Buck Horn

I just bought a CPO 2016 GL450 with the On/Off-Road Package. it has about 26K miles. I have found very little information on off-road performance. Just a couple of youtube videos, and some limited mention in reviews and in forums. I have done some 4-wheeling in mine and so far I am very impressed! I have owned many other 4x4s and have been off roading for about 30 years. I will be using this GL for my limousine service which includes trailhead drop offs. Some trails are accessed by high-clearance 4x4 roads in the mountains.

I came across some misinformation and have some discoveries to share. Anyone who can verify or correct me is encouraged to comment:

1. Most GL450's don't have the Off-Road Package
2. GLS450's DO NOT come with the Off-Road Package as standard equipment
3. The 360 surround camera IS NOT a mandatory option with the ORP
4. There are not any "real" all-terrain tires that fit the 19" wheels
5. The DSR is not adjustable
6. The air compressor may overheat when raising the vehicle. You do get a warning notice on the display when this happens
7. If you exceed 12 mph the car will drop from suspension level 3 to level 2 automatically
8. When you are in suspension level 3 the car will drop to level 2 when you turn it on after turning it off
9. If you exceed 60 mph in level 2 the car will automatically drop to level 1
10. I read somewhere that if you ford more than 23" of water you will submerge the battery and destroy your electrical system!
11. I read somewhere that you can install 18" wheels. If this is true can you find all terrain tires that match the OEM tire circumference?

I am interested in meeting other GL owners that use their ORP equipped Mercs.

Forrest Gump 9

That’s a rare beast. I’ve been looking off and on for awhile and no luck. I mainly want the 13-14 MY, because they came with the V8 biturbo

Buck Horn

I really had no idea it was so rare. I was shopping for a 2017 GLS but all of the CPO cars that I found were "One Owner" with rental car history. That is not what "one owner" is meant to convey! In my opinion Carfax needs to amend that status. Anyway, I did search for about 40 hours over a few weeks to find this one and it happened to be the closest candidate to my remote location. Something that I came across gave me the impression that they were all outfitted with 11.8" of ground clearance... oops, I got lucky!

I search for cars within 1,000 miles. This car had previous damage, but not accident history. I think the RF door was repainted? It had the best maintenance records of everything I was considering. Try expanding your search area? I find it to be the most controllable variable in car hunting.

Good luck finding your V8 biturbo with the ORP. That might be easier than my next search, a wheel setup that includes tires that can handle the terrain that this car can. I encountered a truck in Velocity Basin (Silverton, CO) with a flat and he had 10 ply Coopers. I'm running brand new 2 ply Pirelli Scorpion Zeros, and riding out on the little spare donut would not work where I off road. A very serious concern is this Merc's tire limitations. Come to think of it, a full size spare is best anyway, no matter what tires you have.

eric_in_sd

Much jealous of your beast. That's a very handsome truck.

I assume those are 19" wheels. Get five 18" wheels. They're available on Ebay. Like $100 delivered. . Put your off-road tires on them. I kept my street tires along with my off-road tires, but got sick of all the space they were taking up in my garage, so I sold the four street 18" wheels (same as the others) when the tires wore out.

If 19 was the smallest that year came with: I don't know but I'd be very surprised if previous year wheels didn't fit. If you're really feeling adventurous, get scuffed up wheels and paint them, if you're concerned about the cosmetic mismatch between the years. Go for a gloss black or something; it would fit with the bad black image. That could look really excellent.

The PZeros won't last long anyway, so you'll be swapping them before long.

Recommend also you get rid of the carpets and put in Weathertech. After all, you'll be putting your full-size spare in your back area. Plus it fits the off-road truck image much better.

Check my thread on the Mother of all Basket Racks (MOABR). I assembled a whopper of a basket rack from cheap components. The roof is long, so you put a huge rack up there. You might want it for looks if nothing else.

I did a monster thread on putting LEDs in. The fog lights make excellent wide-field off-road lights if you put good bulbs in them (but the 166 has fog lights, or doesn't? what are those things?). I really don't think anyone needs auxiliary lights beyond that. This isn't a Raptor after all. Put bright LEDs in your backup lights, if they aren't already. You'll really want the visibility backing up in the dark.

You probably already know this from your off-road experience, but for other guys' sake: Get a good 12V compressor, and tire deflators - and a good tire gauge. A hydraulic bottle jack is no high-lift, but it's better than the junk that's provided. Tire plug kit, too, and know how to use it.

Again, congrats on landing a beautiful and relatively rare truck.

chsu74

I have a '14 GL450 with off road package. Bought it two years ago. Only option missing is active curve. Original MSRP is $94K or something close. Also there is steel underbody panels instead of plastic. Rare color combo. Love the truck.

Forrest Gump 9

Sorry to bring back from the death.

Can you locked the axles?

Buck Horn

The center differential locks in the Offroad 2 setting.

Here is a link to my source:
https://www.mbsugarland.com/the-on-off-road-package/

bbbbbuzzy

Hi all, New guy here looking at the GL450 as a possible purchase if I can find one with the On/Off Road package. They are quite rare. Since there is not much info easily found on the web, can you please answer some questions about the On/Off Road package?

1) What is the min-max ground clearance?
2) How many skid plates are included and what do they cover?
3) Does anyone know the max tire diameter that can fit in the wheel well without rubbing at full lock?
4) How is the vehicle at speed and are the brakes any good? Fade after repeated downhills?
5) How does the vehicle handle when loaded up with people and gear?

Thank you!

Buck Horn

I wonder if a MB salesman can search used dealer inventory nationwide for cars with the On/Off Road package? I would like to know the production numbers.

My owners manual has all of the ground clearance measurements, and the departure and approach angles. Try looking online searching "GL450 owners manual". Looking in my owners manual, It lists a minimum of 7.9" and a max. of 12.0", and it also gives the number 7.4" for the minimum?? I have also seen the max. as 12.1". Nowhere do I see the minimum in Sport Mode listed. Anyone know?

It has a front skid plate replacing the plastic splash guard under the motor.

I don't know the max tire size, but if you are concerned about braking then going up in size is not reccomended.

I have driven over mountain passes (Million Dollar Highway) in Colorado with 6 adult passengers. I did not experience any brake fade, but I stay off of my brakes and pass cars that obstruct traffic! Putting the car in Sport Mode it feels very stable with a heavy load. Most likely WAY better than any 4x4 that can compete with the GL. All of my passengers complement the ride quality.

FYI, the fording depth in Off-Road Level 3 is 23.6". I have read that anything deeper will ruin your electrical system. If that is true can anyone share the facts?

BlownV8

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

BlownV8

Another one but, yeah, hard to find.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

user03248023498

BlownV8 - do you have a strategy to finding vehicles with the on/off road package? Like is there a search trick you use or are you going through the ads one by one and checking for the knob next to the armrest (as I have been doing). I would love to see a thread where people post their findings with regards to the on/off road package. I have seen a lot of ads where it's mentioned in the specifications, but is clearly not present according to the photos of the dash.

Thank you!

BlownV8

Autotrader has a free search field you can use.

Forrest Gump 9

thank you, two years ago when I was looking I couldn’t find anything, but they are coming up more and more.

user03248023498

Do you mean in the Keyword field at the bottom of the filter form? What search string or phrase are you putting in?

Thank you

BlownV8

Yes. Offroad, off-road, or off road.

user03248023498

Sorry to sound so stupid, but I just want to confirm you use these terms in a keyword search, then just browse through the listings one-by-one looking for photos of the center console? That's how I have been doing it. Hundreds of results for anything along the lines of "offroad", "off-road", or "off road" but these keywords tend to just come up in the seller's description (such as "this truck is great offroad") and not necessarily in the list of fitted options. We still end up having to go photo by photo looking at the center console. Not that it's hard, I was just wondering if anyone had any pro-tips and so far yours BlownV8 seems to be the best method. Thank you very much for your input.

BlownV8

Yeah, there is some minusha that you have to sort through and in the end you are looking at the pics for the offroad dial.

Buck Horn

Any luck?
If you find a better way to search please share. I am a fan of the MB CPO program. Searching for cars on the MB site is great because all of the optional equipment is listed. I assume this info is generated by them entering the vin# into the system. These listings should be most accurate. The dealership can do this also if you provide them a vin#. They can also look up service records before you make the commitment to buy.

I had the same problem of relying on photos of the offload dial when buying a GMC Yukon with a high/low range transfer case.

BlownV8

MB site is not good either. Lastvin is really great for checking by VIN.

chassis

@Buck Horn Thanks for the great write up. I am a newfound fan of 4x4 driving with GL(E)s. I drove the very poor Grays Peak road last week in the GLE350 4MATIC. While it doesn't have the off road package, 4MATIC and 4ETS are very impressive. Great idea you have for trailhead dropoff service!

user03248023498

No luck for me, but still interested! The liberal government shut downs have hit me hard, so won't be buying a vehicle anytime soon. But still on the lookout!

expl0rer

When I was looking for GLs with the on/off road package, I relied on photos and vindecoderz to confirm the car had option 430. There are other vin websites which will give you that info as well. Mbdata or datamb was one, IIRC. Auto trader, cargurus, kijiji and eBay were my starting points.

I ended up with an X164, but it took about 18 month to find the right car (my must have options/car condition list was long and mostly non-negotiable/inflexible. Call me picky!). Patience is your best friend. My search was focused on MY 2009-2014.

Buck Horn

I am picky too. All my cars are black on black and there are some things that are not negotiable. It seems like we all rely on photos which is time consuming. I will add vindecoderz to my list.

expl0rer

https://www.autotrader.ca/a/mercedes...203P9&sprx=100