jacobsung

I have a 2018 Model X 100D and 2013 GL350

Comfort: X166. Can't beat MB's airmatic and active curve system. Model X does have airmatic suspensions but the ride is too harsh for my taste. I do have 22's though.
Interior: X166. Tesla interior is not for a +$100K car.
Convenient features: Model X. Tesla seems like they thought about everything that drivers would need. Autopilot is amazing.
Electronics: Model X by 10 times. Can't beat the UI/UX, over the air software update and a built-in LTE.
Range: X166. GL350 would go 500-600 miles/tank. Model X 100D would go maybe 200 miles although the published range is around 295. There is always range anxiety. Tesla can't visit national parks because there are no supercharging stations IN the parks.
Gas/Charge: Diesel is very expensive in CA. Electricity is not cheap in CA either, so if you have no solar panel, you are saving about 50% of your diesel cost, which isn't that much. Unless you have a lifetime free supercharger, supercharging is NOT cheap. Tesla just raised the price to $0.31/KWH. That's about $31 to charge 0-100%. And you are not supposed to charge your car 100% blah blah blah. You have to first look for the closest supercharging station if you want to go somewhere far.
Drivability: About the same. X166 is awesome with ACS and not a slow car. Model X has an acceleration of a rocket but if you drive +65mph, you are killing your battery range. I am driving my Model X like an old grandma, which kills me.
General build quality: X166 has its own share of kinks but relatively solid. Tesla is solid but they have gained the manufacturing know-how. Therefore, Tesla panel gaps are horribly not even.

What you don't know: Tesla has the EV's core and autopilot technologies that no other company has as of today. If you own one, you can't deny this fact. Their technology is truly impressive. I currently have a 2018 E300 as a loaner. MB center console/info/entertain system/etc look and work like a joke compared to Tesla. Tesla voice recognition works as good as iPhone.

I changed my mind and am keeping GL350 for a secondary vehicle.
If Tesla builds a car with an X166 frame/body/interior with Tesla electronic gadget, that would be an ideal car for me.

DaveW68

Great review! I'm not much of a fan of Tesla due to their spartan interiors and having to do everything off of that center screen.....which I find extremely distracting while driving. Going through a bunch of menus to change climate settings and the radio on the fly sucks IMO. I find the Model X to be very ugly, as well as the Model 3. And those gullwing doors seem very out of place and strange on a vehicle like that. The Model S P90-100 is an OK looking car....and the upcoming roadster (if it really happens) looks pretty awesome.

black06c230

Exactly why we went GL. Tesla are great but the range on long drives sucks and the added charging time on a trip means it’s not a good car unless you have a secondary car or rental for long trips.

I have a Chevy Volt I drive daily for work and my commute has change a lot since i first bought it. I used to drive 1600 miles a month and only use 8 gal or gas bc my trips and chargers were close. Now I drive 3000 miles per month and still get 40mpg driving 85mph. A Tesla wouldn’t make a 2-3 daily round trip for me without charging at least 30min to get a good bump. The area is limited on chargers and out of the way for the ones that exist. Not to mention winter and elec heat kill the battery range further.

Give the range of a Tesla with the backup of the Volt

Qanfud

sg021

We have a '14 GL and a Model 3. Considered an X back when we got the GL about 3 years ago, but range, looks, price, build quality, and small 3rd row were all working against it at the time. If I were to do it over again today I'd still buy a GL.

​​​​​​Really like our setup now with the range and size of the GL when needed, and the Model 3 otherwise. They're very different, but both are great at what we need them for. For the most part the roles of our cars have swapped since we got the 3. Now the GL is a commuter car and the Model 3 is the family car outside of when extra seating is needed or long trips where we'd have multiple or inconvenient supercharging stops. So much so that my daughter recently asked if we could take the GL out grocery shopping because it was getting "sad" about its lack of use.

Mattwa67

jacobsung

I knit picked on some rubber trims, and Tesla Service Center took my vehicle and sent to a local body shop to fix. I know that this particular body shop fixes Lambo and Ferrari - one of the best in the bayarea.
The service advisor estimated about two weeks and gave me a brand new Model S 75D as a loaner. After driving Model X 100D for a month, (sorry to say this but)Model S 75D feels almost cheap. At the same time, GL350 turbo lag feels like something is wrong with the vehicle.

GL's are good, but Tesla's have their own merits. I encourage you to go test drive a Model X.

chsu74

If you bought CPO, then the GL350 will be cheap to keep. If not, then budget approx $1.5-2K per year of maintenance for the diesel. The GL 450/550 V8s are more fuel thirsty but less in running costs.

M1M2M3

IDK what ppl always mean when they say diesel maintenance. Are they talking the def? its super cheap in Walmart and only needed to top off every 7500mi or so.
My 166 350 gets 40% better mpg than my 164 450

BlownV8

Have you had your 350 long? You will get into the expensive part and then it gets really expensive to run vs the gassers. Diesel in my area is around 30% more than unleaded so that kind of negates most of the savings right away and when you factor the OM642 engine failure points and more expensive maintenance it furthers the cost differential.

DaveW68

Modern diesels are a known PITA due to US emissions standards. Mechanics don't even want to touch them. I don't blame Benz for shuttering all diesels in the US.

M1M2M3

Its a 2014 I got in 2015 CPO with 15kmi. I now have 95kmi. I'm between NY and CT and diesel is always much less than premium whenever I have looked. more so than the price per gallon is that I don't have to fill it up for my wife frequently bc she can drive 500-600 miles on a full tank. I figure over the course of 80k mi I should see how much more expensive it is than gas. I don't it feel great is a super cruiser and the power application is perfect for a family vehicle. I just do the routine maintenance exactly per the recommendations and don't really think about it more than that.

DaveW68

It sounds like you and your wife are the ideal candidates for the diesel. Lots of highway miles where the systems actually get a chance to work properly. It's doing several short mileage trips with those motors that puts them in peril....which seems to be the majority of Benz owners.

BlownV8

Yes, it seems there is a correlation between hwy miles and OM642 reliability but there are some who have that pattern and still have all the issues. I certainly believe these are meant to be driven long distances but, again, recently those type drivers have posted about their failures too so it isn't always the cure. Sure, it helps the emissions but the seals are still failing and they are labor intensive to replace. The timing chain, I can't help but to conclude, seem to last longer with HWY miles vs city. Short drives are for sure bad for this engine so, it appears in many, HWY miles are better for longevity with the OM642.