2011 Mercedes GL550

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
All Mercedes diesels since 1986 have been pretty quite inside the car.

The old 617 sounded a bit truck like but the double fire wall in the W126 really helped.


This was from outside the car actually! I was very surprised.

 

[hattaresguy]

Outside the pre CDI cars sound like diesels, but not really anymore.

 

[CBR.worm]

So did they buy it?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: CBR.worm
So did they buy it?



Nope, dad got sick, and I've been working insane hours the last couple of weeks (as has been noted by my lack of posts on here recently) so we haven't had time to go back and take out another one.

We looked at the diesel. They loved the engine and the features. But it didn't have real leather, it had the Mercedes version of pleather and both my parents just said NO. They wouldn't even consider it. They (the dealer) DO have one in stock with the full leather package, but one of the sales guys had taken it home. Then, as I said, dad got sick (he's better now) and they don't want to look at it without me, so with the hours I've been working (steady through the first week of July

) we just haven't had time to get together and go back and take that one out.

They are REALLY nice vehicles, and I think a practical upgrade for my parents. But they ARE picky, so we'll see how this plays out. My father is not a whimsical person, so these purchases are usually something that plays out slowly.

 

[Coprolite]

I'm surprised. The general reputation of the MB Tex is that is that it wears much better than leather.

I also have the unspoken bias for leather over synthetic, but that may change over the next few years.

 

[Brons2]

I bet the ML550 uses twice as much fuel as the ML350 Bluetech in real world usage...

 

[hattaresguy]

MB Tex is nice it lasts forever, I prefer it over leather.


If your parents are really picky go with a Designo interior, that along with AMG Performance Studio allows for a totally custom car.

http://www.mercedes-amg.com/designo/designo_home/en/

IE if your mom has to have a leather color that say match's here favorite purse or set of shoes, or if their is a paint color they like.

They don't advertise it and a smaller dealer will not be familiar with it, but MB and AMG do build very individual cars when asked. AMG will even sell you a motor from a specific engine builder if you so desire. I used to own an S class that had a custom one off interior done by Mercedes. This is where Mercedes really shines, Audi and BMW will not do this.

 

[silverrat]

I worked on an 2011 ML350 Bluetec yesterday with 131,000km on it already, and it still looked perfect. It is quite a machine.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
MB Tex is nice it lasts forever, I prefer it over leather.


If your parents are really picky go with a Designo interior, that along with AMG Performance Studio allows for a totally custom car.

http://www.mercedes-amg.com/designo/designo_home/en/

IE if your mom has to have a leather color that say match's here favorite purse or set of shoes, or if their is a paint color they like.

They don't advertise it and a smaller dealer will not be familiar with it, but MB and AMG do build very individual cars when asked. AMG will even sell you a motor from a specific engine builder if you so desire. I used to own an S class that had a custom one off interior done by Mercedes. This is where Mercedes really shines, Audi and BMW will not do this.


They are not interested in spending the kind of money on a vehicle that the above would require, that's why they are looking at these lightly used examples. They aren't THAT anal

It is quite nice that the dealer at least has a leather-equipped one that is essentially identical to the MB Tex version they've already looked at. They really liked it, just wouldn't go for the MB Tex. When I tried to tell my dad that the MB stuff was just as good, he said point blank "then why is your M5 leather inside?" I shut up at that point.

 

[hattaresguy]

Its funny in America we have a real thing for leather, but not so long ago leather was what the help rode on. The rear seats were done in a very nice cloth, usually velour. Until very recently the British Royal cars were set up this way. Cheap cloth is cheap, just like cheap leather like you would find in a Kia is cheap. But nice cloth is very nice.

I actually prefer a very nice cloth interior and would pay extra for it to get it in a new S class over leather. Its much warmer in the winter.

The funny thing about MB tex is its better than the leather in any car under $50k that you can buy, a lot of people who look at basic E's and C's mistake it for leather. Cheap leather is mostly plastic anyway.

 

[OVERKILL]

So, this was postponed yet again, as they decided to buy a cottage, LOL!

They take ownership on the 27th. It is on an island in Lake Muskoka, we are all very excited! Better than a Benz anyway

Dad is now teasing me whenever he sees a Bluetec though, because he's an [censored] like that