GL vs. GLS
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GLS450
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From: Reading PA
26 EQS 400 SUV, 23 EQS 580 SUV (sold), 19 X7 (sold), 17/14 GLS550 (sold), 13 GL550 (sold)
IMO the refresh is an improvement. The square air intakes on the GL 550 looked dated compared to their new design language. And the larger/more upright grill looks great. The larger headlamps with more pronounced eyebrows work much better also. Not crazy about the night-package.
Well done MB design team!
Well done MB design team!
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 743
Likes: 33
GLS450
IMO the refresh is an improvement. The square air intakes on the GL 550 looked dated compared to their new design language. And the larger/more upright grill looks great. The larger headlamps with more pronounced eyebrows work much better also. Not crazy about the night-package.
Well done MB design team!
Well done MB design team!
Last edited by jerome8283; Nov 22, 2015 at 06:51 AM.
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S550
The GL does look dated in this photo. This photo doesn't do the GL any justice. It gives the GLS better positioning and therefore a profile advantage, if that makes sense. The GLS is beginning to look better everyday. Even the GLS 350/450 is looking better now.
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Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Reading PA
26 EQS 400 SUV, 23 EQS 580 SUV (sold), 19 X7 (sold), 17/14 GLS550 (sold), 13 GL550 (sold)
I don't think anyone on this forum thinks the current GL is not a great looking SUV but the new design language is admittedly very nice. I can't wait to see an AMG GLS 63 with the new 22" wheels. They look great in the video.
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 356
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From: San Francisco, CA
'16 GL550, '12 C350
Well, I'll join in on the pissing contest. I think to be fair the photos should be at least closer to the form and angle as well as intent. There are dozens of compares, some look better, some look worse. IMO, both are outstanding and have their pluses and minuses.
Open image slideshow and click "next" in the viewer to compare.
Open image slideshow and click "next" in the viewer to compare.
Last edited by Count Laszlo; Nov 25, 2015 at 11:48 AM.
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From: Reading PA
26 EQS 400 SUV, 23 EQS 580 SUV (sold), 19 X7 (sold), 17/14 GLS550 (sold), 13 GL550 (sold)
I own a 15 GL550 so not sure why you refer to this as a pissing match. We get the fact that you just bought a 16 GL550 and this thread may come off as a slight but that is not the intention.
That being said, the pictures of the new GLS just look better regardless of angle (IMO). And this refresh is very much needed to keep pace with the competition. It should help MB retain a lot of current customers and pull some new customers into the showrooms.
Enjoy your new GL550, we love ours.
That being said, the pictures of the new GLS just look better regardless of angle (IMO). And this refresh is very much needed to keep pace with the competition. It should help MB retain a lot of current customers and pull some new customers into the showrooms.
Enjoy your new GL550, we love ours.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 356
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From: San Francisco, CA
'16 GL550, '12 C350
I own a 15 GL550 so not sure why you refer to this as a pissing match. We get the fact that you just bought a 16 GL550 and this thread may come off as a slight but that is not the intention.
That being said, the pictures of the new GLS just look better regardless of angle (IMO). And this refresh is very much needed to keep pace with the competition. It should help MB retain a lot of current customers and pull some new customers into the showrooms.
Enjoy your new GL550, we love ours.
That being said, the pictures of the new GLS just look better regardless of angle (IMO). And this refresh is very much needed to keep pace with the competition. It should help MB retain a lot of current customers and pull some new customers into the showrooms.
Enjoy your new GL550, we love ours.
Prior to purchasing our '16 it was my wife who saw the refresh and said she wanted to buy now. Believe it or not, her only reason was simply because the refresh has the new iPad-style Navigation stuck to the middle of the dash. She's a strange one indeed.
One thing I do respect about Mercedes is that their refreshes IMO do not really date the previous and/or earlier models since 2010. My wife has a '12 C350 Sport and in all honesty it still looks amazing and is simply a perfect and timeless design from head-to-toe.
Another observations is that Mercedes puts so much effort into design details such as the headlights and taillights, that each iteration is evolutionary, but not trumping the previous but rather presenting an new emotional response instead.
We absolutely love our GL and there are so many little things about it that emote an emotional response that drives one to love it more and more each day. And outside of its extremely attractive aesthetics, the drive is absolutely sublime.
Last edited by Count Laszlo; Nov 25, 2015 at 02:46 PM.
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From: Reading PA
26 EQS 400 SUV, 23 EQS 580 SUV (sold), 19 X7 (sold), 17/14 GLS550 (sold), 13 GL550 (sold)
It is a great SUV and very fun to drive. I traded a 2011 Lexus LX570 and never looked back. The GL is much more fun to drive, much more comfortable, and much better looking. I never got a single compliment for the Lexus but I received many compliments on the GL550. People just like it.
I recall you traded a RR. Any regrets?
I recall you traded a RR. Any regrets?
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 356
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From: San Francisco, CA
'16 GL550, '12 C350
It is a great SUV and very fun to drive. I traded a 2011 Lexus LX570 and never looked back. The GL is much more fun to drive, much more comfortable, and much better looking. I never got a single compliment for the Lexus but I received many compliments on the GL550. People just like it.
I recall you traded a RR. Any regrets?
I recall you traded a RR. Any regrets?
My 2013 RRS HSE Luxury was a beautiful SUV with a finely crafted interior, it gave us many years of enjoyment. Its off-road prowess is bar-none best-in-class. But the products come with many flaws. And Land Rover just cannot meet the engineering refinement level that most Germany and Japanese manufacturers can. It was just time for me to move on. And my wife's C350 has been so flawless that my affinity for the Mercedes brand grew so much that it trickled over to me. I feel much more confident with the GL550 than I did with the RRS and have absolutely no regrets.
