How can you tell the difference - 550 vs 350?
Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 204
Likes: 52
From: Calgary
GLE63S 2016
I guess I meant why 2 of the same car. Get a 911 or s6 for the wife. Mix it up a little, life is short. If you need 2 trucks, why not a Range Rover try something different. They have super cheap leases. Also with the refresh coming in a few months, this car will be old fast. I'll sell you mine. Had it for 10 months and would get a new car in heartbeat. 20 months is about my cut off.
Besides, my friend bought two new RR's for each of his twin boys for them to attend University (they drive in from a rural property). Each of them had a terrible experience with their RR's - as each of them spent at least 3 of the 1st 12 months in the shop while they had to drive rentals. The problem with the RR's appears to be that you need to buy two of them - one for home and one for the shop (or parts).
I need reliability, and the British don't seem to have that reliability problem licked yet. Perhaps Tata motors will bring some good things to RR. I really didn't like the Porsche Cayenne, as the lower models are really cheap and plastic looking. The Audi's look nice on the outside, but I found them to provide a terribly uncomfortable driving experience.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 53
Likes: 1
From: Littleton Colorado
ML550
That's a great question! The problem is that we live in Calgary....which means that we can switch from a beautifully warm sunny day to a brutal snowstorm and a temperature drop of over 30 degrees within hours. And during THAT, we have to often drive kids to/from various lessons and sports. A car just doesn't often cut it this close to the Rockies...
Last edited by ColoML550; Oct 29, 2014 at 11:11 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 355
Likes: 2
2013 ML 550, CLK63 AMG, 2012 E350 4MATIC
I drove my kid about 1000 miles a week for hockey, and for a goalie we needed the space of an SUV. We had to be safe in any conditions and an AWD suv always worked great for us.
Now that she's off to school, I'm rethinking my AWD SUV stubborness. My road is impassable due to snow probably 10 or 20 days a year (meaning I can't get up the hill in front of my house without awd)...so why am I limiting myself to AWD for that 7% of the time I MUST have it, especially when I have a beater F250 in the driveway.
interesting to hear about someone living in snow country with a RWD high horsepower car...sounds like ice racing to me.
Now that she's off to school, I'm rethinking my AWD SUV stubborness. My road is impassable due to snow probably 10 or 20 days a year (meaning I can't get up the hill in front of my house without awd)...so why am I limiting myself to AWD for that 7% of the time I MUST have it, especially when I have a beater F250 in the driveway.
interesting to hear about someone living in snow country with a RWD high horsepower car...sounds like ice racing to me.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 53
Likes: 1
From: Littleton Colorado
ML550
I drove my kid about 1000 miles a week for hockey, and for a goalie we needed the space of an SUV. We had to be safe in any conditions and an AWD suv always worked great for us.
Now that she's off to school, I'm rethinking my AWD SUV stubborness. My road is impassable due to snow probably 10 or 20 days a year (meaning I can't get up the hill in front of my house without awd)...so why am I limiting myself to AWD for that 7% of the time I MUST have it, especially when I have a beater F250 in the driveway.
interesting to hear about someone living in snow country with a RWD high horsepower car...sounds like ice racing to me.
Now that she's off to school, I'm rethinking my AWD SUV stubborness. My road is impassable due to snow probably 10 or 20 days a year (meaning I can't get up the hill in front of my house without awd)...so why am I limiting myself to AWD for that 7% of the time I MUST have it, especially when I have a beater F250 in the driveway.
interesting to hear about someone living in snow country with a RWD high horsepower car...sounds like ice racing to me.
Before the ML I did have a Toyota Sequoia. On the REALLY bad days I'd drive that. I'm born and raised in Colorado. Back in the 80's my first car was a 1976 Camaro. Think about that for a minute! a 16-year old driving that in the winter - no trac/ABS back then. ...and I'm alive to tell about it!
I need a little variety in my cars. I think I'd personally get tired of having 2 of the same car. It seems like today you can get about anything with AWD.
Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 204
Likes: 52
From: Calgary
GLE63S 2016
Undoubtedly true about snow tires. I've never owned a set before. $2000 each to put them on the ML's, but apparently indispensable for winter driving. I put a set on my daughter's Cruz for her for University. I think that they make a huge difference. I grew up driving a '69 Malibu with bald tires through the winters here in Calgary. Problem now is that the population has swelled from 250k to over 1.5M - and they all seem to drive crappy minivans with bald tires! ;-).
MB needs to come out with electromagnetic cushions that stop oncoming vehicles. Or an optional missile launcher.
MB needs to come out with electromagnetic cushions that stop oncoming vehicles. Or an optional missile launcher.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 355
Likes: 2
2013 ML 550, CLK63 AMG, 2012 E350 4MATIC
Undoubtedly true about snow tires. I've never owned a set before. $2000 each to put them on the ML's, but apparently indispensable for winter driving. I put a set on my daughter's Cruz for her for University. I think that they make a huge difference. I grew up driving a '69 Malibu with bald tires through the winters here in Calgary. Problem now is that the population has swelled from 250k to over 1.5M - and they all seem to drive crappy minivans with bald tires! ;-).
MB needs to come out with electromagnetic cushions that stop oncoming vehicles. Or an optional missile launcher.
MB needs to come out with electromagnetic cushions that stop oncoming vehicles. Or an optional missile launcher.
Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 204
Likes: 52
From: Calgary
GLE63S 2016
Seriously though - the winter driving in Calgary can get super nasty. Last winter, we had 3 ft of snow overnight on the driveway with super slick ice underneath. Actually, much of the winter seemed to be like that in recent years. I'll have to send the global warming alarmists a memo on that.
I think that the traction control on the ML's on the "snow" setting must be remarkable. I have that feature in the Escalades and I am almost incapable of spinning a donut in my cresent as is my time honoured custom in nasty snow. The sales guy told me that the ML's are unreal in terms of deep snow/ice performance, especially with the snow tires that Mercedes recommends.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 714
Likes: 10
From: Los Angeles
2025 Panamera GTS
That's a great question! The problem is that we live in Calgary....which means that we can switch from a beautifully warm sunny day to a brutal snowstorm and a temperature drop of over 30 degrees within hours. And during THAT, we have to often drive kids to/from various lessons and sports. A car just doesn't often cut it this close to the Rockies - though many may disagree with me. I looked at a Range Rover in Calgary and was shocked at the price. The properly configured vehicle cost about $180,000.00 with tax and not every one of the nice options available. The monthly lease cost for the RR came in at over $3000 per month, which was more than I was willing to pay.
Besides, my friend bought two new RR's for each of his twin boys for them to attend University (they drive in from a rural property). Each of them had a terrible experience with their RR's - as each of them spent at least 3 of the 1st 12 months in the shop while they had to drive rentals. The problem with the RR's appears to be that you need to buy two of them - one for home and one for the shop (or parts).
I need reliability, and the British don't seem to have that reliability problem licked yet. Perhaps Tata motors will bring some good things to RR. I really didn't like the Porsche Cayenne, as the lower models are really cheap and plastic looking. The Audi's look nice on the outside, but I found them to provide a terribly uncomfortable driving experience.
Besides, my friend bought two new RR's for each of his twin boys for them to attend University (they drive in from a rural property). Each of them had a terrible experience with their RR's - as each of them spent at least 3 of the 1st 12 months in the shop while they had to drive rentals. The problem with the RR's appears to be that you need to buy two of them - one for home and one for the shop (or parts).
I need reliability, and the British don't seem to have that reliability problem licked yet. Perhaps Tata motors will bring some good things to RR. I really didn't like the Porsche Cayenne, as the lower models are really cheap and plastic looking. The Audi's look nice on the outside, but I found them to provide a terribly uncomfortable driving experience.
Last edited by jtorrebl; Nov 1, 2014 at 04:49 AM.
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 204
Likes: 52
From: Calgary
GLE63S 2016
.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 355
Likes: 2
2013 ML 550, CLK63 AMG, 2012 E350 4MATIC
We test drove the Q7 in Phoenix recently, and I was really surprised at the really crappy ride quality. The salesperson called it "road feel", and she was surprised when I scooted under the vehicle to check out the suspension system. It looked to me lie the Q7 only had a couple of crappy leaf springs in the back. Not at all what I would have expected from Audi in an expensive car like that. I was also disappointed with the Cayenne, which had a similar poor quality ride that was sold, again, as "road feel". Acceleration in the Cayenne was okay, but not even close to the ML63 or even the ML550. I was again surprised. .
.Anyway, the whole interior and ride said "volkswagen" to me, not "porsche"(which is where it's priced). The thing that pissed me off was no motorized/memory steering column. not one q5 I looked at had it.
Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 204
Likes: 52
From: Calgary
GLE63S 2016
I suppose that this is one approach to marketing strategy. I have a friend that bought a Q7 in Phoenix to drive around at his house down there. After only a week, he had had enough and now he's getting rid of it. His explanation is that he got sold on the "story" of the thing as well as the external looks. I must agree with him that the Audi's have a great exterior appearance. I think that the cars are probably quite nice, but their large Q7 is really a disappointment. I think he's looking at an ML now.
