the dealerships in Houston? The SA I am working with initially said no price concession on a 2014, then he said I would have to come to the dealership committed to purchase before discussing flexibility. I have already been there 2 times to test drive.

Walidtik

Anyone aware of what the Costco Fleet discount is?

sandyTXmom

OP, what dealership did you end up going with? I"m in Houston too and about to buy a 2014 GL450 and I have 3 kids and was concerned about the power easy entry seat folding too. Just curious if you got it and if so, how are the kids liking it and adjusting? We are getting rid of our minivan and my 9 yo is sad.

Sandy

lemonspinner

I ended up getting a CPO 2013 550 and I love it!!! It was from a dealer in NJ.

I was initially hesistant to change from my minivan (the kids as well), but we are all thrilled with the 550. Just put the 9 year old in front of one of the DVD screens if you are getting that option and they will love it too. I have 2 separate movies playing on the screens and they love having their own remotes.

As for the power entry, we do not have that. With or without it, you still need to put the headrest down every time you want to fold the seat. From that point, with power easy entry you push a button to fold the seat up, versus pulling on a lever two times with the manual version. There is a pull handle that the 3rd row occupant can use to fold the seat up themselves, or there is a lever on the side of the 2nd row seat that the 2nd row occupant can use to fold it. I have the 5 year old behind the driver, and the 8 year old is in the 3rd row. The 12 year old is behind the passenger seat. The 12 year old and 8 year old work together to fold the seat up. It is a little bit of a hassle for them but so far no issues. I leave that seat folded when they get out for school, so that when I pick them up the seat is ready for the 8 year old to climb in.

The seat folding issue is not enough to deter me from this vehicle. The only thing I miss from the minivan is the trunk space. When I have a large load of groceries I fold down one of the third row seats to get extra space. I got the canvasback liner so that when you fold down one seat the seatback is still protected.

Finally, I am pleasantly surprised at the gas mileage I am getting. I was expecting 14 or 15 for the 550 but so far am averaging 16.5, which is about 1 mpg less than the Odyssey! I don't need to refill as often either because the tank holds about 25 gallons.

Just go for it you will love the 450 (and you get a little more exercise walking from the farthest parking space).

bubbavorenkamp

Doesn't the appearance package change the tires to 20 inch run flats?

sandyTXmom

LOL, we have a dual DVD player in our Sienna so the kids have had those for a while. They are a nice feature but since the kids don't watch anything on ours anymore except for long trips, we are not going to get them on the new GL. I did go to the dealership and check the power easy entry from the 3rd row so I could see if my 9 yo could do it himself. Seems easy enough. I am sure he will get used to it. I am looking at 3 different GL's and they all have something missing that I want so it's hard to prioritize. One is missing the Keyless Go, one is missing the 3 zone climate control, and one is missing the power easy entry. Which would you say is the least important/convenient? And WTG on the 550. I guess they delivered it to you here? We are leasing but if we were buying I guess checking all over the country would be an option for us. Thanks for your response.

octurbo

I think keyless go is one of the few must have options. I wouldn't get power easy entry if u have kids under 10. I didn't go with 3 zone climate control as the car cools down quickly without it

wamochi

absolutely the easy entry! i can't live without keyless go anymore, and the rear passengers (my kids 99% of the time) really appreciate the extra vents in the back from 3-zone.