vdubpower

So i have a 2006 yukon denali with 111000 miles on it...no fancy smancy features of todays car...

Its great for the kids to make a mess in and fit 3 car seats across the middle.....but the wife is tired of it....she wants a rear view camera, automatic lift gate etc etc....

I looked at the new tahoe and its nice but im kinda tired of the same thing...
As a lifelong merc fan i looked at the GL... the gl 550 drove very nice but do i really need a V8 TT....probably not....but is the Gl450 powerful enough? i dunno

i dont like that the S class of Suvs is more like the E class , based on its amenaties...i guess the next genreration may be more like the S

Wished it still had the m278...

So i tried the q7 the other day...pretty nice, im not sure how much smaller it is than the GL, but i was able to sit in the third seat ok....it drove nice, interior is pretty and i like the 35 30 35 split of the middle row. i think that iskinda nice with the car seat situation.
The supercharge 6 cyl has been around for a while so i wonder if they will substitute it out for a turbo....or how about a SQ7, that wouldbe nice

anyways any thoughts

Mike450

New Q7 is hitting lots now, but we did consider the last model. It's dated. Doesn't compare. Haven't experienced the new one.


The V6tt is more than enough. Instrumented test have shown it to be one or two tenths off the outgoing V8tt. A real world zero difference. Exhaust note not as good, but better mileage. Pro's and cons to everything I guess.

vdubpower

yeah, its the brand new q7 that id look at.

probablyneed to take all the car seats to the dealer and play around with both and see what is really the practical vehicle

whens that new tesla suv come out..hmm

GL-

Wait...you said "practical vehicle"...and then threw in the Tesla SUV?

How many Teslas do you see with out of state license plates? :p

I'm not surprised that the folks selling engine tunes have noticed the dyno output on the V6bi-turbo to be significantly above the published spec's after driving mine for a month and a half. There's no lack of get-up-and go when compared to the 5.3L V8 in the Tahoe it just replaced.

vdubpower

good to hear.. i ll go do some test drives

im not going to do any towing, and rare mountain trips to big bear...

it just needs to have good get up and go on the freeway when changing lanes and needs to move...

Neurobit

Tech is amazing, but I believe the screwed up the styling. Last gen Q7 was a lot nicer to my eyes than the new one, which it pretty bland in my opinion and it almost reminds me of a minivan. I am saying this as a former A6 owner, so I've liked Audis for a long time. Sat in one at the Auto show a couple of weeks ago. Very nice interior, but quite smaller than the GL in passenger cabin and cargo space.

Neurobit

fabbrisd1

I would suggest you try the "pull-left-paddle-hold-3-sec" as smooth/quick way to get to "power" gear - with "pull-right-paddle-hold-3-sec" to return to auto - it will spark up your life with a GL !

anothercar

If the newly designed Q7 (MY 2017) had been out when I ordered my GL350 it would get serious consideration. From what I've heard and read it's a technologically advanced vehicle when compared to the current model year GL.
That said, I love my 2015 GL 350. I've driven it 25,000 miles in 15 months without incident. The diesel gets 25 mpg and now diesel is cheaper than premium (or regular in some states). It's performance requires a bit of a learning curve but the TurboDiesel gets after it in normal everyday driving conditions.

vdubpower

i appreciate that feature but thats what i dont want to have to do....and there is no chance the wife will do that

vdubpower

In terms of tech, they pretty much all have the same things, adaptive cruise, this monitor that monitor etc etc

Gentrypwc

The GL450 is more than powerful enough compared to your Tahoe (or others for that matter).

We own both a 2014 GL350 Bluetec and 2013 ML350 (gas). We've had two prior diesel Mercedes SUVs (2007 ML320 CDI, 2010 ML350 Bluetec). For personal comparison: we also had a 2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV that we loved but found very little trade off in horse power once we moved to the ML350. The diesel GL350s have 455 pounds of torque and all of it will get you from on-ramp to interstate speeds in seconds.

Our favorite features of the Mercedes over the Escallade (and other SUVs); fold flat seats, a third row that easily accepts adults, top safety ratings, off-road capabilities, Harmon Kardon sound, all-day riding comfort (we both have bad lower backs), fit-finish-quality is several tiers ahead of our previous Cadillac, heated and cooled cup holders, ambiant lighting package, bi-xenon lighting package, and more.

Take your entire family and with child seats for a test ride, hopefully in a diesel. You'll enjoy the convenience of the tether latch points for your car seats, torque, better gas mileage compared to other full size SUVs, and the ride is excellent. Talk to the dealer about the iPod cradles for the second and third rows (best in-car solution for kids), and maybe a pano roof as well.

You said you are a MB guy, if you get the Audi you know every time a GL meets you in traffic you'll have regrets.

43221B

Looked at a Q7 in person the other day. It sits low to the ground and looks like a tall station wagon. They will struggle selling them. Most people buy SUV's because they don't want a "Mom" vehicle even if that's what it will be used for.

vdubpower

Lol. F it. I'm ordering a gl63

vdubpower

This will be the mom vehicle. She likes it lower. Heck she likes my sister in laws Honda oddesey the most. I can just save some money. Get that and be done with it. Put my ego aside. Lol

vdubpower

wow so drove the Q7 today with the wife and kids, and we fit all three recaro car seats in the middle row....was very amused and impressed...

for sure it is smaller than the gl but the wife liked the drive....as she does the gl

i can maybe get a 15 or 16 gl 450 for cheaper with the facelift coming up....
they had a gl63 2014 10000 miles for 86grand...tempting....but it had the automatic easy entrance which has those silly headrest...

the search goes on

anothercar

When the new Q7 with TDI hits the US market.......it'll likely be my next vehicle. Will trade the 2015 GL before it's warranty expires which at my current pace will be in 15 months.

vdubpower

interesting , cool
any specific reasons for the audi over the gl
thx

Mike450

With the current VW diesel issues, only God knows when that is going to happen. Right now a Porsche dealership isn't permitted to sell 3.0 TDI (new or used) and the Audi/VW dealerships can't cpo any used diesel, nor sell new ones. Dealerships are in dark as to when anything will change.

They won't even touch my wife's VW TDI on a trade right now ... Lol

sg021

I test drove quite a few vehicles before settling on a CPO '14 GL recently. I was on the Model X reservation list, and it still pains me to think that I had to pass on it. The price and slow roll out of the superchargers in my area were the main reason, and they overdid it with some of the features like electric motors on all the doors that had me worried about long term reliability. I'm hoping to revisit someday.

Anyway, the outgoing Q7 wasn't compelling. The price difference between a loaded new Q7 and a nice CPO GL450 was really large. I'm also not ecstatic about a first year vehicle from Audi since I'm intending to keep it a pretty long time. '14 is the second year of the x166 GL, and the M278 engine debuted for MB in '11. Felt like I was getting something at least close to fully baked. Engine also has a lot of room to be pushed higher, which I liked. A Renntech ECU tune takes it to 501 HP and 576 lb-ft torque. However, this is a big vehicle that doesn't corner too well. Active curve system probably helps, but to find it on a CPO is hard.

The third row space is very usable with lots of leg room, which isn't the case on pretty much everything but an Escalade. The GL isn't perfect. I would also like the 2nd row to be split better, and the infotainment screen is tiny. I'd have preferred a touchscreen over the dial. However, compared to Tesla everyone sucks in that department, so it was easier for me to punt and just concentrate on getting the features I really wanted on this behemoth like surround view and park assist.

To add on about diesel, I did not consider any because of all the issues going on in the VW group. It's not clear if it will be contained to the VW/Audi/Porsche brands. Meeting emissions standards is a challenge for diesels. I think you are assuming some risk in the resale value of your car if you go that direction.

cadetdrivr

It is not, but it is telling that the VW Group vehicles seriously affected are the ones without DEF tanks (aka Bluetec). The SUVs with V6s that included the system only require a software update.

AMGoneday

We shopped the Q7, GL and R Class. We found the most space in the R for the 3rd row. The 3rd row head room in the Q felt very cramped. We settled on buying a R63. Q7's 3.0 is a very capable but we could not pass up the R63. After owning a MB the only replacements could be a GL63. Only if the GL came with 2nd row captain chairs.

luv2sleep

We're on our 3rd GL-'09 GL450, '11 GL350, and now '15 GL450. My wife loves MBs and I prefer Audis. The 3.0 biturbo in the GL has ample power for a soccer mom SUV and does well on road trips to the mountains/ski trips. The engine doesn't sound very sexy but that's expected. Where the GL excels is in its roominess (useful 3rd row) and overall comfort while providing luxury. Even with the 3rd row seats in use, you have plenty of storage space in the back. It's a heavy SUV so it's not very nimble though it is better than your average full size SUV. If you opt for the upgraded suspension (can't remember what it's called), it definitely improves body roll/handling but a stock Honda Accord will still out corner the GL.....basic physics.
I was waiting for the new Q7's arrival but because of the delay, we ended up with a GL. The 3rd row seats in the Q7 are not as roomy as the GL but the rest the cabin has plenty of leg/shoulder room, as good as the GL. The 3rd row seats are an improvement from the outgoing model but not as nearly as comfortable as the GL. I'm 6' and I can probably sit in the 3rd row of the new Q7 for a couple of hours at the most. As for the 2nd row, it's roomy. The other negative of the Q7 are the runflats. I can live with them but not a big fan. I don't think the ride is any worse; I just prefer having a spare tire.
Where the Q7 shines is in the technology department. The Vision Pkg. is very cool and the Drivers Assist Pkg. is a must for a family hauler. I'm also a fan of the 3.0T supercharged engine (previous A6). The interior is better than any other SUV out there, IMHO. As for the driving characteristics, it drives like a nice handling sedan. 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and it's very well planted around twisty roads and corners. When I was picking up my new S6, I had a chance to test drive a Q7 and I was thoroughly impressed. I think we found our next SUV!
Someone here said that Audi will have a hard time moving them-not true. Buyers are paying sticker unless you opt for the lower end "Premium" trim. If you can afford it, get the Prestige trim. It's the best bang for the $; it's also the top of the line trim. The only thing I don't care for in the Prestige trim is the HUD because of the big bulky console on the dash.
The Q7 provides luxury, comfort, performance, and technology. Where it lacks is its 3rd row (though better than before). You can't go wrong either way as both are excellent luxury SUVs. Go take a thorough test drive and play with the seats and the tech features. Enjoy and happy hunting!

vdubpower

is the gl a biturbo or single , i thought it was single? for the 450

vdubpower

great comments....yeah i need to drive them over and over

i would either get the prem. plus or prestige...
i want all the safety assist features, but i dont care for the suspension package...air suspension can be nice or a disasster.
The digital gauge cluster is cool, not necessary but cool...I agree NO HUD needed.

Luxury package with massage seats...hmm sure but do i need to...i suppose the valcona leather is more supple which means kids recaro car seats will kill it

Heck MB tex is fine for durability and kids.

so the dealer said NO Sepang blue in the USA...thats a bummer...all the pics we see are sepang but they wont bring it..

Count Laszlo

Saw the new Q7 in person the other day, very uninspiring design from every perspective. It might be well engineered and today's newest in terms of technology, but it's so horrible looking I wouldn't be caught dead driving one. It's a shame, because the outgoing Q7 at least looked the part. I pray Mercedes doesn't do something like this to the next gen GL.