how do you like it? are the backseats useful and comfortable?

my wife and i saw one at the dealer and we really like it. i picked a silver with black interior with nav, parktronics, stereo upgrade and power hatch. MSRP was around 63K. for a 39mo lease with 12k miles per year, they want 7500 drive off and 825 a month including tax. any opinion would be appreciated.

 

My honest opinion (W/O being biased), is the GL is the best SUV (besides the ML63) you can get right now. It is very roomy, you can haul a lot of kids/goods. They drive like a car, and they are a TRUE 7 passenger. If you are going to get it, consider getting the maintenance plan (where Benz will take car of the service with you paying X amount of dollars upfront) the way the prices on Benz parts are going up, it might be worth while depending on how much they want for it.

Jim

 

J,
all costomers i know that bought the car have be very happy with it. it's huge though.

 

200 in long!! will definitely need parktronic, or back camera! it is very nice and i definitely want it. but they are giving my way too little for the S4 and there is currently 2 people in my household!!

 

I bought a Premier Edition GL450 a few months ago and so far it has been great. It replaced a Denali XL so the decrease in space took a little getting used to but it's well worth the sacrifice in space. I ended up getting a large Yakima rooftop carrier that takes me about 5 min to install/remove when I need it.

 

The GL is amazing. Have driven it quite extensively. I found the car for my cousin. They were looking for the Q7 or that car... and they were coming from an X5 4.8is. I was expecting the Q7 to be a better car... but surprisingly its not. The engine feels stressed. The transmission isn't as smooth.. and curiously (though I think its because of the 7 speed transmission), the GL is quicker. You will be very happy with the GL. One thing to note though... I suggest finding a car with the off-road package. We got one of those. Another family member has one without it... and it doesn't ride as well. Also, if you are interested in the bluetooth and ipod additions... get them to install it before you pick it up. They don't tell you about that. The car is ready for them... but you need the modules. Oh, and get a black interior. The contrasting stitching that we have on the silver/black car makes the interior so much nicer! Much more elegant. It drives great! Hope that helps.

 

robert,
funny u mentioned it. i was in the mood so i went to test drive the new Escalade. thought it looks cool with decent wheel etc. but that was it. the difference between German & American was not funny. wasn't trying to compare apple to orange at all but i could stop laughing on the way home. been loving the Cayenne more ever since. GL is a no-brainer. i still think there's no other brand makes better family car than Mercedes.

 

MARCEDES - with a A with foreign accent.

 

Just Leased one yesterday, Sticker was $65K, P1 Luxury package, Rear Seat DVD's (for the Kiddies), and Sunroof package, silver with black leather.

Lease, $2400 down (including first payment, and DMV fees[$450]) 12,000 per year, 39 month lease, payment of $930 with tax included, I think the pre-tax payment's $870, not sure.

They're shipping it out to So Cal from AZ. Traded in an '04 Yukon Denali. That was a good vehicle, no complaints.

I'll let you know how it goes. Glad to hear everyone's experiences have been positive so far.

 

It just looks so ugly!

 

I posted this on MBworld. We just traded in our ML55 last week on a GL. Here are my initial thoughts:

1. The GL is a night and day improvement (in every way) over the ML.
2. The ride is not choppy (truck like). Very smooth, but not floaty. Especially on the highway. Obviously it is not as stiff as the 55 but it handles well.
3. The turning radius is just as good as the ML.
4. Parking the GL has taken some getting use to. The Parktronic is helpful. I would recommend the review camera option.
5. The interior is absolutely beautiful & comfy. Seats are perfect. Even the 3rd row. Go for the sunroof option.
6. Performance. This surprised me. The GL will out brake and is just as quick if not quicker than the 55. Granted it does not have the torque that the 55 had but the motor pulls hard in the upper rpms and the 7 speed tranny makes sure it is in its power band. Big thumbs up on the 7 speed.
7. Gas mileage (so far) has been +2-3 miles better than the 55.

MB did a great job on this (dare I say) "truck". Highly recommend.

Go drive one.

Now I just need to find time for Arling to do some mods to the 55 and the GL!!!!

 

I'd prefer it to look more like a bigger ML. Saw a ML63 there (Caliber Motors in Anaheim). Didn't test drive, if I did it would have been game over, and my wife'd be driving a 505hp $93,000 SUV right now.

 

that sounds like a great deal. do you mind telling me, or PM which dealership? thanks.

 

Caliber in Anaheim Hills. Ken Nam is my sales guy. Good guy. I serviced my E55 there for three years, they always took real good care of me.

 

I have a premier edition and I love it! It even tows my 996 Cup with ease. Of all the cars I drive it the most.