Article Comments - 2008 Mercedes-Benz GL550 First Drive

4 messages, Last post on Dec 30, 2007 at 5:21 PM

You are in the Mercedes-Benz GL Class Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester

What is this discussion about? Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, SUV

First Drive: 2008 Mercedes-Benz GL550 - Once you choose the GL550 over the GL450, there aren't many other choices to be made, as the uprated engine brings with it uprated feature content. (more)

Outline

Messages Page 2 of 2: 1; 2; Prev; Next; Last

#2 of 4 Very Nice Vehicle by i080738 Dec 24, 2007 (9:39 am)
I have now owned a GL550 for about 2 months. I traded-in a CL55AMG and was hooked on the CL power. Well, I don't miss it that much. 500HP (versus 382HP on the GL550) is a significant difference. Let me tell you, the 7 speed set-up with the 5.5 Liter engine is a great combination. This truck moves! I compared the GL550 with the Land Rover. The base HSC was very weak. 300 HP (and most importantly the delivery of the power) was not satisfying and agility suffered. The 400HP Supercharged may have been more comparable (albeith with a $10K premium over the GL550). The new Lexus LX570 (due early in '08) maybe a good comparison as Toyota's 5.7L engine is very nice on the Tundra. Overall, the GL 550 offeres a lot of practicality, safety and 'fun to drive factor' for those willing to shell out $80K for an SUV.
#3 of 4 Best SUV On the Market Today by anclar Dec 28, 2007 (11:43 pm)
We've had our GL550 for about two weeks now, trading in our old Land Rover, and did a ton of research before we bought it. As many of the reviewers have said, this is a truck that manages to feel like a car from the driver's point of view. Mercedes has done an incredible job of engineering on this truck and, with a very few exceptions, it shows. It has power enough to spare with its 382 HP and 391 lb/ft of torque and pulls very strongly in highway passing situations. This truck is deceptively fast and feels consistently to be going about 20 mph slower than it actually is going. The brakes are as good as the ones on my Boxster and stopping is as impressive as accelerating. The fit and finish is immaculate and it has the understated elegance that is lacking in the blingmobiles the 550 competes with. As for the things that could be improved: The side mirrors need to be bigger and better positioned. There are blind spots, especially in the rightside mirror and I always do a visual check before I make any lane changes. The cruise control stalk is oddly placed and, while not unworkable, does take a bit of getting used to. Mercedes has removed the key fob recognition feature for the 2008 model year and so my wife and I have to manually press the seat memory control whenever we go between her settings and mine. My dealer told me it was because there had been complaints about big people being injured when the seats and steering wheel adjusted. To me this is like the people who need the warnings on hot coffee "Warning coffee is hot!" Our Volvo has the key recognition and the seats adjust BEFORE you sit down, as soon as the car recognizes the particular key. Seems as though Mercedes could figure this one out and reintroduce the auto adjusting feature to the key fob programming. The COMAND system could be made easier to use. The display screen should be a touch screen but is not, and system operation needs to be more intuitive. For example, there is no easy way to shut off the radio independently of the NAV system. Yes, there is a mute button, but it would be nice to be able to easily turn off the audio independently of the NAV. Also, the NAV maps are still DVD based, and should be satellite based as a few of the other 08 Benzes are. To be sure, these are all minor issues and overall, this truck is far and away the best riding, and best looking large SUV on the market today.
#4 of 4 Just ordered our GL550 by cheekymonkey Dec 30, 2007 (5:21 pm)
Just placed a factory order for a GL550. We have had two Range Rover's in the past, one HSE and one Supercharged. Both Range Rover's were total junk with numerous problems. Would never buy another Range Rover. We are hoping the GL meets our needs and proves reliable. Impressed on the test drive. We have ordered pretty much every option extra. Its about a 2-3 month wait and they come out of AL.