Michael Kwan

Is there anything that makes the X166 quieter than the W166 at highway speeds? Or are they about the same ?

cookstar

GL is quiter both on highway and street IMO, I drove a 2012 ML when it came back and felt like a window was open the whole time. as far as I know the ML does not come with the laminate front windows and windsheild.

fabbrisd1

Correct... X166 is a bit quiter than W166 - frankly the W166 is quiter than other SUV's in it's class .. foru luxury 7-seat SUV's the GL is simply amazingly quiet.... Mercedes calls this design objective Psycho Acoustics or something like that - where they have been focusing on low and mid frequebcy reduction in those frequencies where we are most "sensitive"

Dalema

GL definitely is a quiet vehicle. You have to go no further than how you can't hear its super noisy engine from the inside

When was the last ML major redesign - similar to the GL X166? Thinking to our next car and I sat in the ML the other day and it looked like a mini GL. We may downsize as our needs change and wondering if we would be as happy with the ML as we are with the GL?

Mbenz260e

GL is longer wheelbase (obvious) and air shocks contribute to the overall comfort as well...

Michael Kwan

Interesting, is the difference in noise pretty marginal with the laminate glass? i wonder what other things were implemented on the X166 to make it quieter than the W166, Thanks for the feedback!

cyclrder

I have a GL63 but am driving a 14 ML loaner....the 63 is louder.. And I like it that way!

As far as wind noise...I do think the pano roof adds a bit of noise in either car just because of the glass.

But seriously..... If you are choosing a V6 ML against a V8 GL 450/550 by the sound levels in the cabin... You should probably check a Lexus.

Michael Kwan

I know what you mean, I had a C63 and really enjoyed the sound of that car.
Not a fan of Lexus suvs.
Only thinking of ML550 and V8 GL, of course cabin noise is not the only factor.

Elric99

I thought I read in the x166 brochure that only GL550 and above have the front side laminated windows. My GL450's side windows don't look thick/laminated.

Michael Kwan

Elric, are you pretty happy with the quietness of your Gl450? I am strongly considering either a GL450/550 as well

Elric99

I'm pretty happy with it. It's the quietest car I've owned, that's for sure. The new Michelin tires they put on to replace the original Pirellis seem a bit louder so I can't recommend those. Stick to the Pirellis or whatever the car comes with if possible.

Dalema

What wheel size do you and what type of Michelins are they?

Elric99

It's the 20" appearance package wheels. Was having some vibration problems after car was delivered, so eventually they switched to Michelin Latitude Sport which is more of a summer tire with less tread life. They do run smooth on the hwy after the first few miles - they do tend to develop a slight amount of flatspotting when car sits outside at work for several hours, but this tendency has been improving as they wear/age. They seem slightly louder on hwy than original Pirellis.

All in all if ride quality matters more than looks, go with the standard 19" wheels. Less likely to have vibration issues with them.

Ah_gl450

Is it really that big of a difference between the ride quality on 19 vs 20? Like is the ride and noise much worse?

cookstar

5-10% more on the lower side, closer to 10% going from 19's to 21's. Its how you perceive the changes so 5% can look like 20% to someone else.