janky

Hi there. Newbie here to Mercedes Benz in general and this forum. I'm moving from an Audi Allroad. I've narrowed in on buying the GLE 300d as I really want better fuel economy. I've heard (but having a hard time confirming) that the 300d doesn't come with a spare tire and that the only option for tires is run flats. Is that true?

fabbrisd1

Well, frankly you need to test drive a GLE - I think you will be very/very impressed.

In answer to your question - the GLE300d comes with what you would term "standard tires" including "spare tire" EXCEPT if you were to order/add the B&O extreme stereo upgrade, where that added electronics equipt takes up the rear space for the spare tire - which means you go spareless - either by ordering Extended Mobility tires (the new/better riding/handling updated generation of what you term "Run Flat") - or with Tire Fit kit for on-the-road spot temp repair for "standard" tires.

Again - I suggest you take the advantage to go hands on with a GLE

janky

Yes, agreed. I'm not buying the GLE 300d until I test drive it. I did some browsing/inspecting of GLEs a month or so ago the local dealer. They don't have 300d to test drive so gotta widen my radius. I don't want to just test drive the gasoline GLE either.

Thanks for the answer. So unless I go high end on the B&O audio option I should be ok. Is there a lower tier B&O option that doesn't have the added electronics taking up rear space? I have B&O audio in my Audi and love it so it would be a pity if only B&O option takes up space for spare tire.

fabbrisd1

Please understand the B&O system on the Audi bears no relation to the B&O extended upgrade on the MB - other than brand.

Yes - HK is the very decent "upgraded" stereo.

janky

Sorry, newbie to the Mercedes ordering process here so apologize if I'm not getting this right away. If I choose the B&O sound system as an option, is there only one type of B&O installation that incurs the extra space needed and removes the ability to have a spare tire? In other words, if I choose B&O sound system, I'm screwed out of having spare tire space in my GLE 300d?

Apv

I just picked up my 300d 5 weeks ago. Overall it's great here are some of my observations/differences.

• No Dynamic Select, or Hill decent etc. Where the control knob and buttons are supposed to be there's just a storage tray.
• It is a bit noisier than gas engine - No big deal, most of the time it's very quiet
• HK is really good make sure and turn on the Logic 7. Wouldn't get the B&O unless you are really into high music quality.
• Mine came with the temporary spare, not full size.
• Front license plate is annoying. I attached with some hidden zip-ties and auto trim tape. Had to bend the license plate a bit otherwise it flares out on either side.

janky

Thanks Apv for the notes. Really appreciated. Thanks for tip on B&O. I'm trying to find a dealer in the Bay Area that has the 300d to test drive, proving hard. How long did it take from when you ordered your 300d to when it arrived at the dealer?

fabbrisd1

At this "moment" - as of Sun morning - there is at least one GLE300d in-stock/avail in Bay area dealers: San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael, Walnut Creek, Santa Rosa, Pleasanton.

Call the closest to confirm and book a appt to meet/test-drive.

janky

I put feelers out to all the dealers within 30+ miles of my house but haven't heard back from any of them yet. I don't suppose you have an idea of which dealer has the 300d? Also, I wonder if that vehicle is for sale or can be test driven?

fabbrisd1

As of Sunday each of those SF area dealers had at least one GLE300d in inventory - I would suggest you call/phone the closest, then the 2nd closest - etc..

janky

Hmm. That is good to know. I called and emailed Stevens Creek multiple times. No dice. Making phone calls to all the local dealers now...

janky

Finally test drove the 300d last week. Had to call like 8 dealers and take inventory of which ones had the 300d. PITA, can't believe Mercedes doesn't make this easier. In any event, I had to drive up to San Francisco. Definitely purrs a bit on surface streets but the torque is great. I like!

Now some questions:

1. Is it worth getting the Logic7 sound system? Sounds like the B&O option is way overpriced.

2. Anyone know if the windshield wipers have auto-detect feature to know when there's water/raindrops on the windshield and automatically adjust speed of windshield wipers? I love that feature on my Audi and didn't see it when I did some virtual build of my 300d online just now.

3. Anyone have MB Tex? How do you like it?

4. Anyone get Premium 1 Package and the Parking Assist Package? It looks like the camera comes with the Premium 1 Package and the sensors (for helping you back up) come with the Parking Assist Package. That's annoying they split camera and sensors into 2 difference packages. What did folks here do?

5. How about ventilated front seats? Those sound awesome but the website says I can't get the MB tex at the same time. Maybe I have to go with leather which isn't a huge problem.

6. Anyone get 100,000 warranty?

7. Anyone know if CarPlay is available on the 300d?

William Kayen

The HK sound system is perfect. The wipers have a few settings. Not sure if they adjust for rain amounts. I have saddle leather and love it. I also have premium and Parking Assist. One other option I highly recommend is the lighting package. CarPlay is available. My car was built 3 days before it was put in car as standard equipment. I haven't seen good reviews about it.

Car is truly awesome and you won't regret getting one. 38 mpg on my recent road trip. Amazing.

Chefcct

Janky,
I just bought a 350 gle - so many of my answers will be comparable even though I have the gas engine:

1. The logic 7 system sounds amazing. People have commented that the standard stereo is just OK.
2. The rain sensing wipers are standard on the gle suv line. They have two settings for sensing.Low sensitivity and high sensitivity.
3. I have the leather and ventilated seats. The leather feel is superb. Seems very easy to care for. I have cleaned and conditioned them a few times and it took only minutes. The ventilated seats will ventilate- not really cool- but they put out a decent amount of air so it feels "cooling"
4.I got the premium 1 and the parking assist. People have commented that they wished they got he parking assist because the beeping sound along with visual distance meters only comes with the parking package. Many people lamented that decision. I recommend them highly!
5.I HIGHLY recommend the LED lights- In my 40 years of driving cars, they are the best lights I have ever driven or owned! Do not purchase a car without these.
6. I bought the 7 year 100K warranty. I paid $2800. Their cost is $2700(I am pretty sure)
7. I assume car-play is available as it went into production some months ago.
Have Fun!

fabbrisd1

So that you know - on MBTex - there is a bonded cotton webbing layer on the backside of the synthetic top layer - one of the differences/benefits - in the sun - that backing distributes heat across the seat surface - unlike leather which will build "hot spots" where the sun hits it - frankly - my gal in shorts/mini can get "scalded" a bit on black leather - but won't get scalded on black MBTex.

janky

38mpg is what I'm looking forward to! I drive long trips in the winter to Tahoe from the Bay Area. Thanks for the details William, much appreciated especially the tip on the lighting package.

janky

Thanks for the answers Chefcct.

1. I will keep in mind the Logic 7. I have an Audi now and I love the B&O sound system (which I know is markedly different than the B&O offered by Mercedes). 2. Cool on wipers.

3. It sounds like ventilated seats only come with leather. I live in NorCal where it's starting to get incredibly hot so firing up the car when it's been sitting in a parking lot at work means the car is super crazy hot. Do the ventilated seats make it worth it to cool down the seats faster in my scenario above? I'm wondering if they are worth it.

4. Will probably do the same on premium and parking assist, thanks.

5. Sounds like LED lighting is the way to go. William said the same thing.

6. I currently lease my Audi Allroad but I'm buying this GLE so I'm leaning towards getting the 100K warranty since I will really put on the miles each year. When you say "their price" what do you mean?

7. Cool on CarPlay. Funny this isn't really in the Build part of the mbusa website - there's no mention of CarPlay unless I missed it.

8. Bonus question, is the battery for the car in front under the hood with the engine? My Audi I have now has the battery in the back which is really really annoying because it's buried under some panel and it makes it hard to use the battery for giving someone a jump or using my tire compressor that operates off the battery.

fabbrisd1

3. It sounds like ventilated seats only come with leather. I live in NorCal where it's starting to get incredibly hot so firing up the car when it's been sitting in a parking lot at work means the car is super crazy hot. Do the ventilated seats make it worth it to cool down the seats faster in my scenario above? I'm wondering if they are worth it.

a) Ventilated seats for MBTex - no Leather Seats - Yes
b) Add 3M Crystaline "clear" film inside the windshield and inside sunroof panel - do a google

8. Bonus question, is the battery for the car in front under the hood with the engine? My Audi I have now has the battery in the back which is really really annoying because it's buried under some panel and it makes it hard to use the battery for giving someone a jump or using my tire compressor that operates off the battery.

a) There are readily accessible jump connecting points under the hood on the passenger side

b) Most owner's don't know proper jump procedure with modern electronic control system - so the common dealer warning to new MB owner's is "don't jump" - if your vehicle goes "dead" and YOU need a jump - call Roadside Assist

skw

Parking assist is give or take. You'll already have the backup camera. Depending on how you learned or usually park, you may not need it. I grew up in the city and always parallel parked using only the mirrors, before cameras and sensors became the norm. So for me, the extra $1k pkg was worthless. To each their own.

Ventilated seats is available with the MB-tex on the GLE. However, if keeping long term, may want to go with leather. After 50k+ miles in my 2012 w/ MB-tex, I'm not sure if I was too happy with how it was wearing on the driver's seat.

CarPlay should be on all of the GLE's being made now.

Chefcct

Janky,
The ventilated seats will probably cool in about 1 to 2 minutes. If you remote start the car, the ac will kick on and then send some cooling airs to the interior. This should help. The car will not turn on the ventilated or heated seats when you remote start. Too bad...
I forgot to add earlier- when you order the pre-wiring for entertainment, you get the lumbar support on the passenger side as well as the electric head rest on the passenger side. At only $170, I recommend it. I caught that detail a little too late when I ordered.
The parking assist has sensors on all 4 sides which give you visual and audible warnings when getting close to objects. I think it is worth it.
The panorama roof was another item... People wondered about the sun shade as it is not light blocking- I have not found the light transmission or heat transmission to be a problem in the interior. It gets pretty hot in Chicago so...
Car play is alluded to on the website deep in the information. It is now available- but when you start car play you can't have both systems on at once.
On the extended warranty: I am pretty sure that the dealer cost on the 7 year 100k is $2700. A dealer let it slip as I was talking to him about the purchase. So, I negotiated $2800 with my dealer. He wasn't thrilled, but I reminded him that his dealership was getting the purchase. Remember that you can buy it anywhere from any dealer. There is a dealer in Houston that will sell it for $2850.
I do not know where the battery is yet as the car is so new to me- sorry about that...
Be well!

janky

Thanks again Chefcct. Few follow ups to your post just now:

1. I didn't understand from the website what the pre-wiring for entertainment was at all. I'm not really interested in having screens on the back of the front seats for my kids. What is the lumbar support on the passenger side and the electric head rest on the passenger side? Sorry for all the questions but wanna make sure I get this down before ordering (probably gonna start process today).

2. Oh yeah, panorama roof. Gonna get that too.

3. How does that work to purchase the 100k warranty from another dealer? What is the time window from when you purchase the car from one dealer to when you can buy the 100k warranty from another? That's good info for sure.

4. Oh and what did everyone do about tire sizes? I definitely need good M+S rated tires for driving in the snow so all seasons. I noticed that if you go with the 20" tires, there's really only one option (as an example) from TireRack that are M+S all season. Are the 20" tires worth it? I like the AMG dark night styling so was thinking about getting the 20" tires.

Chefcct

Hi again Janky,
1. Dealers are ordering the pre-wiring because it includes the passenger lumbar support and the electric head rest. The lumbar support is a lumbar support for your back. The electric head rest moves the head rest up and down electrically instead of manually.
2. Remember that the rear glass portion above the rear passengers does not open - only the shade opens there. Also, you must have both shades open or closed. You can not choose to have one open or one closed independently of each other. The website was a little vague on this. The shades are both open or both closed. That is it.
3. You have 30 days to purchase the extended warranty. After 30 days it will be slightly higher price no matter where you purchase it. You can call any dealer, talk to the business manager, give them the VIN and they put it into the Mercedes system. Pay with a credit card. I really think you should use this as a bargaining tool when you order your car.
4. I ordered the 19 inch 65R no cost optional wheels because I thought they looked sharp. The 20 inch wheels were cool, but it would be another chunk of money to attain them.
Lastly, remember to ask your dealer about the ordering time. Each dealer is allotted a certain number of cars per month. Your car is green when you order it. Then right before it gets locked in, it turns yellow in the system which means it is about to turn red and then no one can change anything on the car no matter what. So, be sure you have your ducks in a row because at a certain point, the order can not be changed for ANY reason. My salesperson told me my car should be green for weeks. I was contemplating the 20 inch wheels one week later and it had already turned red. I was out of luck! No changes possible.
I have the Continental cross contact sport tires on my wheels. I will be going over to the Michelins after these wear out. They are top rated for our vehicle on Tire Rack. I have owned Michelins and they have always proven to be excellent in Chicago winters.
Maybe Michelins will be available when you need new tires. I saw the Pirelli Scorpion series of tires was rated very well for your size wheels.
Good luck!

skw

Get the pre-wiring. It's short change and you're not using it for the rear entertainment. It gives you the power headrest for the passenger seat. Otherwise the headrest has to be adjusted manually and it's a dummy button on the door. You also get the memory for that seat as well.

For the winter, I run a separate set of Blizzak snow tires on 18" wheels. Keeps the salt off the factory wheels as well as extends the tread life.

eric1972

Keep in mind that 0-60 mph in 8.9 sec is pretty slow in its class.

janky

Yesterday I sat with a sales guy at a local dealer here in Bay Area and tried to order the 300d. I was there for an hour. Sales guy said he couldn't make it happen because corporate was blocking his order. Of course I had to wait to speak to the manager who told me there are 4 slots remaining for 2016s and he was going to look into stealing one of those slots. What is this all about? Is this Mercedes moving onto 2017s? 2017 was an option during our build but then the order was blocked at the end. Total BS if you ask me. You have a customer who is willing to buy the 2016 or the 2017 and can't place an order. And, during the order some of the options weren't allowed. For example, I wanted Lunar Blue with night package and the system was saying night package was only allow on Silver Iridium. WTF?