Testdrove a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL320 CDI 4Matic

cawimmer430 submitted on 01/03/2007 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 7:37 PM
from: www.germancarzone.com

Tags: Testdrove a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL320 CDI 4Matic

I managed to testdrive a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL320 CDI 4Matic!

I was dying to test one of these babies. So this morning, while going shopping for the family, I stopped by the local Benz dealership after seeing that they had a GL-Class in the demo car section. Thank God one of my contacts was still there, he gave me the keys to a 2007 GL320 CDI 4Matic and off I was. Drove this car for about 45 minutes and had a lot of fun behind the wheel of this awesome truck.

Initial impressions first. The GL exterior is awesome. It's tough-looking, reminds of the classic G-Class and looks pretty futuristic for Mercedes' design standards. The interior is basically a W164 M-Class interior. The materials are very good, but it's not class-leading. Still a good interior though. I prefer lighter colors on the inside however. Interior space is very generous as one would expect from such a large car. The seats and seating position is great. In the GL, you sit very high and have a nice view ahead of the road and the cars next to you in traffic. Overall, you just can't help but feel good in this car.

When I first took it off the dealer lot, I noticed the light steering feel, which became more direct at higher speeds: Parameterlenkung. This device ensures that the steering feel feels tighter and more direct at higher speeds for better control. That said, despite the light steering feel at low speeds, the steering system responded quickly to driver input. Feedback was decent, but like I said, it became better at higher speeds (above 50 km/h). The weather was rainy and wet, so this car had to be babied until I got the hang of it. Luckily it had 4WD, which was useful in this type of weather with wet roads. On the bright side, temperatures weren't freezing cold, so there was no need to worry about the roads becoming icy. The GL320 CDI by now was pretty fun to drive around in. Everything from the seating position to the feel of the car made me smile.

Handling was decent for a truck of this size and weight. Once you drove the GL320 CDI off the lot, you could instantly tell that it wasn't as sporty as the ML. In fact, this car didn't feel sporty at all. Instead, it was extremely comfortable. Much more comfortable than the M-Class and on par with the R-Class - perfect for long distance cruising with the family. The notion that the GL wasn't sporty was further reinforced in the way it drove. This car feels at home being driven in a relaxed and stately manor. That's not to say that it doesn't handle well. As I said before, handling is pretty good for such a large and heavy truck and the GL has no major problems being driven in a sporty fashion - as long as you don't overdo it. The driver generally always feels that he has the car under control thanks to the Parameterlenkung. In corners, the GL's body roll wasn't as bad as I expected to be. But to wrap it up, the GL focuses on comfort, not sport. Period.

Part of what made the GL320 CDI fun to drive was the engine under the hood, which was sheer joy in my opinion. This is the latest Mercedes V6 Diesel, a 3.0 V6 CDI with 224-horsepower and 510 Nm of torque. The motor was cold when I took the car out, but it was very quiet, hardly audible. As soon as the engine warmed up, the little diesel clatter you heard was gone. Most people would have figured that a gasoline engine was working under the hood if they weren't told that this car is powered by an oil burner. Engine refinement was top notch and for a diesel, it rev'd quickly and smoothly and felt eager. I'd also like to mention that when cruising in this car, you didn't hear much from the outside world. The cabin was nicely isolated from the outside world in terms of sound. Only the engine could be heard when you slammed the pedal, and it was a nice sound. Dieselish? Not at all, more like muscle car V8.

We all know this is one heavy truck, but the engine moved this car around with little effort. Keep in mind that this is essentially the base model GL-Class with the weakest engine. Engine response was good, but the truck held back a little initially in kickdowns before responding with a brutal shove that sent me deep into the leather seats. Acceleration was fluid and pretty powerful. This car didn't rip from 0-100 km/h like crazy, but it got there quickly enough for everyday driving situations. Midrange power on the other hand was fantastic, thanks in part to the massive torque reserves and the excellent 7Gtronic automatic transmission, which couldn't be felt or heard when it shifted. I didn't bother shifting manually with the steering wheel shift-buttons since in my experience, this transmission is near flawless.

On the downside, this car is huge, really huge for European standards. The country roads in my area are narrow and that was the problem. When opposing traffic came, both me and the other guy had to slow down because of the GL's width. Sounds crazy, almost wimpish, but it's true! I'm glad this thing had a diesel engine. I imagine the GL450 and GL550 must get really bad fuel economy, and for what? Give me a diesel anyday. The GL420 CDI is overkill, the GL320 CDI peferct: perfect for everyday driving with respectable gas mileage.

Overall: I came away very impressed with the GL. It's certainly fun to drive and handles pretty nicely. The torquey V6 Diesel is smooth, refined and doesn't lack power. What you have in the GL320 CDI is a perfect everyday family SUV. Great truck, a really good SUV, especially if you have a large family and a couple of big dogs! But for Europe, this thing is pretty huge and that means nothing but problems when it comes to finding parking spaces in the city. I also didn't feel that comfortable driving it on the small and narrow backroads we have here because opposing traffic barely fit past me! That aside, a great truck. I'm sure it'll sell well in markets like North America where bigger is better. I'd personally prefer an M-Class: smaller and sportier.

I took a couple of cheesy videos, enjoy them!

Starting engine video: http://media.putfile.com/GL320-CDI-1

0-100 km/h video: http://media.putfile.com/GL320-CDI-2

Talk video 1: http://media.putfile.com/GL320-CDI-3

Talk video 2: http://media.putfile.com/GL320-CDI-4

Wimmer's 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL320 CDI 4Matic Photo Album: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2097179689 Read Article

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EL34 - 1/3/2007 9:42:01 PM

+6 Boost

cawimmer430, thanks for posting this story, I never get enough of reading about Mercedes-Benz's.

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S4cabriofoxone - 1/5/2007 1:14:06 AMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

The Edmunds Insideline forums are pretty good too. Nobody ever argues. Mostly.

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chewy - 1/3/2007 9:55:02 PMView My AgentSpace

+5 Boost

Excellent review. Proffesional quality. Wow, that is whisper quiet. What now diesel haters? Even in the 0-62 mph run at full throttle.

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chewy - 1/3/2007 9:59:22 PMView My AgentSpace

+5 Boost

BTW, the power looks very nice and where did you shoot this?

mstangpny07 - 1/3/2007 11:01:28 PMView My AgentSpace

+6 Boost

Yes, thank you for your professional comprehensive review.
I am assuming you are somewhere in Europe, correct?
The 0-100 video definately changed my view on diesels! How quiet!

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chewy - 1/3/2007 11:44:57 PMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

Yep, it is whisper quiet. I knew that modern diesels were quiet, but didn't know they were that quiet. Where is Will?

chewy - 1/3/2007 11:46:03 PMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

Or huu76, the biggest diesel hater here. Plus that thing gets awesome fuel economy as well.

mstangpny07 - 1/4/2007 12:27:01 AMView My AgentSpace

+6 Boost

I also happened to test drive a car today. A silver 2007 BMW X5 3.0si. I though it drove excellent, but wished the engine had a wee bit more power.
I'm not sure when I'll buy it, but it will be soon. I think I will custom order, because a car with out the 3rd row is hard to find.

And that scenery is beautiful. Dosen't look to far from Munich on the map.

dumpsty - 1/4/2007 10:37:21 AM

+7 Boost

The write-up on the GL320 CDI was great! Not too many reviewers mention how much they like the diesel engine. With 510 Nm (376 lb-ft) of torque, that engine is no weakling at all and makes the GL420 CDI seem like extreme power overkill. In thinking about trading my car in for a GL in a year or so...this review really seals-the-deal for me. Thanks.

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chewy - 1/4/2007 3:57:02 PMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

Come Will, come huu76, come listen to the whisper quiet diesel. Not what you thought?

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huu76 - 1/4/2007 8:05:11 PM

-4 Boost

Congrats, the GL is as fast as my Jeep. All of a sudden, NO engine noise in the cabin is good because it's in a German car. Imagine if it were a Lexus with no engine noise. Name a 5000lb object you'd tow? (I know of 1 person who owns a 5th wheel)

So what's the breakthrough here aside from the engine finally being as quiet as a gas one?

The truck is still nice.

11.7L/100km, 0-60 in 8.5sec.
http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/roadtest,view,MERCEDES.spy?artid=73452&pg=1

2004 Jeep, 16.2mpg 4.0L I6 (approx 14L/100km)
http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/1999-to-2004-jeep-grand-cherokee-6.htm

100km = 62 miles /16.2mpg = 3.827gallons x 3.785L = 14.5L/100km.

A 23% improvement in fuel economy. That's sort of disappointing considering it's a diesel AND a smaller displacement.

Would you like me to say anything else?

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chewy - 1/4/2007 8:21:52 PMView My AgentSpace

+5 Boost

Faster, more fuel efficient. Not bad.

chewy - 1/4/2007 8:27:13 PMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

And the GL is a larger vehicle.

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huu76 - 1/4/2007 10:38:42 PM

-2 Boost

Well, the Sequioa is full size and has larger a displacement yet doesn't lose out by much (14.7mpg), probably about 3 or 4 mpg.
http://www.trucktrend.com/roadtests/suv/163_0208_2001_toyota_sequoia/specs_price.html
It should be due for a redesign soon too.

Don't forget the little bit extra fuel efficiency costs $70,000 or much higher.

Incase you're curious, the GL450CDI tested at 15.2mpg.

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sexi_gay_boi - 1/5/2007 5:14:55 AM

-3 Boost

Mercedes-Benz's are peices of CRAP! BMW's rule! Gah! When is the X8 coming????

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Bill - 1/5/2007 7:18:36 AM

+3 Boost

Very nice review, cawimmer.

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