Any Negatives to the GL?

[StephenK]

What about the GL, do you not like????

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[BeanCounter]

There's really not a lot to dislike on the GL's. It is really a great car/truck and drives as good as anything I have owned. My only complaints are the stereo system (it's ok but nothing special) and the seats could be little more comfortable (I have the standard seats). These are really only minor complaints and in no way would affect me from buying another one. Assuming it proves reliable over the next three to four years I will most likely get another one.

[BeanCounter]

One more thing, having the battery under the passenger seat doesn't thrill me either...........

[Nevada Jack]

Originally Posted by StephenK

What about the GL, do you not like????

At this point in time I have no complaints. Went from a S550 to the GL and I am perfectly content. I miss some of the goodie features on the S Class but not enough to bother me.

The ride is much better than I had expected. The fit and finish is the best and the quality of the components is excellent. All in all a great Mercedes Benz product...I am well pleased!

[Newbie_2_MB]

I'm very happy with the ride of the GL. I do wish the seats had a heat/cool option instead of just heat. I also wish the center console was a bit larger. I had a Ford Expedition before the GL and the center console was great. I don't think the sound system is anything to write home about, either.

[nantucketsleigh]

My GL feels tippy in turns and feels sloppy in lane changes. My 450 does not have ADSII, in my view it really needs ADSII and it should be standard. My wife, the pricipal driver, thinks it feels fine.

[blittle]

1. I have the "multi contour seats" and they are not much more comfortable than the standard seats

2. The Nav system is minimal compared to some others out there


Aside from the above.........it is the finest AWD suv I have owned ( many )in both functionality and quality

[sraj]

Have only had it for a week, totally impressed except for:

1) needs seat ventilation
2) also would like solar glass option in GL550
3) not much storage space
4) Sirius sound quality not so good (but my iPod sounds great; haven't listened to CD's)
5) still getting used to steering; effort is light like a luxury car, but seems to be pretty responsive and precise

[oknish]

Originally Posted by sraj

not much storage space

1. Look under the floor behind 3 row seat and you will find a cavernous spare tire compartment. I have a bunch stowed in there.
2. In the rear, behind the driver's side 3rd row seat, open the "First Aid" compartment. Some room there.
3. All doors have pockets that can handle a bunch.
4. Compared to my Prelude, the jockey box is monstrous

[axchung]

I was surprised it doesn't have childproof doorlocks. My 5year old daughter is able to open the door from her car seat easily.She was never able to do that on my Range Rover. I know is not mandatory to have such locks but MB should have known that the GL would be a "family" car (meaning kids).

[85mm]

Originally Posted by axchung

I was surprised it doesn't have childproof doorlocks. My 5year old daughter is able to open the door from her car seat easily.She was never able to do that on my Range Rover. I know is not mandatory to have such locks but MB should have known that the GL would be a "family" car (meaning kids).

I was looking for the switch on the door myself the other day and was also surprised it wasn't there. I figured there was some electronic feature I needed to read on. How could they leave this out on a mom-mobile?

Back to the original question. I love this car but have raised a couple things I hope MB looks into in the future when compared to my economy car.

1. Nav needs updating. It's slow, needs thouch screen, and should be a little easier to use. I really like how it doesn't make you push an 'ok' button before every start up though.

2. Needs more bins for my sunglasses, wallet, cell phone, pile of napkins for the kids, transponder and spare change. It all fits in the arm rest but it's hard to dig stuff out while driving.

3. ipod integration sound quality is not good.

4. satelite radio reception is ok

5. rear seat entertainment controls is tough for toddlers

6. i wish the bugaboo could fit upright without being disassembled.

7. if you wear jeans often, get the black interior. our ash gets stained quickly and needs frequent washing.

Back to some pluses. I love how safe I feel when our family rides in it. Beautiful design. Comfortable ride. Great power. My wife and I always say how much we like driving it.

[rkao]

Originally Posted by axchung

I was surprised it doesn't have childproof doorlocks. My 5year old daughter is able to open the door from her car seat easily.She was never able to do that on my Range Rover. I know is not mandatory to have such locks but MB should have known that the GL would be a "family" car (meaning kids).

Yikes! We're considering a GL in a few months but this piece of news is not a welcomed one...can it be true?

We have a toddler and if she can open the door from her seat then we're in trouble...

[oknish]

This subject has come up before also and if you do a search on it you will see a wealth of information.

I also have young kids and this was a great concern to me too when we got the GL. However, IMO, this concern is alleviated in the GL design. What happens is that if doors are locked (lock knob pressed down) then rear doors cannot be opened from the inside. There is a dash menu setting that allows doors to be locked automatically and it locks doors when you go over 10 MPH. So what happens is that doors lock automatically and then they cannot be opened from inside in the rear. To unlock, a front door has to be opened or car has to be centrally unlocked from the front. This effectively prevents little ones from opening the doors when car is in motion.

As I understand, the reason for this is safety (believe it or not). So, in case (God forbid) someone is in a wreck with people in the back then they can let themselves out without waiting for someone else to come open the door. And, yes, door locks do open automatically in such cases.

Hope that helps a bit for those of you with young 'uns and GLs.

It also helps if kids are aware of why they shouldn't open the doors. Ever.

[Nevada Jack]

Originally Posted by rkao

Yikes! We're considering a GL in a few months but this piece of news is not a welcomed one...can it be true?

We have a toddler and if she can open the door from her seat then we're in trouble...

Do a search on childproof door locks. This has been discussed and I just cannot remember the outcome or the reason. However, you can lock all the doors automatically or with the switch on the drivers door.

[dsunnym1]

550 is a great vehicale.

The only complaits i have are as follow,

Previouslly owning a 06 Range Rover
I have to say that the Rover had the following
over the 550

1. Not happy with the way the 550 handles the bumps and
pot holes.....The Rover cushioned these with its air suspension where the
550 handles them more like a car then a SUV .

2.with heavy rains here in Florida the Rover felt much
more safe then the 550..... With the Rover hydroplating
was non existing! Hitting a heavy puddle with the 550 again feels more as if it
were a sedan then a SUV.

Mercedes did a tramendous job with the 550
but I thik they might have made it drive and act a bit

too much like a car IMO.......after all its suppose to be a SUV !

[ReachWest]

I've only had my GL450 for a week and so far there is a whole lot to like.

Positives:
• Agree with Nevada Jack, fit and finish is first class.
• Ride is fabulous. City and Hwy. (Like the ADS to adjust ride feel)
• Great body design (its subjective, but I really like it)
• Integrated running boards are the best I've seen or had on any SUV.
• Power - I've got the GL450 and its got ample power for my needs.
• Interior comfort is first class - best SUV I've had.

Couple of Minor Negatives:
• No block heater (big deal for me).
• Visibility while backing-up is not great. Back-up camera helps alot.

[mbslk350]

I wish it had ventilated seats. The NAV is only OK but voice control helps.

On the plus side, it's quiet and comfortable on the highway. I was reminded of this fact when driving my SLK350 for 220 highway miles today. Man, the SLK was noisy at 70 mph! I've been spoiled by the GL at highway speeds and never realized how quiet it rides.

[scottybdiving]

Pros
Feels like a truck, drives like more like a car.
Transmission is silky smooth.
Power to fuel economy is exceptional.
A real pleasure to drive.
Trim and finish is exquisite, inside and out.
Very roomy in all three seats.


Cons
TPMS (USA) does not give tire pressure, it only alerts you if there is a drop in pressure.
Side Mirrors are too small.
iPod integration is through the DIC not the command center.

[Newbie_2_MB]

Originally Posted by mbslk350

On the plus side, it's quiet and comfortable on the highway. I was reminded of this fact when driving my SLK350 for 220 highway miles today. Man, the SLK was noisy at 70 mph! I've been spoiled by the GL at highway speeds and never realized how quiet it rides.

I had a C230 the other week as a loaner from my dealership and was surprised at how much more road noise I heard in that car vs. my GL.

[ReachWest]

Originally Posted by BeanCounter

One more thing, having the battery under the passenger seat doesn't thrill me either...........

I wan't aware that the battery was under the seat until I read this post. I just thumbed through that section of the user manual and am amazed at how "unfriendly" battery access sounds to be. (It mentions cutting the carpet to pull the carpet back under the seat.)

I guess MB figures you shouldn't need to ever access the battery. For me it will have to be something done by MB service.

[Nevada Jack]

Originally Posted by ReachWest

I wan't aware that the battery was under the seat until I read this post. I just thumbed through that section of the user manual and am amazed at how "unfriendly" battery access sounds to be. (It mentions cutting the carpet to pull the carpet back under the seat.)

I guess MB figures you shouldn't need to ever access the battery. For me it will have to be something done by MB service.

A Tip: if you have a battery problem call teleaid (or call the 800 #) and tell them you need on-site service of your battery. When they come to the house under the 24 hour emergency service, you do not get charged for labor, just a new battery. If you take it in or have it towed in, then they will charge you labor as well as for the battery...:-)

[rkao]

Originally Posted by Nevada Jack

Do a search on childproof door locks. This has been discussed and I just cannot remember the outcome or the reason. However, you can lock all the doors automatically or with the switch on the drivers door.

Thanks NJ, will look into it.

According to oknish's post, if the doors are locked then the rear doors cannot be unlocked from the rear seating positions unless one of the front doors were open or if unlocked centrally - that would definitely lay the issue to rest if true.

I'll do a search...

[Waiting-4-550]

Finally thought of a negative to GL550.. Cost of filling up can be about 80bucks and I'm getting only 13mpg... This MB primo ride thing ain't for the "faint of heart"

[HoustonRider]

hehe... thats why I opted for the 320. I'd love to have the 550, but the 30,000+ miles a year I put on mine, it would kill me.

[axchung]

Originally Posted by oknish

This subject has come up before also and if you do a search on it you will see a wealth of information.

I also have young kids and this was a great concern to me too when we got the GL. However, IMO, this concern is alleviated in the GL design. What happens is that if doors are locked (lock knob pressed down) then rear doors cannot be opened from the inside. There is a dash menu setting that allows doors to be locked automatically and it locks doors when you go over 10 MPH. So what happens is that doors lock automatically and then they cannot be opened from inside in the rear. To unlock, a front door has to be opened or car has to be centrally unlocked from the front. This effectively prevents little ones from opening the doors when car is in motion.

As I understand, the reason for this is safety (believe it or not). So, in case (God forbid) someone is in a wreck with people in the back then they can let themselves out without waiting for someone else to come open the door. And, yes, door locks do open automatically in such cases.

Hope that helps a bit for those of you with young 'uns and GLs.

It also helps if kids are aware of why they shouldn't open the doors. Ever.

Wow, oknish is right on the money.As soon as i read his post i went out to check and once the doors are locked, the rear doors can not be opened from the inside. I realized that the times my daughter opened the door was after i parked and went around to take her out. I thought MB designers overlooked this issue, i take it back, they are brilliant!