New member here!

So my wife backed her GL450 into a semi-permanent trailer and smashed the rear windshield and bent the rear liftgate in the process. As it's an older model, I am thinking ahead and weighing the following possibilities:

1) '20 or '21 X7 - my other car is a '23 X3 xDrive30i.
2) '20 or '21 GLS 450 - will probably get CPO like we did with the current one.
3) Wait for brand new '24 Mazda CX-90. I was very impressed by the performance of the inline 6 against German luxury:

Alternatively, I can always lease a brand new version of any of the above since I have one kid just about ready to go off to college a year from now.
What do you guys think?

 

Mazda is by far the best choice. The BMW and Mercedes have less feature and will cost WAY more in the long run to own.

 

I have no doubt this will be true. However, what gives me pause is the CX90 is in its first model year ever. Normally not a fan of buying a car in the first run of a generation.

 

A casual glance of this forum leads me to believe my best course of action is to hope my current GL450 gets repaired adequately.
Doesn't seem like anyone's vouching for recent GLS models!

 

People who don't have problems aren't going to post here. You're looking at a sample size of a dozen people out of 50,000.

I've never had any major issues with my 580 and am about to upgrade to the new model.

 

How long do you keep your cars?

 

The CX-90 is an iteration of the CX-9 - so it not a brand new platform - and Mazda are reliable and well engineered. I think this is not a significant risk factor. Can vouch that Mazdas are well built and well engineered. Whereas Toyota, Honda, Nissan, VW etc hold off their best tech for their premium brands, Mazda puts it all in.

 

The inline 6 on the CX90 is brand new, no? If you watch the Throttle House video, it keeps up with the Germans on the roll race!
Here's some more info on the new engine:
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a4...-torque-specs/

I believe this same engine will also be used on the smaller CX70 as well. That could be a closer race against the Germans!

 

I would get the CX-90, I prefer new cars over used, plus Mazda makes excellent cars that are getting closer and closer to the luxury brands and the CX-90 looks like another step in the right direction.

 

I think I would go back to leasing just for the CX-90 so that I can walk away in case of issues. I think I only need a full-size SUV for another 3-4 years tops anyway!

My wife is currently driving my X3. Since she doesn't care about audio as much as me, I secretly want her to fall in love with the X3 so I can drive the replacement car!

 

I have an update on my preliminary search. I visited 3 dealers based on the targets from my initial post:

Mercedes: dealer had about 2 new GLS in stock. Salesguy wanted $20k ADM on top of MSRP! He claimed there were only a couple hundred new GLS's circulating the world right now as the reason. CPO stock was also low because owners can't get out of their current cars to overpay for the new ones.

Mazda: My first time at a Mazda dealership. It was pretty full and quite a bit of interest around the CX-90 in the showroom. Salesman told me the 3.3 Turbo S was not available at the moment and would be a couple of weeks, with the PHEV following suit next month. I sat in the car and it was fairly roomy w/the third row able to seat 2 adults comfortably (prob 5'10" max height). The only thing that bothers me is the 2nd row can only be had w/captain's chairs in the top trims (to be fair, there wasn't much space in the middle b/w the 2 chair's arms). I want max capacity with the third row down to full utilize space! If the top trim had the 2nd row as a bench, I think this would be a slam dunk purchase for me. Salesman wanted $5k ADM on top of MSRP for the CX-90 due to demand!

BMW: There were a handful of X7s on the lot and similar number CPOs available. Salesman was willing to do MSRP if it came to getting my business (whether off the lot or building new to spec). This was probably the most pleasant experience I had. I would have to weigh whether a sub 5 sec 0-60 is worth the smaller trunk behind the third row (smaller than my '16 GL450 let alone the newer GLSs!).

So there you have it! ADM is alive and well but I don't intend to contribute to the madness. My options at this point are to get an X7 or stay with what I have.

 

You can't go wrong with a 2023 BMW X7. I own a 2021 X7 x40i and a 2020 GLS 450. Both are excellent SUV's with traditional brand characteristics. Unfortunately, the 2020 GLS has had many more reliability issues (21 safety recalls, 8 that applied specifically to my vehicle), rapid OEM tire wear and expensive maintenance service. The 2021 X7 has zero safety recalls. Our local BMW dealer has 2024 X7 build allocations with MSRP pricing and delivery can be expected in 8-10 weeks, provided you don't want certain options that are in short supply. Good luck with your decision.

 

That's great feedback as I was fixating on '20 GLS models if it came down to CPO!

The '24 X7s actually have semi-autonomous driving up to 85 mph but it's a $2100 option and only lasts for the first 8 years (customer must pay beyond this). Do you have B&W speakers on your X7 or HK package?

 

No, my 2021 X7 is standard configuration with Vernasca leather and NON-runflat tires as the only options. The HUD is now standard equipment and I understand that 2024 X7 production, beginning in late July or August, will include a faster main control head and iDrive 8.5. Model year 2023 X7s will get iDrive 8.5 via over-the-air (OTA) downloads. iDrive 8.5 has a flatter menu structure (similar to smartphone UI) for quicker access to frequently used settings.

IMHO, I believe the luxury vehicle market will soften over the next few months due the slowing economy, growing inventory and high interest rates. Nationally, Mercedes-Benz dealers have a nearly normal supply of new vehicles in stock (55 days). BMW has about 45 days. However, the GLS 450 does appear to be in short supply in some regions, though Autotrader.com is currently showing 559 nationally (some may be in transit). If you can hold off for a while, you may be able to secure better pricing, but it's not a sure thing. I just ordered a 2024 GLS 450 at MSRP from a Rhode Island dealer.
https://www.coxautoinc.com/market-in...ry-april-2023/

 

Thanks for the info on the GLS450 nationwide supply! Out of curiosity, why get into a '24 GLS450 since you had issues w/your '20 model? Have all the kinks been worked out by now?

You must have the Hifi in your current X7. I can't stand the HiFi in my X3 and can't wait to see what the X7 offers!

 

Yes, I decided to go with the 2024 GLS 450 because it appears that Mercedes has fixed most of the issues with the X167 platform over the past four years. Though my 2020 GLS was subject to 8 recalls (out of 21 total), they were mostly small issues, entailing the hassle and time of four specific service appointments. In a sign of progress, I've found only one safety recall for the 2023 GLS model year thus far.

Otherwise I've had only one warranty service claim for a defective vacuum pump in the fuel vapor recovery system. The original Cooper tires were terrible, lasting only 12K miles, but the Michelin replacements should last at least 25K miles based on the rate of tread wear. The 2024 GLS will be my last ICE vehicle, as I plan to trade the 2021 BMW X7 late next year for a pre-ordered 2025 GMC Hummer EV SUV. Hopefully, GM will have fixed the numerous defects and bugs on the Ultium EV platform by the time it's delivered.

 

As you mentioned, Mazda doesn't have a luxury brand as the aforementioned brands.

 

Oof, looks like two things in common with the "M" brands, the ADM shake my head...

 

Are there other MB Dealerships you can check out? Go online to a site like autotrader and see if any dealerships around have more supply, they'll be willing to work more on a deal. I think that's just a bad dealership

 

Yeah, that dealership is where I get my service but I have never bought a car there (I was already thinking of switching service dealer that's further away!). I'll try 2 others to see if ADM is still an issue.

 

CX-90 is an all new platform. RWD vs FWD.

Shop around. A dealer somewhere will sell you a GLS without a markup. Cars.com shows nearly 900 new GLSs on the ground nationwide:

 

I already found one dealer willing to give me a '23 GL450 for MSRP, making the first dealer an outlier and fairly greedy.

Any major differences in the '24 that I'll miss by not waiting a couple months?

 

The differences in the facelift are not too big in my opinion. You gain some colors, lose others, MBUX 2.0 will add full-screen CarPlay and capacitive controls, and the exterior is freshened up a bit, but nothing to lose sleep over in my opinion.

 

Can you get OTA updates w/MBUX 1.0 or is that only starting in MBUX 2.0?
I hate capacitive controls so that might make the '23 a no-brainer.

 

New standard equipment for 2024 GLS:

New Front Bumper and Grille Design
Front Air Vents now in chrome finish
Latest Generation Steering Wheel with capacitive controls
Two 100W USB-C ports in the rear (U82)
MBUX Augmented Video for Navigation (U19) is now standard
Latest generation Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) - NTG7
New Taillight design
Surround View System (P47) with Transparent Hood feature (04U)
Driver Assistance Package (P20) is now standard
21" standard21" Wheels (95R) now standard