bgboost

Hello!

First post here.

I'm looking to replace my wife's '08 Toyota highlander and am beginning to narrow it down to a 2014-2016 GL550 or a 2015 Escalade ESV. With 3 kids and grandma, the highlander is starting to feel tight. While the Escalade easily resolves that, the Mercedes is larger in the 3rd row and has more storage space behind the 3rd row compared to the toyota.

I've driven a GL 550 and its smooth and powerful, but I haven't checked out the escalade yet. I know where I'm posting and the audience I'm asking, the results will be skewed, but I do think many of you cross shopped these and or moved to a GL from the escalade.

What were some of the deciding factors?

For those of you who have owned these for some time, are you happy with the reliability?

The GL63 is tempting, but I already have an M5 for that kind of fun.

Thanks in advance!

srfrboy

The two vehicles really aren't in the same category especially when you are taking about the Escalade ESV. That is much larger that the GL. The Caddy will have a much more truck like feel that the GL. The GL will be much easier to park and get around than the Escalade. I have several neighbors with the Escalade... They have all stated that the Escalade falls apart fairly easily. Take that with a grain of salt. I came from a Navigator L before my GL. I love my GL so much more than the Navigator...

MBQureshi

Do you need 3 feet of Cargo space behind the third row? if the answer is yes Caddy is the vehicle. If the answer is no, you should really drive the Caddy. They have fantastic magnetic suspension but they are built old school body on frame so you will feel noticeable difference in ride quality. Also they are big to drive around and although the engine has lots of power it does not feel very quick. Specially compared to 550

DaveW68

While the Escalade is fairly quiet, the GL is much more so. The interior is much more upscale in the GL, especially if you opt for Designo leather which wraps the entire interior in diamond pattern Napa leather and an Alcantara headliner. The GL550 is also much more tune-able. A $1000 tune safely takes it to 550 hp and over 600 lb/ft of torque....quicker than a stock GL63. You can even tune a 2013 or 2014 GL450 to those numbers since they have the same engine....albeit with detuned programming from the factory. I'm fairly certain that Sfrboy has his tuned to over 600 hp and close to 700 lb/ft of torque. His is insane and I would guess he could be sub 4's to 60 and around 12 seconds or less in the 1/4. He might even give your M5 a run for the money....in a 5800 lb SUV.

As far as reliability goes, I'd have to assume that the nod would go to the Escalade. For me, I'd never own a Benz outside of warranty coverage. Everything costs a small fortune to fix.

bgboost

Not necessarily need 3 feet of space, but for sure will not need to ever drop the 3rd row for gear. I'll have to drive one to compare. Thanks

Shellbmb

On my second GL550 and love it. It honestly drives like a car and is so easy to park/maneuver. Plenty of power and the interior is very nice. My biggest gripe, and this is specific to the 550, are the tires. There are very few selections, they are expensive and they wear out very fast. The Pirellis suck so you're pretty much left with Continentals. Usually 4-500 per tire and they might last you 25k miles. I've had some only last 15-18k miles. I think the Caddy comes with Bridgestones and will probably last 50k miles, but I have no experience there.

And like someone else said, get a warranty. The airmatic system will go out at some point guaranteed. And little stuff will fail just like any car.

bgboost

I do love the Designo option, looks awesome. Kind of like an Audi S7. Thumbs up for the tune. The 550 looks so much better/more aggressive than the 450. I have a tune on the M5, pushing close to 700/700 much faster than stock . Have the GLs been solid with a tune without any supporting mods? i.e clutches?

In terms of warranty, is it easy to get an extended full coverage warranty on the GL550? It was very difficult to find one for my M5 or any other M cars, so I purchased an extension through the dealer when I bought it.

DaveW68

I haven't heard anybody complaining about problems with their tuned GL's. The M278 4.7L bi-turbo engines in these trucks have been around since 2010 and they are extremely solid and reliable. They come very detuned in stock form and are just waiting to have power unleashed. Mine isn't as quick as Srfrboy's, but it easily spins all 4 wheels with no effort and is very quick for a 5800 lb beast. I easily handled a newer Mustang 5.0 a couple of weeks ago.

Regarding the warranty....if you buy a certified pre-owned truck, they automatically come with a year and unlimited miles tacked on to the end of the factory warranty. You can then add up to 2 more years of coverage for around $3-4k. Any of them that are will within the original 4 yr/50k miles can have Benz coverage added, even if they aren't CPO. Mine was outside of the original factory coverage, so the dealer sold me an after-market warranty that works great with their service dept.

vivaitalia

unless you're really needing the extra cargo space behind the 3rd row ... go GL ... I rented a navigator on a trip to Disneyworld, love all the conveniences (cup holders, small compartment boxes, extra USB ports, and the like), but it is big and a bit too soft in suspension, partly b/c the rental had heavily tinted windows and only a sun roof above the 1st row (my GL has the pano roof all three rows) ... even though I use all mirrors, even the 360 camera, I still turn head left, right and sideways (habit) to see when driving and parking ..

bgboost

I generally agree, overall the GL can accommodate 7 people, but even in the 2nd row when comparing it last night, the highlander is roomier. The kids are only going to get larger (12,8,5) I know we can grow into the escalade, just don't want to outgrow the GL too quickly.

divinefavor

i was shopping for escalade (non-ESV) and then realized that its 3rd row is practically useless even for kids. floor is elevated for 3rd row and it is extremely uncomfortable to ride with your knees up. if you don't get captain chairs, accessing 3rd row is also a pain. i really like the aggressive look of escalade, but 3rd row was important for me so i passed on caddy. non-ESV version has almost no cargo with 3rd row up. it drives very strong, but doesn't feel fast. car is very heavy had harder to turn compared to GL. to my surprise, GL has much bigger 3rd row and bigger cargo (again non-ESV). escalade seats doesn't fold down parallel to the ground. it elevates up a little bit while GL folds down flat. this is how i came to consider GL550. GL drives very quite, very smooth, with CUE turning is ever so easy and smooth. more than enough power for the big car. i got designo seats and really dig it (except for the fact that it wears out where your butt slides). escalade leathers seats appear very premium but not better than designo. if 3rd row spacing isn't a big deal, i'd still say escalade is equally good. both cars have distinct pros and cons. i'm guessing caddy maintenance cost is lower? anyway good luck

bgboost

Agreed, primary reason for looking at the ESV. There is more space in the 3rd row. With captain chairs the large person in the third row can sit in the middle and extend legs out. But you're right, the seating position is lower (knees higher) compared to the GL.

mrmotoguzzi00

Did you drive the Escalade yet ? my wife found it huge and unwieldy feeling.... frankly she hated it but she is a driver as in she likes to drive .... and Im sure you know German cars for the most part feel more connected to the road...

bgboost

Not the new one yet. I've driven a '16 Suburban and liked it. Totally different than the GL. Frankly I was impressed with how smooth the GL was. I say that because we bought my mom a '17 E300 and its just ok. The 4 cyl turbo just makes too much noise for a mid size luxury car.

mrmotoguzzi00

I'll give ya that about the 4cyl.... seems out of place for an E class... just not as smooth as a 6 or 8... i had one as a loaner and i liked the car itself for what it is... but the motor... id get a 6 or 8 just for the smoothness...

divinefavor

i've driven both GL and Escalade and ridden suburban many times (a friend has one). escalade and suburban are truck-based which means that it's more capable of off-roading. GL is smoother ride. then again, i don't think anyone intends to ride escalade for off-roading so there's something to think about.

rosswell

We did some cross shopping in late 2017 by driving a brand new suburban premier, even photographing it in my garage. Never did look at the Slade but considered a cheap used hybrid once. Bought a used '14 GL350 for the same money (based on chev clearout rebate at the time, with the difference that the financing was very low cost from MB over 3 years). There is really no comparison between the Burban and the GL and to this day the only thing i remember about the Suburban was it's cool HUD display of the speed. In hindsight I'm not partial to its "smooth fridge box of steel" side appearance versus the Mercedes somewhat brutal body chiseling (AMG Sport pkg) - my neighbour says our Black GL looks like I belong to the Mafia and eat lobster dinners. From what I've heard you can put a lot of miles on the suburban if you keep it that long and it has a loyal following that keep buying them-which is probably true given the reliability of our 2001 silverado crew cab. Finally, when we cross-shopped within the MB brand, our criteria netted 3 vehicles to test one day (an E350 Wagon, a Diesel R class, and the GL350). Their idea to replicate the S class interior was a huge benefit, and I was already familiar with the suction doors as my '95 S320 also has them. SOLD!

DaveW68

Ummm....the x166 GL interior bears absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to any S-class of any generation. The GL interior looks more closely related to the previous gen C and E class than any S-class.

bgboost

So I had the opportunity to test drive a loaded '18 Escalade ESV yesterday afternoon with the top of the line Platinum trim. I compared the ESV to the non-ESV back to back. The non-ESV's 3rd row is useless for anyone other than very small kids, even they may complain. The ESV has plenty of room.

In terms of driving feel, it was smooth and as some of you have noted its powerful, but doesn't feel quick. I thought it would have more omphh and It feels like a truck, abliet a nice one . Solid vehicle no doubt, but it didn't live up to the expectations I had built up in my mind about it. Flip side the GL was better than expected.

I'll now start digging into options etc on the GL incl the 63

mrmotoguzzi00

the power and sound of the AMG's is intoxicating.... I went to buy a ML550 but couldn't find any local so took a ride in a ML63.... dumb.... It was mine a few hours later..... had it in for 2 tires and B service today, The added benefit is i get to talk to Chris their AMG tech, always fun...

DaveW68

I'd go with the GL550 over the 63. You'll save $15-20k on a used one and have a more compliant ride with the 550. The 63 has firmer settings for 4matic, which many have mentioned feels a little too firm. Really, the biggest pluses of the 63 are the engine and Brembo brakes. But those Brembo rotors and pads are a small fortune to replace every 20k miles and are really only beneficial for track use....which less than 1% of their drivers ever do (who the heck would want to track a 5800 lb SUV?). A simple $1000 tune will make the 550 motor outperform a stock 63 and be completely safe. You can find used 550's with Designo interior, Active Curve, Off Road package, and even Bank Olufsen stereo. Even with all of those options, you'd still save at least $15k over a stripped down 63. Plus, the 550 has the exact same body package and same size wheels and tires as the 63. At a glance, the only way to tell the difference between a 63 and 550 are the wheel style, Brembo calipers, and the badges.

mrmotoguzzi00

...... Location: Land of Political Criminals ...... this gave me a chuckle of course trying to decide where this is... what popped in head was honestly Chicago ? lol

DaveW68

Ding ding ding.....give that man a cigar! The Land of Lincoln has gone from one of the best states in the nation to the absolute worst in my lifetime. And that isn't just my opinion. We are ranked nationally as the worst. Mike Madigan and the Dims have trashed this place and have been stealing the wealth from millions of people to feed their corruption for over 40 years. 2 of our last 3 governors are currently in jail and 4 of the last 7 have spent time in the slammer. Over 1500 people per week are fleeing this cesspool. We have lost a net of 33k people or more per year for the last 4 years. We're even losing representatives in Congress due to a shrinking population (probably a good thing since our reps do not represent the citizens). So what do our politicians do to keep people from fleeing? They keep adding new taxes and increasing the existing taxes on the people who stay. We're already the highest taxed state in the country and they keep adding to it. Our family will be added to the list of out-population in the next 5 years.

mrmotoguzzi00

we get quite few transplants near me in Sarasota....

DaveW68

Lots of the older folks head to FL, TX, and AZ. But it seems most of the out-migration is to neighboring IN and WI (Go Pack Go!!). Probably so they can stay just close enough to IL so that we can hear them laughing at us poor saps who haven't escaped yet.