Mbenz260e

Don't get the Easy Entry if you happen to need child seats.

I would get the parking assistance package, helpful for the relatively low cost and may have an impact if you try sell it yourself one day.

baldmike73

-


sending my wife to dealer today to drive the BT and will hopefully be ordering shortly after.

updated list back to MB tex and getting Parktronic with Park Assist -

again thanks for all the help - love this board

PkB2014

I was specifically thinking of an instance when we parked for an event when we had to pack in extra tight. But yeah a Mini is no problem. Enjoy.

baobay

I love the surround camera system and use it all the time. haven't had the chance to use the active park assist.

Dalema

Is the surround camera system still bundled with the active park? I remember that being of annoyance when we got ours. Active park sounds cool, but in my mind completely unnecessary.

baldmike73

broken out in 2 pieces now:

1290 - Parking Assist Package - includes parktronic and surround camera
970 - Parktronic inlcude Active Parking Assist

baobay

100% agree.

Bocahoo

I agree it causes a bit of a conundrum. I doubt it will push many people up to the 550 (that's nearly $100K with options) or another brand (what else is there?).

For me, I'll probably go with the 350 when it's time to replace my '12 GL450. The GL is primarily driven by my wife who doesn't care about power. The 550 price premium is too steep for the few times i drive the vehicle on weekends or road trips, and I would imagine the torque of the 350 makes it as responsive as the 450 for around town driving. I WAS looking forward to the TT V8 upgrade from my x164 to the x166 which gave you both the torque of the 350 plus the higher end acceleration of a higher revving petrol engine, but now that they downgraded the 450 engine to a V6, I think the 350 diesel is a more compelling option.

Rogerroger60

yep make sure you buy extended warranty. I have a 2009 vw Touareg TDI ( clean deisel )
and 2011 touereg tdi
2009 has 175k kms and 2011 has 155k km
both has check engine light on
reason, deisel particulate filter. - suv runs slow . dealer said it needs cleaning which takes 4-5 hrs or change it as its more than 100k miles which cost 2500 for vw.
plus the adblue is very annoying.
forgot to write, i already had to change the whole diesel everything for $5500 canadian in 2011 and still DPF sign on after 1 yr and since dealer only wantanties for 1 yr its not covered.

i am ordering GL450 2015. A bit more on gas but way more power same torque and less hassle. going to trade in the diesel. and also no benefit on resale either. they will say its good for resale but belive me its not. they will say it to sell it. in canada 450 is a 1k more and

Bocahoo

But that's the problem with the 2015's... it's NOT the same torque. It's almost 20% less torque in the 450 vs. the 350 (369lb-ft vs. 455lb-ft). For the 2014's your statement was exactly right... way more power, almost the same amount of torque, so for me the 2014 450 over the 350 was a no brainer. With the new, lower torque v6 for 2015, the decision is tougher.

Dalema

I would also be interested to see the torque and hp curves mapped against each other for the 2014 V8 vs 2015 V6. The delivery of the torque can have a huge impact on the feel and performance of the vehicle. Even more so in one with such weight.

baldmike73

well i drove a 15 450 yesterday and have to say i was very let down.

comparing it to the 350 almost seemed unfair in all aspects - overall it just felt like it had to rug quite high to really get the big girl moving.

reminded me of some of the M cars and to really get the power out of them you had to really push them - comparing it to the 14 450 - no contest i felt the 14 was much better and ran like a bat out of hell -

needless to say the 350 is getting ordered tomorrow - right now i'm at 1500 over invoice - but i think i can get it lower - - regardless we are ordering -

German Car Guy

BaldMike,

Thanks for your comments. I have a 2015 450 on order and have been scouring the web every 15 minutes to find a review of the new V6 engine. None are available in my area to test drive.

Was your impression dramatically different than the 2014 450? It seems like you felt it was underpowered. Was that only off the line, or also at speed in passing situations? Any more detail that you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Dalema

Nice work!

dalukas

I think you'll love it. I went from a '12 gl450 to a '14 350 and have no regrets. My family and I took a road trip last week (500 miles roundtrip) and got about 24 mpg. Had 3 bikes on top and a hitch carrier loaded plus my wife and 4 kids. Fantastic highway cruiser with plenty of passing power. Enjoy.

chsu74

Look at the explorer Ecoboost V6 turbo. Great when driving by yourself but dumps fuel just like any other turbo gas engine when you load it. Not ideal for a family vehicle when most of weekend hauls involve loading the car up with weight.

Rogerroger60

Just bought the 2015 GL 350. The dealer had one coming in for use as a demo but sold it to me for 3% off
Will buy extended warranty for sure. Now if cheaper or before 80k km.
will pick up Tuesday.

It's diamond white with black int
Massage seats
Primium package
Sports
Advanced drivers assist ( would never buy without it)
Going to order tuning part Monday from
This website
Race chip ultimate
http://www.racechip-usa.com/chiptuni...S-Spec)-179kw/

Only thing missing was front climate seats. You guys think is it that imp?

baldmike73

Yes - dramatically different - the 14 felt like a monster off the line and the engine just kept pulling throughout the whole power band - where as the 15 felt like it had lag off the line and felt like to get the true power out of it you had to rev it high to get true potential - even though everything i had read said it has a ton of tq down low and power was useable across the whole band didn't see it.

If you can find a dealer that has one that has arrived i would highly suggest you drive one or just wait for yours on order and drive before you sign the paperwork

Was very bummed to say the least as i was hopeful it would be a mini monster and that with a sw tune it would truly unleash the potential.

baldmike73

that is what i am talking about - let me know when you get this chip as i am thinking the same way - the only other one i saw was bra bus, but they want 2795 and said they are really focusing on market outside of US for the BT Tuning

5634MG

How will the fuel economy on the V6 TT on the 450 compare to the Bluetec?

anothercar

New to the forum. Ordered 2015 GL 350 on Wednesday and expect mid October delivery. Went the Blue Tec route because I expect to buy an Airstream next spring. Also, after driving the V-6 TT in the GL 450 I consider it to be underpowered.

2015 GL 350 Blue Tec
Obsidian Black Metallic
Auburn Brown Leather
Open Pore Brown Ash Trim
Premium 1
Appearance Pkg
Lighting Pkg
H/C sound
Parking Assist Pkg
Lane Tracking
Heated SW
Pano Sunroof
Heated/Ventilated Seats
Multi-contour Seats
Trailer Hitch
Easy Entry
MSRP: $81,195
Sales Price: $75,900

JimBarnhart

Nice config anothercar. Think about heated rear seats, they are very nice for couples nights out. Also, everyone recommends the MB-TEX lower wrapped dash and the heated windshield washers. You could get all three of these for around $1K.

You got a good discount on your GL350.

Rogerroger60

i have the 2015 GL 350 and i only drive in sports mode so much more fun and i dont miss the xtra power of a 550 and i get 9l/100 at a 120km/hr

Rogerroger60

forgot to add the pic

Rogerroger60

i called them too and thats what they wanted. i bought extended warranty it was cheap $3200 till 160k km ( 100k miles) so i wont be tuning it anytime soon. if you drive in sports mode the power is more than enough. yea its not 550 but then milage in this big truck is awsome with diesel and because Diesel is cheaper in Canada i rev without thinking about extra fuel cost but in 550 people may have to drive in comfort mode and not rev much. Obviously 550 is better for performance but for balance 350 is great