tomb73

Am on the verge of ordering a GLE, still trying to decide if it will be a 53 or a 280... Had an ML550 years ago, and the engine on that wonderful V8 makes the 280 attractive.... Anyway, was looking at the MB tutorial on Apple Carplay and it shows the user moving through the interface with the 'mouse' in the console. Am wondering if you can use the touch screen with Carplay? When I went by the dealership to get their pitch on an instock GLE53 I used bluetooth for music, and neglected to check out the Carplay capabilities.

Just curious. Thanks in advance.

Ron.s

The Main Screen is touch for Android Auto so assume it’s the same for CP.

tomb73

Thanks, Ron. On my calendar to go back to the dealership next week and do a second check, hopefully a test drive, though not sure they have a GL280.
Happy New Year!

Ron.s

Do you mean GLE 580? They are pretty scarce, you might catch one that’s sold before it’s delivered.

tomb73

Duh, yes I meant the 580... Senior moment... :-)

BACnMercedes

Yeah I think they mean GLE 580. As of right now there are only 40 nationwide on Autotrader. You might try calling a few local dealerships and asking if they have one coming in and as Ron said, it’s probably sold. I called and found one and asked them to call me to at least see it when it arrived. I got a call and went to see it. All they would let me do though was look at it and start it up.
There is a thread on here somewhere discussing the difference between the two. Over all though it comes down to if you want a sporty everyday SUV or a MB cruiser. Both are nice and have great things about them.
And it’s been awhile but I think I remember the CarPlay being touch screen too.
Good luck.

tomb73

Thanks... With my limited feature requirement, the 3 GLE models (450/53/680) price out within about $6500 of each other, so no giant difference. Am not a 'sporty' kinda guy, but relished the smooth effortless power of my ML550. I find the turbo V6's to be almost as quick, but they seem to be working hard to make that happen. As someone said to me when I was struggling with V6 over V8 (ended up with an Audi SQ5), "there is no replacement for displacement". Effortless power just isn't going to be a feature of a V6 despite all its turbo or super charging. Now I have to actually decide if the difference is still as significant as I recall. Am fortunate that I live in the DFW area so there are a number of dealerships to visit, and (theoretically) a decent selection, though based on my limited options, I may end up just ordering and getting the color I prefer (prefer red).

Will try to hunt up the thread...

BACnMercedes

580! But your probably going to wait.
https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...gle-580-a.html

Good luck.

mikapen

Get the 53! It's the future, and it handles better.
Just pick your soundtrack.
But you're probably going to wait, to coin a phrase.....

tomb73

Thanks for the link!

BACnMercedes

But.........as the OP stated, and I didn’t, “there’s no replacement for displacement.” <——-see, my V8 smile is bigger (if I ever get it).

tomb73

Am still hoping I can manage the GLE580... Likely that will mean an 'order' which will reduce my ability to negotiate a price, but it is what it is....

fabbrisd1

There are (2) Designo Cardinal Red GLE580's showing "not pre-sold" (1) Creve Coeur (St Louis M) MSRP $97K and (1) Phoenix MSRP $93K - (314) 301-1715 and (480) 991-1155 respectively.

If it was my choice - there is (1) Designo Cardinal Red 2021 GLS580 showing "not pre-sold" - at Mercedes East Petersburg PA (717) 569-2100 MSRP $117K

The delaer allocations for GLE580's over the next 6 months is kindof-really-dismal.... you are really better grabbing something now !

BACnMercedes

There you go @tomb73
I bet that GLS 580 is going to be gorgeous. If only it towed more......

tomb73

Thanks, all, but as an old retired guy am trying to keep the total cost below $85K. Still having a complicated time justifying that level of 'car' my significant other. The good news is I kinda like visiting dealerships (though the mask thing is making that a bit more annoying) and chatting with the sales folks. MB sales associates, in general, seem to be pretty nice people....

mikapen

First, you need to understand that Euro tow ratings are different from USA. Entirely different.
And then know that SUV's and 3/4+Ton pickups are not currently required to comply with SAE J2807 standards, which became fully effective 2015. So those vehicles' tow ratings are likely driven by Ad departments, not facts.
And, finally, the V167 can safely and reliably tow more than it's Euro rating, with a good WDH that's well set up.

How much more would you like to tow?

BACnMercedes

For me to pay that much more for a comparable equipped GLS(20k more) it would have to be in the 9k+ tow range. I just don’t see buying that much more car when there are only three of us regularly in the car either.
Plus we had the tow argument before. We will always see it different.

mikapen

Yes, we did. I only tow 7,000# regularly, so my experience is limited. What do you tow?

If you must go by the Euro tow ratings, you lose 200# of "rated" tow capacity going from GLE to GLS. Save your money!

fabbrisd1

On a GLE580 - it doesn't matter how many dealer's you visit - you NEED to find one with a Open Production Order - and you can Spec well equipped for you -can be MSRP $83K-$84K

tomb73

Thanks, fabbrisd1, am finding that ordering is something that will likely require patience. Visited the largest dealer in my area (DFW) this AM, and they did not have anything in their pipeline that wasn't sold already. Predicting a June delivery if I order this week... "Might" be possible to get something earlier, but....

BACnMercedes

I think what he means with an open order is a dealership that has one on order but not sold to someone yet. In other words you can buy the car but not be able to change anything about it since it is already locked into (green, yellow, or red, if they still use yellow) for manufacturing. (For example, mine went red around Aug and I was not able to make anymore changes.) That would speed up the process of getting something. Otherwise if you want to actually order a car, it has all the options you specifically want, I would imagine a summer delivery or even possibly later considering the set backs and parts problems. For some reason the 580 seem to be like unicorns. If mine gets suspended much longer you might be able to get it.
Not sure if you knew all that or hopefully it helped.
Good luck.

tomb73

"If mine gets suspended much longer you might be able to get it."

:-) My order will likely be a bare minimum options vehicle. Only a few things we 'need' that are options on building. The DFW dealer indicated that the fee for ordering would be refundable, as the 580 is so constrained and they can easily sell to someone else, so will likely place an order next week.

BACnMercedes

If that’s the case, what about some of the used ones other there right now. I really liked one in LA but it didn’t have the distronic or it might be sitting in my garage. Some have good prices. Others are out of their minds.
I say that because the used ones that are out there right now seem to have some weird builds/options and that might be why they haven’t sold yet. Although I’m not sure which options or do or do not want.
Good luck.

tomb73

Have done a search on the mbusa site for certified used, and the results were pretty slim. Will keep checking, though, as the pricing might be better with used, despite the extravagant builds. We are basic car folks, don't find the gadgets all that interesting. Basically looking for something that has a good seats, a good engine, and Carplay. Might go for the multicontour massaging seats, though my wife is not convinced they are worth it... Will have to get a good book and go sit in a GLE with them for an hour to see how they do. :-)

tomb73

So, the local dealership (Grapevine, TX) loaned me a GLE350 to do a longer test drive, to evaluate the seats. Put about 70 miles on it, and while the seats seem firmer than our (old) ML550, they were better than our current Audi SQ5. My wife would probably be willing to trade her 10 year old Lexus RX in on it... Still have to evaluate other options, like the BMW X5, so will try to do the sit test on a BMW tomorrow or Monday....