Is this the right class to learn about the current GLS450? Looking to buy one and want to make sure I make right decisions etc. Also just side note, with excellent credit and zero issues on driving record what's typical auto insurance cost? I figure $2-300 month for new and full coverage.

 

Yep. You've found the right collective of grumps who don't much more in their lives to do, so we argue about how much we love Mercedes, and hate (well, strongly dislike) Mercedes. We're called the Jaded Neutered & Spayed club. Me, I'm happy to share that therapy is working, and I like the GLS this week.

Jokes aside - spend some time reading the threads. The X167 platform hasn't been around for too long, but there are a few of us original owners around with higher miles now that are entering the 100k club. I'm one of them.

Mine has been fine. Some interior quality issues here and there, but mine was a Covid era 2020 build and MB has fixed them for the most part. Things like squeaking window operation on the driver's door, MB tex spitting on the front seats, a repeatedly broken rear door seat control and popped out heated seat button. Superficial stuff.

Mechanically speaking - ours has been 100% flawless. We're still on the original brake pads with 30% left at 95k miles. The rotors are wearing out before the original pads! We're also still on the original 12v starter battery as well. The suspension bushings and mounts in this thing are stout. You shouldn't see any problems from them. I just had my oil analyzed for the first time, the internals are 100% perfect. 6 years, and it's asked nothing from me. But, I also change my oil every 5k-6k and not 10k. I change my trans fluid every 40k-50k and not 60k per the manual. I maintain mine. I don't abuse it, it's a suburban country club family glider.

If your first Benz - my #1 top recommendation - find the local indi mechanic and use them, do not mess with the dealer. They are insanely expensive, and this car is extremely easy to service. Our dealerships charge around $700 for an oil change service. The key to owning a MB is all in the indi mechanic 99.9% of the time.

Tires: If you're looking at one of the GLS's with a "staggered" setup, whereby the rear tires are wider than the front - then expect to be replacing the rear tires about every 25k or so. They wear fast. I would give strong reconsideration if you're looking at the AMG package. Go to Tirerack.com and check out replacement tires before you decide which GLS to get. Those with the larger 23 inch tires are not thrilled by the slim pickings for tires, mostly summer only tires. The standard 21's staggered, Michelin has produced a set of Primacy's for many years that most consider to be the best for the car. It's what we've had on ours since 25k miles and we switched from the OE Pirelli's. 0% complaints, the most affordable option as well, and easy to get.

Windshield Wipers - MB has some crazy lock on the universe whereby you're stuck with just their wipers. They can be quite annoying. Hard rubber, chatters, etc. That's just Mercedes for you though, not specific to one model.

Transmission - I don't think any of us have seen one fail completely, but many of us (across multiple models) do complain about how lumpy it can be when coming to a slow and gentle stop. There is a software fix for it apparently (I've not done it), but just know when you go for a test drive in one and come to slow stop, if you feel kicks as it's shifting down from 4th towards 1st, it's normal. Doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen. Driving in "Eco" mode helps quite a bit, and the 450 engine is right at home in Eco mode. It's not struggling or underpowered by any means.

Engine - I'd have to say this 3.0t I-6 has to be one of the greatest 6 cylinder engines I've ever experienced (52 years old). It is an absolute peach. Smooth as glass, quiet, and very capable of making these big German cows get up and GO!! But when matched to the 48v hybrid motor, you absolutely do not have to stress the engine whatsoever to drive it in traffic. Honestly, ours rarely ever sees much past 3k rpm in general. It just glides along effortlessly. But when you ask it to go, it will absolutely go, much faster than you would think for such a big car. And it sounds great when it does! Easily one of the best I've ever experienced. We've had 0% problems from ours.

Maintenance: Just my own opinion here, but I think a reason why we've had 0% problems is because I did a tip/tail service at 50k for every drop of fluid, all filters, and the plugs. I like to reset my cars at 50k, and that has served me very well over the years.

The only issue I've had was recently. I changed all of the driveline fluids (two differentials and the transfer case) and encountered a humming problem from the transfer case. Learning curve moment, solution found, no issues thereafter. It has a unique limited slip setup that requires a certain procedure to flush and clean.

 

I would further add - these are cruisers. They shine their best on long road trips. City living is fine, but they are wollowy in their ride characteristics. Be mindful of that when you test drive. Make no mistake, they are absolutely 100% planted to the road, but they can feel like you’re driving a big ole 1970’s Lincoln Continental at times too. Even though they are nimble, they do not feel like it at all. The alignment set up will also make it tremble shutter wiggle a little bit when changing lanes. The rear is pushing against itself, so when one tire goes over say the painted line in the road, the other (better grip) tends to push it a little. You feel it.

 

Boy that was a lot of helpful info. Thanks for all that, makes me fell better with all the complaining I've been hearing

 

that's one reason I'm getting one for long trips to AZ and KS from cen try all TX. Sounds good.

 

We all like to complain on car forums! But in reality, our GLS 450 has been one of the best cars we’ve ever owned. Key is the trusted indi mechanic (in my opinion).

For those drives, you definitely want the GLS 450. We routinely see 28 MPG in ours even still for road trips. It’s actually far better on gas than the 2013 Toyota Highlander 3.5 V6 that it replaced.

Total personal preference, but we love the beige interior in ours. Makes it light and airy, easy to clean and maintain. Cabin is perhaps one of the nicest places to spend time in. Do recommend te second row as a bench and not captain chairs. Hides the cargo area better, lets the cargo tontoe cover work better, and you can fold down the middle section to act as a bigger arm rest if you want. Tons of legroom in the second row too! TONS!! Very comfortable.

XM Radio subscription, set the cruise control, and enjoy. That’s exactly what it meant for, and in my opinion is unmatched in the market.

these rims are the non-AMG staggered setup. We have them, and they’ve been excellent. Have taken some serious pothole hits, no issues. Michelin, Continental, Pirelli all make all season tires for them. Rears last about 25k to 30k miles at best. Fronts last like normal.

When I bought ours, I specifically avoided all things AMG after my 2014 E350 with the AMG sport package. Nothing AMG related lasted on that car. Not even the little trunk lip spoiler. Even it failed. Rims bent all the time, brakes warped within 20k miles twice, etc. Put regular MB brakes on it, knock off rims, 3m tape on the deck lid, and all was fine. I’m not a fan of AMG.

 

You will not easily find a better 3-row SUV on the market than the GLS. I've been test-driving almost every single 3-row SUV on the market, and while the GLS is not perfect at all, only the X7 can be better in some areas. Everything else had more cons. All Japanese SUVs are a MASSIVE downgrade in ride quality, luxury, comfort, in exchange to better reliability. The american SUV brands are so much better nowadays, and you can still take a look (I would, but they are mostly body on frame which I dislike). The GLS is reasonably large from inside, and sits very high on the road (you will not get that in other SUVs), feels very stable and comfy, and honestly has a luxury presence on the road that no other SUV has. It has excellent towing capacity that many other brands aren't focusing on. The 450 drivetrain is an excellent choice and in my view the only flawless engine that Mbenz offers today. I can't name even one single common failure, and I am yet to see any stranded vehicle with the inline-6. Even the pairing with the clunky 9G transmission works better.

For the insurance, it depends. I have a spotless driving record, zero tickets and zero accidents, with 3-4 cars on my insurance over the past 2 years since I got the GLS, and maxed out credit score 800-850. My monthly insurance payment detail are below.

GLS Insurance cost: $79 per month ($475 6-months)
Company: Geico
Coverage: I selected the max for everything possible (500/500/100 property liability, and 500/500 for uninsured motorist). Could have probably dropped the insurance with lower selections but in a world like this I'd rather not.
Deductible: 1000 USD
Rental coverage: Yes
Others? I have other family drivers on the policy with clean record too.
Property/house coverage: I don't have any of my properties with Geico, and was told could have been even lower if I add any but I have a separate StateFarm policy for that part.
Other cars on the policy: Over time, I had 3 other vehicles (and now 2 other cars) on the same policy, and the insurance rate above has been the same, with similar coverage. The rate above is for the GLS only.
I was with State-farm about 1.5 years ago. Insurance premium coverage was same, and cost wasn't much higher.

 

Hello,

I agree regarding the wallowing suspension feel. I solved that problem my setting my individual setting for sport suspension but comfort for everything else. The ride is firmer but still supple. Unfortunately you need to select the 'individual' setting every ftme you start the car.

Barry

 

I would also suggest coding the “Maybach” drive mode. The very best balance without making the ride to firm. It merges the best of Sport with the best of Comfort drive mode in one.
@EleBest knows how to code it, and I think he did it for 2 other users here who reported/wrote about it before.

 

I have Maybach mode coded on my S Class, Maybach mode does not impact the suspension, just the engine drive feel. Suspension is comfort.

 

The wallow ride doesn’t bother me at all, as I don’t expect this 17 foot 2+ton German suv cow to ride like a tight and nimble rocket. I personally much prefer the old Lincoln continental reference. I know it’ll handle if asked in an emergency situation. But for the other 99.9% of the time, it’s a slow and easy cruise for me. I think the staggered wheels are cool looking, but that’s about it. The 315 wide rears are ridiculously wide. But look great. I wanted them to help insure the rear never passes the front.

 

I normally do too, but the GLS is a little too wallow-y for me...I would code it to default to individual and leave the ride in sport also...whereas in both my S Classes I love the comfort ride. You have the 21s I wonder if that makes a difference, the one I had for a week was on 20s.

 

I'll also add, regarding drive comfort, because the forum world is full of blank statements as usual, when coding your GLS make sure to take a note of the Maybach mode/sign for the suspension in that window. In my GLS, I can also feel the suspension react briefly when the mode is selected. The vehicle does not drop to the same height as Sport mode, but I can hear/see that something changes. The car feels more relaxed, yet still firm enough over bumpy roads. On highways the difference is less obvious and almost not much difference that I can tell, probably because Comfort mode already lowers the car at higher speeds.
Mercedes’ own GLS language also says: "MAYBACH" drive program is focused solely on driving comfort. It replaces the classic COMFORT program and is designed to provide maximum ride comfort ..//.. minimise the amplitude of suspension vibrations ..//.. only minimal body movements occur under the rear seats".
I also want to note that I do not have E-ABC on my 450, so my guess is that vehicles equipped with E-ABC may see even more benefit because there are additional suspension node that MAYBACH mode can tune per Mbenz language (i don't know for sure, but just a guess). But even on my non-E-ABC car, the vehicle seems to hold itself flat better during the same hard acceleration or braking, with less front-end dived or lift compared with the regular comfort mode. Close to sport with some allowable dive. That part was very obvious for me.
Steering felt exactly the same, but also the steering sign in the setting wouldn't change and will stay comfort regardless of the drive mode.


Great point, the staggered while is a headache but man.. looks sooooo good especially from behind. Regarding the wallow ride, that's what I love about the GLS, I can just change the driving dynamics and get what I need. When I had my X7, there was no option to enable that same type of boat/floaty feeling, which sometimes I like and prefer on rough roads. Having said that, the X7 did extremely well even when the chassis was calibrated to stay flat and firm with minimal floating (felt like magic). On mountain roads, the height of the GLS is very much needed and that floaty Comfort drive mode comes really handy. I think that's what makes the GLS so good when fully loaded with 7-8 passenger yet with a largo cargo-box on the roof, or pulling a trailer.

 

Interesting...S Class doesn't say that...



@EleBest is this something that is unique to the GLS vs the S Class, do you know?

I stand corrected.

 

Best way I can describe the difference would be to take a pencil, lay it on the table, grab the erasure and wiggle it without moving the erasure from its location. While the square stance would be more like holding the pencil in the middle and wiggling it. The staggered is still a wallow ride, but you can definitely feel it being planted in the rear while the front works to manage it. You can really notice the difference when riding in the back seat vs the front too. The rear is like riding in a limo, you hardly feel the wallow. But in the front (especially the driver), you absolutely notice it.

The rears are also a slightly lower profile on the sidewall (315/40) as compared to the front (275/45), so a little more side-to-side slack via sidewall on the front than the back.

I will say, the handling is surprisingly good though. Ours has never once wanted to "push" in a turn. I just grips and goes right where you point it to go. It grips more than one would expect for such a soft ride in a land yacht. You'd think it would want to push, but it just doesn't seem to do it. German trickery at play (and probably costs an extra $7,000 to repair.....)

 

Hi Steve,
Check individual mode, is there a Maybach suspension to choose?

 

Nope

 

does it come with the Maybach wallpaper and display themes?

 

Just to add to this, I spent time today in Maybach mode in my S580 and even though it doesn't say "Maybach" for suspension, it absolutely impacts the suspension in a positive way. Can't speak for the GLS but if you have issues with ride I would have it coded and try it. I posted a thread about it in the W223 forum if anybody is interersted.

 

When Elebest first coded mine, it was all Maybach everywhere. I later asked him to switch the “theme” and just the theme to regular for the infotainment screen, and AMG for the cluster. The Maybach drive mode for all modules remained accessible regardless of the wallpaper/display theme.