Long-Term Road Test Intro
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What can brown do for us? Pretty much everything.
Months in Fleet: 2 months
Current Mileage: 8979 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 15 mpg
Range: 396 miles
Service: $0
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $0
It was somewhere in southwestern Pennsylvania when we realized that we were driving faster in our Mercedes-Benz GL450 4MATIC seven-passenger long-term SUV than the Porsche 914 2.0 behind us had probably ever driven.
Oh, and that 914 was strapped to a trailer hitched to the back of our big, root-beer brown GL. Adding roughly 4000 pounds to the Mercedes’s burden had essentially no effect on it, even over curly, undulating highway through the hills. Surely, it was slower than when the truck was unburdened (0–60 mph: 5.9 seconds; quarter-mile: 14.4 at 97 mph). And goodness knows that the distance required to stop the thing was considerably longer than at the test track (70–0 mph: 179 feet). But thanks to the portly torque curve of the GL450’s 362-hp 4.7-liter twin-turbo V-8, fade-resistant binders, and silken body movements, we kept forgetting about the trailer until we’d glance at the rearview mirror and be momentarily shocked by how closely that 914 was tailgating us. We had to remind ourselves to keep our speed in check.
And remember, this is with the “smallest” gas engine. We could have ordered up a 429-hp GL550 (67 more horses than our long-termer) or the 550-hp GL63 AMG (188 more). Neither is even remotely necessary for the light-duty work we have in mind for our 40,000-mile test. Or we could have specified a GL350 BlueTec with its 3.0-liter turbo-diesel churning out 455 lb-ft of torque (49 more lb-ft than our tester). Didn’t need that either.
Instead we wanted to get a taste of the most mainstream, highest-volume model. So we ordered up a GL450 4MATIC (they’re all 4MATICs), which starts at $64,805. We had it covered in a lovely shade of Dakota Brown Metallic ($720) and lined it with black leather ($1620) and then ticked off so many option boxes that we ended up with a $90,845 luxury freighter. The highlights include: Driver Assistance package ($2800) with active lane keeping and blind-spot assist along with adaptive cruise control; Active Curve Control ($2900) which consists of active anti-roll bars to snub body listing; two-screen rear-entertainment system ($1950), three-zone automatic climate control ($1450); Lighting package ($1290) with bi-xenon headlamps that swivel into a turn and adaptive high beams; and a Parking Assist package ($1290) with Parktronic and surround-view cameras. We also included a big ol’ package that costs $3500 and comes with such niceties and frivolities as illuminated front doorsills, auto-dimming/power-folding mirrors, memory seats, mirrors, and steering wheel, satellite radio, and a navigation system.
Oh, We’re Not Done Yet . . .
We also ordered up heated and ventilated front seats ($570) because we demand our cheeks remain at a moderate temperature at all times. Next, we added a heated steering wheel ($225), trailer hitch ($550), heated rear seats ($620), and easy-entry, second-row power release ($400), which sounds like something a Mercedes SUV should have. (We will be forgetting our key all over town now that we have the push-button Keyless-Go system for $650.) Feeling especially upper-crusty, we got the Accessory Chrome package ($225) that brings chrome trimmed door-handle inserts and “hood fin” covers. To be ready for anything, we also ordered up the On/Off Road package ($1850) that comes with some under-body protection, two locking differentials, six transmission settings, and adaptive dampers. (So far, we’ve tried only the “On” part of the On/Off Road package but the system served nicely to confuse the salespeople at a Virginia Mercedes dealer who had never seen the off-road option on a GL.) And, because we care about our appearance, we specified the Appearance package ($1340) with its chrome exhaust tips, 20-inch wheels, and illuminated running boards.
As you might guess for a super-comfortable, long-range bomber with a rear-seat entertainment system and the capability to tow, the GL450 has been in extremely high demand. We have no way to prove this, but it’s hard to imagine that any other long-term car has accumulated miles as quickly as this one. We’ve covered 8900 miles in just short of two months. If we keep that rate up, we’ll have 53,400 miles on the thing in 12 months. It’s been on two family-vacation trips, one to South Carolina and one to upstate New York. It also went on the Porsche-fetching sojourn to Virginia Beach. And that was all in the span of about two weeks.
Out in the shipping lanes of the interstates, none of us care that the GL’s stability control system is more aggressive at limiting instability than any in recent memory. This is a supreme highway cruiser—quiet, plush, stable, and packed with a day spa full of pampering. What’s not to love? Well, maybe we’d be happier if our mileage were better. We’ve averaged 15 mpg in the first 8900 miles. And we’d be willing to bet that a higher-than-usual percentage of those miles were on a highway. What else? Well, those who would like the GL to be something other than a very comfortable, very roomy, luxury conveyance are sometimes unhappy with the softness of the suspension. And the DVD system is a little difficult to get working. And we weren’t all that pleased to have to take the GL450 in to the dealer to replace a second-row seat-release lever at 7335 miles. Naturally, the repair was covered under warranty. But these are problems that the majority of the denizens of the world would kill to have in their $90,000 SUVs.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 5-door wagon
PRICE AS TESTED: $90,845 (base price: $64,805)
ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 285 cu in, 4663 cc
Power: 362 hp @ 5000 rpm
Torque: 406 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 7-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 121.1 in
Length: 201.6 in
Width: 76.1 in Height: 72.8 in
Curb weight: 5855 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 5.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 15.2 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 30.2 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 6.7 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.1 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 4.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.4 sec @ 97 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 130 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 179 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.74 g
*Stability-control-inhibited
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway: 14/19 mpg
C/D observed: 15 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper;
4 years/50,000 miles powertrain;
4 years/50,000 miles corrosion protection;
Unlimited roadside assistance
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