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New GLS! Perspective from a previous Escalade/Navigator owner
Hi folks! I am new to the forum. I took delivery of a 2022 GLS450 SUV about 3 weeks ago. Obsidian Black with Macchiato Beige leather. AMG Line and Night packages that look gorgeous! Multicontour seats, head-up display, panoramic roof, warmth and comfort pkg, and 5-zone climate control among others. At the time of purchase, the vehicle was already post-production but was still in "transit". I ended up waiting 5 full weeks for it to make it from Alabama to Arizona! The dealer did not have any information or an estimated delivery date...
In any case, the vehicle finally arrived and it had 8 miles on the odometer... I thought that was a bit high. My previous cars typically have 4 miles or less as soon as they arrive.
So I traded in a 2018 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum for this GLS. I'll have to say it feels like a huge downsize. We are still adjusting to this though. My family likes to take long road trips so comfort is paramount. I've also owned a Lincoln Navigator in the past.
After putting 4,300 miles on this GLS in the past three weeks (two long road trips), I have some comments and some questions for you guys:
1. The GLS handles much better than the caddy on twisty interstate highways. This was nice and expected. I could maintain nice speeds on those twisty roads. The GLS also glides nicely while my previous caddy felt like a parachute sometimes!
2. This GLS has an acoustic comfort package. This was one of the must-have features that made me choose this particular vehicle. I have Tinnitus and I am sensitive to additional noise like road and wind noise. Unfortunately, the acoustic properties of this glass do not quite down the cabin as I expected. At 60 MPH and below, the cabin is perfectly quiet. However, the road noise at 70+ MPH is worse than my Platinum-trimmed Escalade (the quietest trim available on a caddy). Also, this infrared glass which is supposed to reject up to 50% of the sun's energy (I live in Phoenix) does a poor job in comparison with my previous Escalade's factory glass! The road noise and the heat was my biggest disappointment with this vehicle. By the way, I did not notice any "purplish" hue that some people said that the infrared glass has, and also do not see any writings on the glass that indicate that it is infrared. I guess I'll just have to take Mercedes' word for it... Next week, I am planning to get aftermarket ceramic tinting done on all glass. I know this will help reduce the heat intrusion but sadly, it will not reduce the road/wind noise. By the way, the noise mostly felt that it was coming from the sides/mirrors.
3. The second-row seats (captain's chairs) while they have power controls to adjust them, the backrests do not recline far enough for comfort. My teenage son specifically was very disappointed during the long trip and he said that even though the Mercedes second-row seat was a bit more comfortable than the Cadillac's seat, the minuscule backrest adjustment was a huge problem and made it hard to relax or sleep during the long trip.
4. The headrests are uncomfortable. While they do have a forward/backward adjustment, it was hard to get them into a proper and comfortable position. I've owned several BMWs in the past that were equipped with the seat comfort package and I'll have to say that BMW's optional comfort seats were far more superior than those seats. The BMW seats even could articulate the top of the backrest independently from the seat recline!
5. The driver assistance plus package was not as good as I expected it to be. The car ping-pongs between lanes and loses track of lane lines. Also, it does not track the eyes so instead, it keeps asking me to grab the steering wheel. Unfortunately, just touching the steering wheel is not enough! you have to give it a little jiggle so the system can detect that you have your hands on it... this system is completely useless and disappointing for this $99.5K car! By the way, the system keeps failing after about 5-10 minutes of use. When I took it to the dealer, they said that a camera needs to be replaced but they had no ETA for it. When the system goes down, it takes away or limits all safety features (speed limit display, active brake assist, etc.)!
6. In the second row, right below the vents, there is a bin that opens with a push of a button. This bin is supposed to have a power outlet as well as USB 3 ports. When I opened this bin for the first time couple of days ago, I noticed that the cover of the power outlet says "230 volts". I decided to open the cover to take a look inside and found that it is NOT a USA power outlet! (picture attached). To me, it looks like a European-style power outlet! I am wondering if they mixed up this car and maybe it was not supposed to be a US-spec GLS? I would appreciate any feedback on this... Should I go back to the dealer and inquire about this?
2021 GLS450 2020 GLE350 2005 BMW 325ci Convertible
Originally Posted by aosmanaz
Hi folks! I am new to the forum. I took delivery of a 2022 GLS450 SUV about 3 weeks ago. Obsidian Black with Macchiato Beige leather. AMG Line and Night packages that look gorgeous! Multicontour seats, head-up display, panoramic roof, warmth and comfort pkg, and 5-zone climate control among others. At the time of purchase, the vehicle was already post-production but was still in "transit". I ended up waiting 5 full weeks for it to make it from Alabama to Arizona! The dealer did not have any information or an estimated delivery date...
In any case, the vehicle finally arrived and it had 8 miles on the odometer... I thought that was a bit high. My previous cars typically have 4 miles or less as soon as they arrive.
So I traded in a 2018 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum for this GLS. I'll have to say it feels like a huge downsize. We are still adjusting to this though. My family likes to take long road trips so comfort is paramount. I've also owned a Lincoln Navigator in the past.
After putting 4,300 miles on this GLS in the past three weeks (two long road trips), I have some comments and some questions for you guys:
1. The GLS handles much better than the caddy on twisty interstate highways. This was nice and expected. I could maintain nice speeds on those twisty roads. The GLS also glides nicely while my previous caddy felt like a parachute sometimes!
2. This GLS has an acoustic comfort package. This was one of the must-have features that made me choose this particular vehicle. I have Tinnitus and I am sensitive to additional noise like road and wind noise. Unfortunately, the acoustic properties of this glass do not quite down the cabin as I expected. At 60 MPH and below, the cabin is perfectly quiet. However, the road noise at 70+ MPH is worse than my Platinum-trimmed Escalade (the quietest trim available on a caddy). Also, this infrared glass which is supposed to reject up to 50% of the sun's energy (I live in Phoenix) does a poor job in comparison with my previous Escalade's factory glass! The road noise and the heat was my biggest disappointment with this vehicle. By the way, I did not notice any "purplish" hue that some people said that the infrared glass has, and also do not see any writings on the glass that indicate that it is infrared. I guess I'll just have to take Mercedes' word for it... Next week, I am planning to get aftermarket ceramic tinting done on all glass. I know this will help reduce the heat intrusion but sadly, it will not reduce the road/wind noise. By the way, the noise mostly felt that it was coming from the sides/mirrors.
3. The second-row seats (captain's chairs) while they have power controls to adjust them, the backrests do not recline far enough for comfort. My teenage son specifically was very disappointed during the long trip and he said that even though the Mercedes second-row seat was a bit more comfortable than the Cadillac's seat, the minuscule backrest adjustment was a huge problem and made it hard to relax or sleep during the long trip.
4. The headrests are uncomfortable. While they do have a forward/backward adjustment, it was hard to get them into a proper and comfortable position. I've owned several BMWs in the past that were equipped with the seat comfort package and I'll have to say that BMW's optional comfort seats were far more superior than those seats. The BMW seats even could articulate the top of the backrest independently from the seat recline!
5. The driver assistance plus package was not as good as I expected it to be. The car ping-pongs between lanes and loses track of lane lines. Also, it does not track the eyes so instead, it keeps asking me to grab the steering wheel. Unfortunately, just touching the steering wheel is not enough! you have to give it a little jiggle so the system can detect that you have your hands on it... this system is completely useless and disappointing for this $99.5K car! By the way, the system keeps failing after about 5-10 minutes of use. When I took it to the dealer, they said that a camera needs to be replaced but they had no ETA for it. When the system goes down, it takes away or limits all safety features (speed limit display, active brake assist, etc.)!
6. In the second row, right below the vents, there is a bin that opens with a push of a button. This bin is supposed to have a power outlet as well as USB 3 ports. When I opened this bin for the first time couple of days ago, I noticed that the cover of the power outlet says "230 volts". I decided to open the cover to take a look inside and found that it is NOT a USA power outlet! (picture attached). To me, it looks like a European-style power outlet! I am wondering if they mixed up this car and maybe it was not supposed to be a US-spec GLS? I would appreciate any feedback on this... Should I go back to the dealer and inquire about this?
1. I believe you are trying to compare applea and oranges. While I find faults with my GLE and GLS, they are very well built and comfortable vehicles for me.
2. The Cadillace is a truck. No doubt about it. Built on a truck frame, and spending a lot of money to try to make it ride like a luxury car.
3. I haven't had any issues with headrest comfort.
2021 GLS450 2020 GLE350 2005 BMW 325ci Convertible
4. And yes, I'd say you got a euro-spec vehicle, or at least the incorrect port, perhaps due to shortages? "No worries, we have this one intended for Swindon we can through in this one and get it off the line"
1. I believe you are trying to compare applea and oranges. While I find faults with my GLE and GLS, they are very well built and comfortable vehicles for me.
2. The Cadillace is a truck. No doubt about it. Built on a truck frame, and spending a lot of money to try to make it ride like a luxury car.
3. I haven't had any issues with headrest comfort.
Truck or body on frame, the SUV's purpose is the same - comfortably haul family/kids around and go on road trips. I already praised the MB's handling (relative to the caddy). This is great. To me, the GLS has been out for a long time and I think it is time for Mercedes to make some adjustments to the cabin space. An extra inch in width and length would allow them to make a comfortable cabin even more comfortable. The extremely limited 2nd row seat recline angle can be improved considerably with that extra inch of length...
#5 - I do not have problem losing land lines (except driving into sun rise) and find the system really good, although yes, you need to jiggle the wheel fairly often, hopefully camera replacement and calibration will fix yours. The newer Mercedes have capacitive sensors so you won't need to jiggle the wheel only touch it, but probably won't come to the GLS until a refresh.
#6 as others have mentioned obviously not right, have the dealer fix it for you....
07-08-2022, 11:22 AM
