buckeyewalt

Guys, Current owner of a BMW X5 50i, looking to get back to MB via ML550.
I used to have a 2007 E63 and had it for 3 years, left because of a dispute I had with the SA over noisy brakes. Bought my BMW then and now the warranty is almost over and looking to get into another SUV. Looked at the GL, but that was too big, and the ML63 to $$$$$$$, so it looks like the ML it is. Question, how is everybody with the 4.6 engine doing in terms of reliability? I have not driven any of the twin-turbo engines so I really don't know how they perform. Last question, I sat down with a dealer today and put together some specs for the vehicle, his response was "can we order it for you today"?, I replied, if we can get a good deal going, he looked at me and didn't respond, so I assume he is trying to sell at MSRP. How lucky were guys at getting a deal on one.

Thanks to all.....

2012MLBlue

All I can tell you is I love my 550. I look forward to driving it every day, even after 20 months of problem free ownership.

Any specific questions let me know.

cmginc

Agreed... I am eight months into my ML550 and have no complaints. Good luck!

buckeyewalt

A few questions if you don't mind..

When I had my E63, I had issues with a stumble off idle. In other words when you pressed the accelerator it had a slight bog before it caught on. The "story" I was almost everything under the sun from my dealer, went to another dealer they had issues with it also but said that MB could do nothing about it. What is the drivability with the MB?

Question about the mileage. I know having a vehicle like this I can't expect great mileage, but according to the EPA ratings, it's less than my 50i!!

One thing in MB's favor is a change of vehicles. The new 50i is almost the same body, except for a different front and rear and a slight reworked interior. I was impressed with the MB interior and the seats in particular which BMW really has hard seats.

Finally, did you get a good deal, or didn't they budge much off of sticker.

Thanks...

2012MLBlue

Zero stumble off idle. Totally smooth. I believe the transmission normally starts in 2nd gear unless using the paddles and you downshift to 1st.

Fuel economy isn't great. I am averaging 14.4 L/100 KM which is 16.4 MPG. Granted my commute for most of the 20 months was driving along a busy road with a lot of red lights and traffic. I am now taking the highway since buying a new office building this year and seeing a 15-20% improvement. My annual fuel bill is insignificant to me but I still track economy as I am a numbers guy who loves detail. I probably wouldn't have chosen the 550 if I had a long commute or was taking it on long drives all the time but I only fill up once a month! I had an 08 ML320 CDI that had incredible fuel economy when I used to have a longer commute.

Seats are a 10/10. I do know BMW makes great seats too - I once drove 22 hours straight in an X3 and was so amazed at the long term comfort of those seats. I haven't done any crazy drives in the 550 yet but may take it to my house in Florida next year which would be two 12 hour days.

Price? I am probably paying too much. I initially leased a 2012 Bluetec and had problems with cold engine acceleration. After almost getting killed in an intersection due to that problem Mercedes agreed to let me move up into the 550 with no penalty other than the increased lease rate. I was so happy to get out of the Bluetec I probably didn't work them on price hard enough. Again, cost is insignificant and through my company anyways.

buckeyewalt

Thanks a lot for the update. I'll call the dealer and set-up a time to test drive. Fuel economy still might be an issue since most of my driving will be short and around town. Living in Tennessee (transplant from Ohio), you really don't have too many choices on dealers. I have 2 and both are about 2 hours away, so reliability is a key issue for me. I know that some issues you can't help, but I'm just talking about the day to day issues which some people take the car into the shop and pick it up later, I would have a hard time doing that. I'll post when I complete my test drive and see what kind of deal I can make!

Thanks Again....

cmginc

The transmission "stumble" is an AMG transmission issue - all of my 63's have had it. It has to do with the lack of a torque converter in AMG transmissions. This issue is not present in mainline 7G Mercedes transmissions.

I get about 22MPG highway. In city it is closer to 14 but that is on the gas a lot, so I expect it.

Seats are amazing, especially with the Multi-Contour option.

Finally, with regard to price, I am very happy with my dealer and the pricing extended. I can provide you more detail if you want via PM.

Good luck!

buckeyewalt

If I'm not mistaken, the first E63 didn't have the "AMG" transmission, IE: wet clutch instead of a torque converter. Since being away from the MB family, all I have had were BMW's so I'm not really up to date on the bi-turbo engine in the 550 and really don't what to expect except what I read on the boards. So any input about the motor and drivability would be a great help. I already know looking at the interior at the dealers how good it is.

Snipe656

I shopped for a 550 for a long time and talked to quite a few dealers. I could not get any of them to budge next to any on pricing. The typical line I got from dealers was they do not get many 550s and they are in high demand ... not something I ever bought into since would see 550s sitting on lots for a very long time so clearly people were not running over each other to get them. I even went and joined USAA since my dad uses them for his insurance, joined them specifically so I could at least get their discounted pricing on a 550. I ultimately did not get a 550 and instead a 350 BT but it was because I knew in about 2 years I would need to get a car and got the BT for a lot off MSRP. The big appeal to the 550 was the engine, after driving one, so figured in 2 years instead I will get a more performance orientated car and keep this BT for the daily needs it meets today.

So anyway best of luck in negotiating a good price on one, I had zero luck with it but I probably am not the best of negotiators.

buckeyewalt

Thanks for your response. Yeah I am kinda feeling the same thing when I spoke with the salesman even though he didn't come right out and say that they don't deal. Being in the area that you are, you probably have several dealers to choose from, I have 2 and both are about 2 hours away! I am really looking hard at the 550 as the vehicle that I want, but if I can't get a deal, rather than paying MSRP or even above, I'll just go back to the X5 50i which I really wanted to do a change-up in vehicles, but I won't buy something just to buy something unless I feel that it's a good deal for the both of us because I understand that the dealer/salesperson do need to make some money also. This is the part of the process that I dislike the most!

Snipe656

I can't remember if for the 550 I talked to any dealers out of state from me. I know that I was seriously considering buying a 550 sitting on the lot at a dealership 210 miles away from me. The dealers(5 of them) here in Houston were not going to budge with the pricing. I was down to either that 550 or one of three Cayenne S demo units(one year old SUVs but all under 500 miles on them). But as I said I changed my mind on reasons for my purchase.

Might be worth looking into out of state dealers, never do know might be one sitting on a lot that is optioned how you would like it to be. I ultimately bought my BT from a dealer roughly 1100 miles from me because of the cost savings. Of course the fact I was able to fly up there and get a hotel halfway home all for free did help offset things but I believe I paid a good $10k less than anything I found here in town. I got lucky though in that I stumbled upon a BT that been on a lot for well over 100 days and they wanted to move it before the quarter was up.

buckeyewalt

I actually thought abut looking out of state for a vehicle, but then thought if I used the local dealer for service or warranty, they probably wouldn't give me a loaner saying it was for their customers only and living 2 hours away, this wouldn't be acceptable! I'll go the local dealer route first going to both dealers and see which one I feel wants to deal. Then we'll see after that. If things go south, there is always the bimmer route left, but I would rather have a change up in vehicles.

Snipe656

Just call the service department pretending to own a Mercedes that needs service and ask if you can get a loaner. I have yet to run into a Mercedes or BMW dealer that would not give me loaners even though I did not buy cars from them. I though have read about people running into that before.

cmginc

While the W211 E63 did have the first-gen AMG 7G-tronic, you are right, it had a torque converter. I still had some weird stumble issues there but both my C63 and W212 E63 have had numerous issues with the wet-clutch design.

As for my ML550, overall it is the best Mercedes Benz I have had the fortune of owning. The right balance of performance, luxury, comfort and utility.

buckeyewalt

I not only had the "stumble issue", but also noisy brakes which the dealer did not want to fix even though MB authorized it. Long drawn out battle which I will never forget. I really like the ML550, going for a test drive next week and talk deal!

red308

I don't have the ML550, just the 350. We love the 350.

But I have been driving the twin turbo 4.6 motor in my SL for about a year now. It is the best motor I have ever had in any of my cars. Torque galore. Very high mpg for a heavy luxo tourer. Did 27 mpg on long haul trip. Almost got the SL63 but decided that the motor in the 550 was more than satisfactory.

The ML550 uses the 7 speed torque converter trannie. I don't think you'll see any flat spots in the acceleration.

buckeyewalt

Thank You for your assessment of the ML 350 and the 4.6 engine. I was scheduled to test a 550 BUT the dealer was "mistaken" and only had a 350 in stock. I don't know about anyone else, but I kind of liked to see what's in a 550 before I fork over my money for this vehicle. I also would like to test drive one also to see how the engine/drivetrain work together. I noticed on the board here that there were members who have had hard shifting transmissions in their 550 and I wanted to see if there was any reason for that .The dealer is planning on having a ML550 in stock sometime in January, so I guess I'll just wait until then.

Snipe656

The whole reason I went and test drove an ML550 was because I could not stand how the transmissions worked in the ML350 BT. I was extremely happy with how the engine/trans in the 550 worked together though. I do not blame you for wanting to test drive one though. It kind of amazes me how some cars that I think will be exactly what I want turn out to have something I just do not like about them. The E63 was an example of that back when we were looking for one for my wife.

ChrisMclass

Funny you mention that because we test drove a lot of cars (most not MB) before settling on the ML63 and I was very disappointed in how those cars rode or felt.
Case in point the new Maserati Ghibli SQ4, my wife wasn't sure if she wanted a sport sedan or an suv again so we drove it. It has some great reviews and we waited forever to get the chance to drive it. When we did we BOTH felt like we were wore out after 20 minutes of driving it. No way we could live with a car like that! Don't get me wrong its a great car but I think a combination of the driving position coupled with the windshield view and how the trans shifted did us in!

Do not take anyone's word for it when it comes to purchasing a car, definitely drive it for yourself, drive everything you can before making a decision.

Snipe656

I know someone who insisted they wanted an Aston Martin(think it was a DB9) and finally found the one he had to have. He bought it without seeing it in person and had it shipped here in town. He did not get a few miles down the road before he decided he HATED the thing.

I find I need to drive a car 12-20 miles before have a decent feeling on if I will like owning it. Only crappy thing is a lot of dealers here in town are in areas with perfect roads and give a false impression of how the vehicles ride on more "typical" Houston roads.

buckeyewalt

Oh how right you guys are! I bought an E63 the first year they came out, thought with the engine and tuning possibilities this thing would be a beast. Well fast forward to issues with the motor and the transmission as soon as I took delivery and I vowed that I would never buy a vehicle without test driving it, not just a lower class like 350 vs 550 but the actual vehicle itself. Lesson learned!!!!!

sker66

Red308 Can you give us a brief comparison from your non turbo ML550 to the Twin turbo you had most currently. Which was more trouble free?