rumnyc

Walked into the Benz dealer and they have a deal on the last few 2019 GT53 they have in stock. It’s basically the same price as a cls53. Base model no options 19in wheels (which are fine for me).

This would be my daily driver and the other cars I am considering are all smaller like m3/m4 (cheaper), cayman s (cheaper), c63s couple (same price).

1) My current car is a BMW X5 40xdrivei m sport. The X5 while its heavy its quick (4.9sec 0-60) and the gt53 is 4.5sec so wondering if I will notice the gt53 being any faster? Would appreciate any feedback from anyone who has driver both the gt53 and any Bmw with the newer b58 engine.

2) I love the interior but one thing that bothers me is it has the older comand system. I heard the 2021 cars will be updated to mbux. Is this an issue? I have only used Bmw Idrive last 15 years and the current one is ok. There is CarPlay so most of the time i will use CarPlay for music and nav so i guess it shouldn’t matter much.

3) this car is big. Does it feel big? All the other cars i am considering are smaller. However, i am used to X5 so i guess anything car shaped would feel smaller...

NovaOne

I strongly recommend a test drive. The GT 4-door is not for everyone. It rides very firm by luxury car standards, and is supposed to appeal to people who desire a fairly sporty car.

Given the above, the GT 4-Door rides like a lighter car, and feels more athletic than its weight would otherwise indicate. The handling is very neutral, making for a really enjoyable drive.

You have to really want the extra edge. I really enjoy it, but even I was really surprise that Mercedes would build a sedan that rides this firmly.

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rumnyc

i do want a neutral car. Before this i was considering a cayman gt4 so i think this won’t be as firm as the gt4? Want i don’t want is a big floaty sedan thats just fast. I want to feel super stable while cornering on exit ramps and if the rear slides out it does in a linear way.

Before i moved to my current city, i used to track cars and have been to multiple racing schools so i am used to pushing cars to the limit with all aids turned off and appreciate neutral balanced cars.

NovaOne

Right, floaty this is not. This will probably not be as firm as the Cayman, but a lot of people see a "big Mercedes 4 door" and thinks it has to be quiet and cushy.

​​Hope you can get a great deal on one. I got 15k off of a 120k car back in December 2019. You should be getting another 5-10k off at this point.

rumnyc

yes my main concern is it is that I heard it’s based on cls chassis and it is a huge car and Bigger than the cls in all dimensions. The gt4 is our but now I am considering a 911 as well.

NovaOne

Yea, it is a sometimes-raised point by others to dump on the GT 4 door by pointing out that it is based on a E class chassis, I believe the E class wagon to be more precise. Sure, we would all like a 100k-200k car to be more bespoke but I believe in this case, the chassis is plenty capable after they massaged it. The proof is in the implementation I guess. Every review of the GT 4 Door gushes over it's handling and ability to put down power. I drove a 2020 E-class loaner for a week and it's two very very different cars. The CLS is closer to the E class than the GT 4 Door - one of the core reasons it is losing popularity over the past few years because it's "4 door coupe" shape is no longer distinctive and it lacks substance in driving dynamics to keep things interesting. Heck, look at the new E class, that is looking pretty aggressive.

Miken12

I would agree to everything that has been said so far. I have a GT63 and I would grade it as firm. Where I was surprised was how I can feel every small bump on the road. I was expecting a ride like on air but I guess I should’ve known better.

There is a big difference between COMAND and MBUX. My car was in the shop for a minor issue and they gave me a GLC 300 for a few days. The MBUX is a game changer. So much more intuitive. If it comes in MY 21, I’d hold off for it

NovaOne

I drove a GLE loaner for a few days that came with MBUX. I played with all of the different settings and etc. I was also very impressed with the update it represented over the old Command system. I especially like the additional ability to customize various screens. In the end, however, I didn't really find it to be that dramatic of a difference. Sure it's easier to get to the various settings, but it's the same settings - it's not like you get more features out of the car or infotainment system, and you are not going to be fiddling with it constantly on a daily basis. You are going to figure out the voice commands for most commonly used features and the Command system already does a great job as is with voice commands like "Driver massage on".

The biggest benefit I see is the augmented reality feature that pops up. This is truly a new and innovative feature that I wish I could have, because it takes the guesswork out of densely packed streets, star-shaped intersections, roundabout exits, and ramp/exit forks.

I guess I am doing a bit of sour grapes routing here. If you are going to spend >$100k on a car, go for the newest thing and don't skimp on features that you'd enjoy. What's $5k on the grand scheme of things?