soulsea

Hi folks,

My last four vehicles have been GMT900 SUVs ... 09 Tahoe, 10 Yukon Denali, 11 Escalade, and 12 Escalade. Not because of any tribalistic allegiance to GM, I just happen to love those vehicles. I wish i could say the same for the 2015s which are about to be released, they are just not to my taste, especially the Escalade, so I am considering trading my 12 in right now before the 15s hit the Caddy lots and devalue my truck further.

Anyhoot, the frontrunner for my business is a 14 GL550 ... I've always liked the GL design and the beefier styling of the 550 over its less powerful stablemates.

My question is the following ... it looks to a lay person like myself that the 13 redesign was more of a mid cycle refresh than an actual redesign. Am I correct in this opinion or is there a lot more to it that I'm not seeing? The reason I ask is that I don't want to find myself in a year or two owning the one of the last model years before a radical new design.

I say this because I look at the 14's interior, whilst it's nicer than the 12, it still looks somewhat dated to me with a very small nav screen and lacking the design language of say the new S class, which presumably the next gen GL will possess.

I'm going to now try to search the forum trying to glean when the next gen is due for US release ... but if any of you can indulge me with some facts and opinions I'd be much obliged.

Cheers!

cookstar

Radical redesign will not come until at least 2017-2018, the 2013 models were more of a major refresh than a complete overhaul (i.e 2005 ML vs 2006 ML), the mid cycle refresh wont happen till 2015-2016 where we could expect to get the new 9 speed, start stop, led headlights and all the safety systems in the 2014 E and 2015 C-class which the current vehicles do not have (i.e pedestrian detection, distronic with corner control etc). 2015 order guide will most likely come out in mid to late summer, dont expect radical changes, that being said finance/lease rates should drop as the vehicle has been on the market for 2 years already.

JimBarnhart

What cookstar said. The 2013 GL is a X166, model years 2007-2012 are the X164, so it's considered a new model. Appearance might be similar, but it is a much nice ride in my opinion.

They will probably add features and functions over the years, but I wouldn't expect an X168 until model year 2019.

soulsea

Thank you cookstar and thank you JB (btw I'm a bulldog fanatic and mrs soulsea and I are about to get a new pup in about a month).

If the next major redesign isn't due for a few years I'd be fine with that as I don't ever seem to manage to keep a vehicle for more than two years.

I'm going to go test drive one this weekend and see if like driving it enough to buy it, ... I just wish the nav screen wasn't so small. I'm also going to test drive the full size RR V8SC and RRS V8SC, but I tend to like to drive my vehicles as opposed to having them sit in service bays half the year so it's unlikely that I'll go in that direction.

Thanks again guys.

cookstar

From what I remember when I was looking at the RR the fully loaded loaded Supercharged cost more than a fully loaded GL63. its a great vehicle also but I was quoted nearly $200,000 for a fully loaded version lol so I passed.

soulsea

The full size RR V8SC have a sticker of around $115K and up, so yes a lot closer to the GL63 AMG, but they're back ordered so dealers are charging stupid markups and people are paying them. I'm guessing in size and power the new RRS V8SC is more comparable to the 550 ... but I'm just very nervous about LR's build quality and I'm not confident that their reliability issues are in the past. And since BMW doesn't make a comparable vehicle and will never buy an Audi again, the 550 is the most likely replacement candidate. If I'm super nice to the mrs maybe she'll approve a GL63 ... but that might be more nice than I have in me.

fabbrisd1

The GL550 is awesome - and the most sophisticated of the "pack" - you can always "chip" the 550 if you need more scream power...

somersetjon

Do you Americans look at the finance offers to help with this process?


In the UK my GL63 came with a near $9000 discount and a guaranteed future value of $80000 in three years time. Sticker price all in is $151000. When you do the maths that means that it will hold 57% of its value after 3 years.


When I do the same maths on a Range Rover Sport supercharged, (no discounts at all), you get only 46%. On the ordinary Range Rover it's 42% - crikes.


In the UK my finance rate (we call it APR - Annual Percentage Rate) was 4.6% - Range Rover want 7.9%.


All in all the Merc is a much better bet, sadly Range Rover's are selling like hot cakes in China so supply is getting eaten up, hence the high prices.

somersetjon

Also, never, ever, buy a Range Rover, they just break down all the time!

blittle

Having owned the original 07 and then an 11 and now the 13….. there is the obvious tweaking of the design, yes the dash ( specifically the Command system ) is dated ( my new Ford Fusion has a more sophisticated and easier to use/see system ) that being said……the new model is way ahead of the older model in ride, handling, power and efficiency! ….and while most here don't have it, the ON/OFF road package truly makes it the most luxurious, toughest SUV I have ever owned! AND….on most of my long trips I have been getting 20-21 mpg….. something I never got on the previous two GL's or any of the other SUV's i have owned.

cookstar

The Range looks good from outside, only issue is that the same designer that designed the new explorer did the Range as well so people automatically assume that the Range copied Ford. The front dash of the Range is really bad with outdated touch screen controls.

JimBarnhart

Cool! We have two bulldogs right now (Ethel and Norman - named after the characters in the movie On Golden Pond). They will be two in July. We also have a boxer and 7 horses so lot of critters in our stable.

Bringing it back on topic, it seems consistent that RR and LR are notoriously unreliable. It reminds me of a friend who used to have Jaguars - he used to say the drivers seat is the most comfortable seat in the world, and it needs to be when you sit on the side of the highway waiting for the tow truck.

soulsea

Okays ... it's 550 or nothing I guess.

Thank you folks for all the info.

ymmv

Range Rover is certainly priced out of its own market and they know it (at least in the USA market.)
Comparing my two previous GL350 (Bluetec diesels) with the current 2014 550, in my subjective humble, new vs old:
ride is unimproved
cabin noise and vibration is unimproved
quality is down
materials are unimproved
old multi-contour sports seats are superior
feel and enjoyment of driving is plainly inferior in the X166
interior design is poor in both, but the new one is not an advance
exterior design is very good in both, but I favor the old one by far


First importance to me is driving the thing. Courtesy the befuddled electric steering, the new car is dull and heavy -- it is noticeably inferior, but the "sport" mode is fun for those (rare) occasions when you want to romp through twisting roads. Still, the old one could go just as briskly, only suffering the body roll to keep you aware of your mass and its physics.

In the new model, overall exterior appearance favors the design on the older model -- the newer model is fussy and follows the peculiar market trend towards affectation of LED eye-liner and gaping chrome-age. Quite bizarre.

The new model does deliver good mpg for a high horsepower twin-turbo V8 moving a land yacht. It's not fair to compare diesel to gas ... the diesel is sadly missed for its disregard of refueling ...

There's no denying the humor in letting the 550 lift its skirts and high tail up the freeway ramp, romping into the traffic at 75mph, and needing no quarter given to find its rightful place in the commute lane and settling onto the Distronic at maximum offset so the driver can relax, if not retire.

Just the sound of the turbos, whether it's a cold morning start and idle-up or full loud acceleration, MB has learned from their hot rod models to dial in the natural sound of the exhaust without the artificial nonsense in some marques these days. Not over the top like an AMG coupe, but a pleasant accompaniment to confirm the throttle pedal position.

All in all, either car is great, neither will disappoint, and if I was between a new condition equally equipped 2012 350 or 2014 550, each at its fair market value, I'd keep the money in my pocket and take the X164 350 Bluetec no question.

mist68

LR have not priced themselves out of the US market-witnesss the 4 to 6 month lead times for either a RR or RRS.

I was almost seduced into purchasing a RRSC-but sanity prevailed and I ordered a 2014 GL550 w/Designo, Distronic, On/Off Road and Active Curve-about $108k and more than RRSC. I've had too many friends with RR issues although the new model may be significantly better.

blittle

Well…..can't compare to the 350 because I have not owned one. BUT after owning two previous X164 450's ..…my 13 X166, in my opinion is far better in each of those categories that you say otherwise ….. I will agree that electric steering is not the best way to "feel the road"

ymmv

The wait time is an illusion. Place an order and you'll quickly see your order has been brought ahead. I've done this three times (!) in 2013 and even the long wheelbase was mysteriously available to me (with only one prior new Range Rover purchase from the dealership in question.) But the issue with production is not supply-and-demand in the USA, it's the strong demand in China and new markets like Russia. I'm sure there really is a lead time and wait for people willing to wait with second tier dealers in the USA, but if you want a car at MSRP, there's no real delay beyond the same 3-6 months for Porsche or Benz. If you really want to taste the bitter end of supply and demand, try to get a McLaren P1.

If you really want a Range Rover, the 2012 Supercharged is great. Get one private sale from the owner after he/she has debugged it. Get a third party extended warranty. Get to know your local flat-bed tow company for servicing and niggling issues. : ) I still have an irrational devotion to Range Rover and, a bit like MB circa 2002 when they just couldn't build a car to save their lives, I trust that sooner or later, someone will get it all sorted out.

somersetjon

Word is that Range Rover have invested a lot in the new Range Rover Sport in an attempt to improve the quality and reliability of the product (and that come from a guy who actually works in one of their factories).


Sadly only time will tell - being a UK citizen I want them to do well because its jobs and taxes!


A mate of mine will only drive RR (because he's a farmer and that's what they all drive), but we still laugh - a lot - when we remember the time we drove on a skiing trip to Switzerland and his 3 month old RR wouldn't start, I'm laughing thinking about it now!


And to be fair, they've taken a bucket load of weight out of the RRS. Imagine a GL63 20% lighter - that's where I want MB to go, along with all the S Class tech for 2017!

cookstar

how did you manage 108K where my 350 came to 115k? are you counting taxes?