Possible new owner
 

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum. My wife and I are considering a GL. Like a lot of others we are not sure if we want to go a ’15 350 or 450. She drives a Mazda Tribute now so either would be a shocker for her. We are leaning toward the 350 but have some concerns about the diesel. I’m pretty good with maintenance on all my cars. I’m driving my second E-Class. I would maintain the car.*We have never owned a diesel and would like to know....

1. What are the maintenance items?

2. What are the costs?

3. We are considering leasing for the first time. Going this route would we have the ability to customize the options?

4. What would happen if my wife mistakenly puts gas in the tank? :)

I’m hoping someone can put our minds at ease.
Thanks

Hi and welcome to the forum.
#1. It is mostly the same. Change oil every 10K miles. One additional thing is to ad BlueDef, but it's as easy as to ad windsheild fluid.
#2. It cost a little more, but not that it can kill your budget.
#3. You still can order your car and customize it. Leasing a deisel is more expensive than gasoline, because they are using only standard MF..no promotions. So if you lease - gasoline probably will be cheaper.
#4. It will be disaster :) It may cost up to $10K to fix it at the dealership depending on how soon she realized it happened.

Both cars are great, but if you purchase - deisel resale value is better.

The porsche cayenne diesel won't let you put regular gasoline in the tank. Does the GL 350 not have this feature as well? I assumed all manufacturers had this feature now.

Other than for towing, I just don't see any real benefit for getting the diesel. Limited refueling stations, higher priced fuel, adblue, fuel filters, etc. The new 6 cylinder gas has been a good engine with almost no issues. My advice since you are asking, get the gasoline engine. Sorry, just saw you are looking at a GL and I was thinking ML. Everything I just said applies to the turbo V8 as well. Almost no issues.

How much higher is fuel cost?
From what I recall there's diesel at every station I visit.
How often do fuel filters need to be changed?
Did you mean turbo v6?

In order to properly compare gas vs diesel fuel costs for the GL, you need to compare premium fuel vs diesel since premium is what the GL requires.

Premium and Diesel costs have almost always been either very close to one another in costs, or Diesel is cheaper than premium fuel like it is right now (at least where I live).

I was also about to get diesel because of fuel efficiency, but didn't as I read on the forums that car can't be sitting for too long without being started every now and then. And I don't use my GL very often. (3500 miles in 6+ months).

go to a website like gasbuddy.com and check your area. It varies from state to state. I know where I live the Bluetec will no longer be cheaper to operate than the V6 gas. Diesel is typically 10% more expensive than premium in the summer and 20-30% more in the winter. The diesel only gets about 11% better city mileage than the '15 450. If I were choosing, I would have to drive both to see which had the acceleration characteristics I liked best.

Thanks. Based on gasbuddy.com in my area, premium vs. diesel prices are pretty close, $4.19 vs $4.29. That's at the gas station I visit frequently. There are others that are cheaper, as low as $3.95 vs. $3.89

1. What are the maintenance items?

2. What are the costs? As compared to GL450/GL550 - AdBlue can be done DIY for $25 every 10K miles + added cost of diesel fuel filter - kindof a shop thing - every 20K

3. We are considering leasing for the first time. Going this route would we have the ability to customize the options? Yes - you can customize features on a "build order" - please note in next 2-3-4 weeks GL350's will be sold out at "almost" all dealer thru end of calendar year

4. What would happen if my wife mistakenly puts gas in the tank? Diesel nozzles at the pump for most states are now same size as gas nozzles - if gas is put into the tank - she will be stranded - and at least $1200-$2000 out of pocket expense.

There is aLOT to be said on the diesel - especially in time savings with less stops for fuel - close to 600 mile range - on cost comparision, better fuel economy has greater impact the more you drive - from a convenience standpoint - fewer fuel stops - means a lot for both busy city schedules or long road trips...