GL Class (X166) 2013-2015 after facelift became GLS (X166)

Do 2015 GL 2nd row seats still have the bolster / uncomfortable for kids?

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Old Sep 22, 2014 | 06:28 PM
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shawndolley1's Avatar
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Do 2015 GL 2nd row seats still have the bolster / uncomfortable for kids?

There was a known issue (commented on in the forum) that we experienced when test driving 2014 GL450/550. The 2nd row seats had a prominent bulge/bolster down the middle of the seat which - on a kid - went from their back to their neck and back of their head (even my service manager said "When they took us managers on the training we were shocked at how bad the 2nd row seats were".

I am wondering, now that the 2015s are out, if this was fixed/changed in the new models?

Thanks
Shawn
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2008 CLS 63
2004 ML 350
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Old Sep 23, 2014 | 10:59 AM
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I had my salesperson send me a picture of a 2015 and it appears they still have the same issue. Without the power folding rear seats you can move the headrests up and the bottom will swing back to be flush with the seats, or you can take the headrests out. Lucky for me I was able to remove the 2nd row power folding seats from my build right before it was committed.
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Old Sep 23, 2014 | 12:02 PM
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Thanks spoole.
1. How did you become knowledgeable about this? Did you go in the showroom and play around with the 'move the headrests up and bottom swings back' to see how it worked? (By the way this is great info.)
2. Also - when you say take the headrests out, if I take them out, can I still get power folding 2nd row seats, or are you saying both options (move them up or remove them) require no power folding
3. Have you tried the manual folding process (I have not) - is it particularly bad?

Thanks
Shawn
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Old Sep 23, 2014 | 12:38 PM
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Hi Shawn -
Originally Posted by shawndolley1
1. How did you become knowledgeable about this? Did you go in the showroom and play around with the 'move the headrests up and bottom swings back' to see how it worked? (By the way this is great info.)
I read this very long thread, check page 4 for a picture of what I was trying to avoid:
https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...-headrest.html


Originally Posted by shawndolley1
2. Also - when you say take the headrests out, if I take them out, can I still get power folding 2nd row seats, or are you saying both options (move them up or remove them) require no power folding
With the power folding option you can't remove the headrest unless you want to hack open your seat, and it won't pivot to be flush with the seatback unless you want to hack open your headrest.


Originally Posted by shawndolley1
3. Have you tried the manual folding process (I have not) - is it particularly bad?
You have to lift a lever and push the seat out of the way. It is not bad but not as easy as a button.

See page 115 here:
http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...al/2015_GL.pdf




My wife really wanted the power folding option but after reading the above thread she agreed that it was not going to work for our kids.

Last edited by spoole100; Sep 23, 2014 at 12:46 PM.
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Old Sep 23, 2014 | 03:41 PM
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15 GL550
I have a 6 year old that sits in the third row. To exit, he can easily move the bottom of the headrest forward and push it down. He then grabs the red pull handle and the seat rolls forward. The 2nd row seat must be manually pushed back into the upright position regardless of whether or not you have the power button. So, there isn't much benefit to having the power option in the first place. If your kids are strong enough to return the seat to the upright position, they are going to be strong enough to pull the release lever so the seat can roll forward. Otherwise, they are going to need adult assistance regardless of whether or not you have the easy entry feature. Just avoid it if possible.
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Old Sep 24, 2014 | 05:30 PM
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I went to a showroom, armed with all the data in the other thread Removing 2nd Row Headrest and understand all the variations. It seems to me I will either end up having the dealer remove the clips from headrests in a vehicle with EZ Access (only because the vehicle I may want may come with EZ Access) or ideally find one with no EZ Access, because the red pull lever is pretty simple and light, as 43221B says, it's no big deal and the EZ Access doesn't really buy you much IMHO. Thanks for all the help.
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Old Oct 1, 2014 | 06:15 AM
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Originally Posted by spoole100
Without the power folding rear seats you can move the headrests up and the bottom will swing back to be flush with the seats, or you can take the headrests out.
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