samuelri

I'm considering both of these vehicles; mileage and price are approximately the same.

My own research indicates that this is about the time for the airmatic suspension to fail on the GL. Does the same hold true for the S-class?

Are there any other considerations?

In short, which would you purchase?

Thanks in advance.

superpop

Two totally different vehicles. One is a luxury sedan, the other is an SUV. Drive both and pick one. Both are going to be expensive to own.

T.H.Carrera

I would pick the s550, I have so far not found a substitute for this car.

1bad540

what are the details? Options miles price?

JDowney

I test drove the S, GL and ML; and then I selected the S350 and have not regretted it.




However, all things were not equal; there were significant pricing differences and some options. Believe it or not the S350 had the fewest option packages, but still more than worth the price (most expensive), quietest vehicle I have ever been in, etc...

BenzV12

Airmatic suspension will fail no matter what model you pick .Arnotts albeit being an aftermarket product can save you from massive repair bill, at least on paper but I think I still would go for OEM
What car to opt from ? Answer is simple , W221 S Class , it's the Mercedes-Benz of The Mercedes - Benz . You would choose the GL if your household is as crowded as Manhattan

mercedesbenzs55

The gl will not give you the driving pleasure like the S.

Drives550

From my bit of research in the past, for whatever reason I came to the conclusion that the GL seemed more trouble prone than the S. But, I was looking a few years ago, so that may or may not be the case today. In the Airmatic question - I've not seen a lot of posts on Airmatic failure per-se, certainly nothing like the posts on various vibrations (mounts); transmission valve bodies; general electronic gremlins.

But, I think generally the advice so far holds true: both are potentially expensive to operate. If the GL is more so, it's probably not a difference enough to matter. I would advise a warranty for either.

Have you driven them? I drove a GL a few years; I was not as impressed as I wanted to be. It didn't feel like the "S Class" of sport ute's to me.

As well, would largely depend on your intended uses. I haul 2 little kids in my S. It's good for that (they can't kick my seat backs; I can control the sun shades, climate control; they're far enough away to help keep me sane, but still reachable if need be). But, I'll say the rear doors are long and that's sometimes a bit inconvenient. Trunk is big enough for most things, but not necessarily for chattel-heavy vacations. The GL has a third-row, yes? If that matters ...