Walt166

I was referring to GLS580 which is not yet available for sales. If you get allocation from the dealer they will not discount it or even ask you to pay over msrp.
Handling wise x167 is not much of a upgrade. When test drive gls450 I asked rep to push the vehicle harder to see if body roll has changed. It has not. It rolls almost same as my x166 - both without active curve or a-ABC. On the other hand when tested bmw without dhp - it kills all the sharp curves with ease with only minimal rolling. This was the stock suspension. Still keep both brands. I drive 7 sedan, my wife prefers e class but x7 is for a company use and must pull trailer behind.

Hope you got your with e-ABC otherwise you must regret it. The gls is far away from S class in most aspects same as x7 if still away from 7 sedans. But I think that bmw are closer

Pachole

In sweden there is no dealership, MB owns them all and the dealerships are only agents now, it’s a fixed price.
The GLS580 is not released yet, but soon they say, when November goes over to December...
I will have my 12% of through my MB club membership.

But I still don’t know if I can afford it... will try to get one with E-abc.

The two X7 that I have driven were both with M-sport adaptive suspension, or what it’s called.

Maybe they are setup different for the EU market, because they were rubbish. X166 drove much better and it was with just regular air suspension.

Hopefully I get to compare them all three soon, Like a week or two.

Walt166

12% for a new gls580 is unheard off. Mbclub gives a $1000 rebate, don't get me wrong but you are probably dreaming about having a 12% discount on 2020 gls580 but good luck to you. Any other member of this forum can tell you that. But I see you are focused on only one brand/maker so go with that. Nobody is going to stop you.

Pachole

You are talking US, I’m talking about what I get here in the North Pole aka Sweden.

Im focused on what car give me the most bang for my bucks and exceed all my expectations. I’m gonna ignore those plastic parts on the doors, can’t have it all...

I have own 2 bmw that I loved in the past. Also a Volvo for a couple of years. But since I tested MB in 2012 I have had 3 E-classes.

Cheers from Sweden

skw

BMW's I6 B58 engine is interesting in it's design. Was built w/ stronger bottom end and the blocks to be shared w/ both gas and diesel applications. Yes, same plastic cooling components but back to using a mechanical water pump. It has a heat control module instead of a traditional t-stat. Also, the timing chain and oil pump chain are on the back of the engine so we'll see how that goes for maintenance.

Let's not talk about BMW blues. I once saw a list with the color codes and there were ~112 blues. It included Mini and Individual blue colors but not RR colors which would've added even more. There were also 4-5 black colors that have a blue tone to them.

Pachole

Just a note, placed my order yesterday, first ordered 580 in Sweden, expected delivery late April at best.
12% as told but the price is just above 120k US$ anyway.

Cheers!

skim7x

How come nobody had mentioned the electronic power assist (EQ Boost, or whatever it's called) available with the new GLS that, to me, is the game changer / biggest competitive edge when compared to the X7.

Wolfman

Technically yes, great engine design on the i6. The V8 is a bit of an unknown but fuel consumption seem too high. But it won't be a game changer for the average consumer. Engine-wise, the X7 is old school but the average buyer will neither know or care...

bonboon

if the price is fixed in sweden why is what you are paying there relevant to anyone here or in sweden for that matter ? lol

Pachole

Well because I’m pointing out that if you live here in Sweden and is a member of Mercedes Benz club you still can get some extra discount, but it ends this month.

Daimler is testing our market with fixed pricing. Soon it will expand I believe, similar to how Tesla works.

Enjoy your cheaper cars in the us. We pay much more but we are able to choose AMG-trim on all cars and models. Even the cheapest diesels. lol

Merry Christmas

bonboon

that is very interesting, the fixed price aspect. had not heard about them testing that out to see if it's scalable.

univ0298

I went back to this thread, which I really appreciated when I originally read it, because we recently made a final decision to get an X7 40i instead of a GLS580, and thought it might be interesting to explain the comparisons I made, and the thought process behind the conclusion. If this is too long, sorry (please skip!), and I also don't want to get into any arguments with anyone about X7 vs GLS because they are both the right answer - anyone lucky enough to have either of these cars (and especially to live in America where there's space to deal with them day to day) is very lucky. Both are really impressive I think. I'm currently shopping to replace another car (BMW 335i M Sport) and looking at things like Tesla Model 3 Performance... and frankly it's amazing how much nicer these two large SUVs are in every regard except 0-60 speed.


With that said.. here's our story ...

We began looking at the GLS because the smaller GLE had impressed, but we decided it was necessary to have a better third row to future proof the car for our kids that will be very tall teenagers during the lifetime we expect to keep the car. Worth noting that we had already looked at the X7 when we were looking at GLEs, but had written it off as nice but too expensive and maybe too flashy/brash.

As we looked at GLS450, I followed all the videos I could find and enjoyed lots of interesting reviews filmed in Utah in April 2019. Really impressed, without even seeing a GLS450 in person, we were very interested at that point. But as I watched the reviews, and eventually got to see a 450 in person, I ended up with some BIG frustrations about the spec that Mercedes limits you to on the 450 (basically you can't have aesthetic touches like painted wheel arches, improved front grill, and the AMG steering wheel/interior touches). We also knew that if we were going to get this car, we'd spec it with almost all options (except EABC and the mega-expensive audio), so we were looking at an expensive 450, even from the beginning of our shopping.

Thinking about it over a month or so, and watching more reviews, I reluctantly decided that the GLS 580 was what we needed. I really wanted those improved looks, and of course the V8 would be fun (although annoying on the poor fuel consumption). Because we had a high spec 450 planned, the price difference to the 580 wasn't awful (ballpark $15K I think) and so we decided to order a 580... but it wasn't really ideal because my wife will be the main driver and really doesn't care about V8 power. And money is money! We were also really disappointed to find out that it would be April 2020 , at the earliest, before we could get one (that would have been 6-8 months after we first looked at GLS, 5-6 months after ordering a GLS 580, and 12 months after the online reviews in Utah!). Nevertheless we ordered one, but it was also really not good that we were getting only about 1% (after reasonably strong negotiations) off MSRP of over $111K ! Another nagging thought was that the interior leather seemed honestly quite bland - a friend has the previous model year of the GLS and I think his leather quilting looks better than the 2020's plain seats.

During the wait time, I watched so many reviews, and started to see a lot of very favorable X7 reviews. Enough to at least decide to take a second look. Digging deeper , it became apparent that BMW offers what (in my opinion) is a significantly nicer interior with the white/blue merino (quilted, multi color, leather everywhere) and lets you have almost every single interior and exterior styling option on the smaller engine 40i model. Like the GLS 450's engine, that 40i's engine is good enough for most people driving families around, so I was back to thinking about how the 450 was what we really wanted to pay for, and how Mercedes were forcing us to get a 580 just to get aesthetic improvements. Some quick research and I discovered that without negotiation, BMW offered about 3% off MSRP in discounts (loyalty, or BMW CCA, or employer price benefits, plus $2K finance discount on a 2.99% APR). A bit more research and I found that 8% additional MSRP was sometimes possible, or even 11%+ on a 2019 X7 if you found one and were ok to have the previous year. In addition, more and more videos revealed some things I liked (third row sunroofs, wireless Apple Car Play, and various little bits and pieces). On top of it all, we really liked one of the exterior colors BMW offered.

One final icing on the cake of what we decided, is that we think we can pick up our BMW from the factory. Talking to some friends, apparently that's an awesome experience... Not part of our decision making process, but a nice bonus.

So ultimately we couldn't refuse the BMW at this point, despite how vested I was in the idea of finally getting to be a Benz owner. One day. As an F1 and Hamilton fan, and as someone who's father had a S class and an SL55 AMG, I can't think better of Mercedes as a brand. But the equation just didn't quite work out for us, primarily because we didn't like the look of the 450 enough, and didn't like the price (including deal) of the 580 upgrade it would have required.

Hope that was helpful to someone, and not too controversial to post such a decision. Good luck to all GLS owners.

thenew3

Thanks for sharing your story. We also struggled a long time between X7 40i and GLS450. We also have 2 kids, one of which will be a teen in a few months. Shuttling him and his friends around to various activities was one of the primary reasons we decided to get a big 3 row SUV. Due to that, 3rd row space and cargo room was one of the top concerns. The X7 was just too small in the 3rd row (although we all liked the sun roof), and cargo room behind the 3rd row was quite a bit smaller than the GLS. (I couldn't fit our cooler in the X7 but it fits in the GLS).
Another thing that helped us decided was the 48V system. In the X7, it's traditional 12V with traditional belt driven AC. Which means when the engine stops at a red light, the AC compressor is no longer running and the air coming in will be warm rather than cold. In the GLS, AC is running off 48V system, so even when engine is stopped, AC compressor is still running and blowing in cold air. My youngest son has severe heat allergy, so having the ability to have AC continue to blow in cold air at stop lights or stuck in traffic on hot summer days is a requirement for us. (bonus is the 48V start/stop is so smooth you won't feel it at all)

Although I agree with you on all your points, those two items above made our decision to stay with our GLS order.
Our BMW dealer was willing to give us nearly 12% off MSRP on an ordered 2020 X7 40i. The config we wanted was about $89k MSRP and with discounts it came out to about $78k and it includes 3 years of free maintenance. The GLS450 on the other hand came out to over $91k and after negotiating with multiple dealers within a 500 mile range, best we could do was about 8% off, making it a bit over $84k and without any free maintenance. The BMW would've been here within 6 to 8 weeks, while we still don't know when we'll get our GLS. (it's been 3+ months and the car still hasn't been built yet).

The interior build and material of the X7 does feel more luxurious compared to the GLS. The leather in the GLS feels really hard and cheap (yes the leather, not MB-Tex). I also like the exterior of the X7 better. But after seeing the GLS 450 in person, it's growing on me. I wish they would let us get the sport/AMG exterior here in the US like they do in other countries. Not sure why MBUSA leaves that out every generation.

Good luck with the X7. Hope to see some pictures when you get it!

jbattan

MB-Tex is actually nicer than “Leather” in an MB. It’s not until you go two grades up with Exclusive Nappa leather that the finish is nicer than MB-Tex.
Remember that there are five different grades of seating available, depending on the vehicle.

thenew3

Not sure what you mean by nicer. I have owed MB-Tex (and currently still own) and MB plain leather and nappa leather. MB-Tex is a rougher/tougher material. It's very low maintenance and can stand up to a lot of abuse, but it definitely doesn't look or feel nicer than leather. the base leather is normally pretty soft (in previous vehicles) but in the X167 it's about as hard/tough as the MB-Tex. Nappa is really soft but drawback is it can get damaged more easily and takes more effort to care for it.

CALLA

Drove the X7 both the 40i and the 50i last weekend. I was actually alittle nervous when I went to the dealer, as I felt my heart was set on the GLS450, but was still trying to get my custom order accepted by Netstar.

So I definitely thought the split tailgate was interesting and fun. I liked the exterior colors and found an interior color I liked as well. Ordering a BMW supposedly only takes 4-6 weeks (vs MB at 4-6 months) and also supposedly, there were no production issues to slow down that time frame. I liked the wheel idea to control the infotainment better than the mouse type thing in the GLS. The price is also a bit lower and I guess their leasing structure is a bit different as well. It seemed I could save about $100-150/mo by leasing a 40i vs a GLS450.

So personally, I did not care for the way either BMW drove, compared to the GLS. The 40i felt sluggish and the steering was not nearly as responsive as I felt it should be. Especially given the fact that the BMW is regarded as the sportier model. It seemed to lack the pep of the GLS. The turning circle in the BMW was just plain awful. I felt like I was driving a big ole truck-- something I did not want or else I'd be looking at the Tahoe/Navigator/Surburban/Expedition/Escalade sized vehicles. Driving the 50i was better, as in the engine felt more powerful; but it did sound like it was "a bucket of bolts" as was quoted above...not a refined engine and still lacked in steering as the 40i. The other issue was the space- I felt both the 2nd and 3rd rows were tighter than the GLS, and this was confirmed by my so who is 5'10". Plus the seats take a long, long time to fold or retract or whatever...like really long.

Upon leaving the BMW dealership, I went to the Mercedes dealership (basically next door) and redrove a GLS450. Yup, it felt the way I remembered it to be...nimble, responsive, comfortable, spacious and exciting. So the wait for my GLS450 continues....

Just my 2 cents....not knocking anyone who decided on a BMW instead of the GLS.

Viha22

Not sure what you mean by saying x167 leather is about as hard/tough as the MB-Tex.
I own both x166 550 and x167 580 they both have leather as standard and x167 leather is much softer that x166. When i was purchasing my x167 recently there was like 6 gls450’s on the lot all with MB-Tex and you can see from just looking at it that its fake leather.The grain is very fine vs real leather actually having large grain at least in my car’s leather and personally i would never own a car that costs $80k + with fake leather.

thenew3

I test drove two 2020 GLS450 back to back. One had mb tex, the other had leather. Both black. Both felt identically hard. (both are as hard as the mb tex in my E350 wagon),

JoeMa

Comparison by Car and Driver:

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...edes-benz-gls/