bzliteyear

having been very happy with our 2006 R500 with 50.5k miles, i happened to be at the MB dealer today and test drove the GL550 today - 09 model, $82k.

it was a very nice car, very comfortable, solid, and felt nimble/powerful - more so than our 2006 R500.

not sure if it's my imagination, but the GL550 felt a bit floaty while driving on the hwy compared w/ the R500. it surprised me, the GL550 steering felt looser than R500. that said, the 382 hp engine felt much better/smoother/silkier than the R500's old 302 hp.

my $.02.

p.s. not sure about the measurements, but there's definitely more leg room in the 2nd AND the 3rd row in teh R-class vs. the GL.

Patrick

JTReeves

Patrick,

Thanks for sharing this. I have an 07 R500. I saw a GL on the road yesterday and noticed that it was a 550. I fantasized about an engine swap so I could get the extra power. The size and shape of the GL remind me of the Toyota 4Runner and the Nissan WhateverItsCalled - Armada. Their style is in-your-face BIG. The GL, by contrast, has simpler, more elegant lines and the mass is understated, avoiding the muscular bulges on the other two vehicles. When I consider how easy it is to get speeding tickets in the R, I don't really "need" more power. However, I can easily imagine the feeling of acceleration from the additional horses in the larger engine when overtaking or merging into a quickly moving stream of traffic.

JR

lkchris

Just think, if you lived in the UK you could have an R-class with the new 5.5 engine. It would still be called R500, as 550 is only used in the USA. In fact, in the UK, the 5.5 is the only petrol engine you can get, but you can get two different diesels.

http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/cont...nicaldata.html

bzliteyear

i've been thinking about GL550 engine a lot since yday...our R500's 5.0 liter V8 sounds very rough in comparison, esp between 2-3k rpm.
has anyone else experienced this?
i took this to 2 different MB dealer and both say that is normal.
i've not driven any other R500's(perhaps i should).
has anyone felt that it's rough engine sound between 2-3k rpm?
p.s. got my 2002 S55 w/ 106k miles back today...it's soooo silky smooth. why can't the R500 V8 be that smooth.
Patrick

davidbho

usually when it's cold...but goes away after it's warm. U know what else, it's a lot smoother when you drive it on "C" insteand of sport.

bzliteyear

ok - so i feel like the biggest idiot.

after test driving the GL550 and feeling it was more nimble, i started thinking that perhaps our R500 was in the C - comfort setting, and not in Sport. for some reason, i thought of this as similar to BMW's D vs. S(port).

perhaps i should have read the owner's manual, but my logic was that in all my 6-8 prior MB's, i've always had the transmission on S - vs. the "W - wet setting." i realized that the W was in the 2nd gear start, and mainly for wet/snow. However, for some reason, i did not make the connection that C was the same as the W before - and NOT like the regular "D-drive" for the BMW.


anyways, just in case there's ONE other person out there who's still in the "comfort" setting, i thought i'd share my pseudo-embarrassing revelation.

PL

BigFred

I just read an old Car and Driver article on the GL430 when it first came out. They reported that the GL rode smooother and softer than the R and ML, so it wasn't your imagination.

Franman

can't speak for the R as I haven't driven it, but the GL550 def provides ample power with a comfortable ride. Passing is a cinch and way to easy to drive faster than you should be w/o noticing it. Needs some kind of 'alarm' to go off at a speed to be set by the driver. I know I could use cruise control, but I have a complex that whenever I turn on cruise control on a clear interstate, traffic suddenly appears out of nowhere and causes me to turn it off.

lkchris

GL450

Airmatic is standard on GLs, optional on R and M.

lkchris

Just an FYI: last time I checked there is only one tire (Continental) available in the GL550 size. Tirerack price is $410 each.

Franman

I think that's still the case. I'm hoping there's more options in the near future as I've heard from other 550 owners that these treads only last around 20k miles.

I'm happy with my Contis so far but dreading paying $1600 for a new set w/o no alternatives