xlr8tin

This is a long shot since I don't think there are many that care about these cars as much as I do ;-) But I need a better quality seat for my 2011 GL550. After our 1000+ mile trip, my *** and back were killing me to the point that I'm not looking forward to making the trip back home.

I'm just wondering if seats from a X166 would fit my X164? Or could at least give me some dimensions of the seat frames? Thanks for any help I can get

chassis

The seat track width on a 2017 W166 GLE350 is 17 inches, plus maybe 1/4 inch. Hard to measure precisely. I did some checking on X166 and W166 interior parts, and at a high level the vehicles appear to share a lot of parts. Seat track width would be an architecture or platform commonality between W166 and X166.

What is the seat track width on the X164?

KrustyKustom

I bet they would fit, there is not much chassis difference between 164 and 166

chassis

Have a look at the links below. W166/X166 and W164/X164 are not identical seat tracks. Notice the short (8" or so) rectangular spacer in the middle of each track, looking at the photos from the underside. The W166/X166 seats are mounted higher off the floor than W164/X164.

Questions:
Why is the rectangular spacer used?
What differences in the floor pan geometry exist between X166 and X164?
What ceiling/headliner differences exist between X166 and X164?
Can the 8" rectangular spacer be removed, resulting in a bolt-in retrofit in the W164/X164?
Are the electrical connectors interchangeable?
If the electrical connectors are interchangeable, what wiring and fuse differences exist between X166 and X164?

I am not implying any of these are job stoppers, rather they are things I would want to know before moving forward. Measure twice, cut once. Count the cost of a journey before embarking upon it. Look both ways before crossing the road.

The mechanical and electrical connections need to be considered. It's a $500-$2000 experiment if wrong. If you are OK with that, give it a try. If not, try to locate a W166 and given it a thorough investigation/measurement compared with your X164. Or befriend the parts and service department at your local M-B dealer, they could know the answer definitively.

You might also try contacting the sellers of the items below, and ask them to measure and take closer photos.

X164 front seats
https://www.ebay.com/itm/07-11-X164-...YAAOSwFdtX0yBi

W164 front seat track
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MERCEDES-OE...cAAOSwUctc38SB

X166 front seat track
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-2015-M...EAAOSwPSxbYJSf

W166 front seat track
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2017-2019-M...UAAOSwuA9cSh5d

xlr8tin

Great info guys! Thank you all. I'm going to dig into this once I'm back into town. Not sure what will become of this, but at the very least I'm sure someone will come across this years down the road

chassis

I looked closely at the seat track in my W166. The extra spacer is about 1/2" tall (thick) and roughly 5 inches long. Its function is not clear. I did not see obvious screws attaching it to the main seat track rail, so I'm thinking it's welded. The carpet of the W166 bumps up, and comes in contact with the spacer, although it doesn't seem as if the weight of the seat is resting on the spacer. It wouldn't make sense for this to be the case. The rear seat air ducts are in this location. A fairly substantial looking wire harness is routed beneath the outboard seat rail, running forward. If the entire seat track assembly was 1/2" lower, I think the wire harness would still be OK because there seems to be some clearance for it.

To understand the fitment with a X164/W164, that vehicle needs measured. If the X164 carpet or floor humps up higher than the W166, seat fitment could be a problem.

My local dealer does not have any ML or GL earlier than 2013, which means no X164/W164 to look at.

RostamDastan

I am not sure X166 seats are better quality though. We have a 2012 Gl 350 and have been getting X166 loaners for the past few years and can tell you that we find X164 seats to be more comfortable (front seats and specially the back seats).

BlownV8

My GL 63 seats with massage is definitely more comfortable than my 164 GL seats.

DC-BENZ

I've driven from Minnesota to DC in my 164 straight with no back problems/butt problems; but from Utah to DC in my 166 my butt and thighs hurt for over a week. I thought I had permanent damage. I say this becasue I think the 164 seats are more comfortable than my 166 seats by far.

miloc204

has anyone tried this conversion seats from 166 platform into 164?

miloc204

hello any updates about seats conversion from 166?