German Car Zone

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


NEVADAJACK, I hope this review helps, even though you've already driven one and ordered it!



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/pi...?id=2097179689

I had predicted you would enjoy this diesel, you always have.

Nice pictures and write-up!

Thanks James.

It was a fun car. The GL is a heavy truck, but the V6 CDI moved the car so effortlessly. Check out the videos and you'll see what I mean.

Christian,

Great review and pics! Thank you very much! Just one quick question.

You talk about this car being very wide, but I don't think it is any wider than an ML. I could be wrong but I think the width is the same as an ML.

As usual Christian, lovely and informative review.

One thing I noticed though, the car accelerates to 100Km/h and already changes 4 gears ? thats kind of strange. Very short gearing. I know it has the 7G but that is just tooo much IMO.

Thanks.

I think the width of the GL was "psycological". I still think the GL is a bit wider by a considerable margin.

Thanks.

I think it is pretty logical that a heavy truck like the GL comes with short gear rations: for quicker acceleration. This is a heavy truck, so in order for it to accelerate to 100 km/h within acceptable times, it needs shorter gear ratios. Don't worry though, this is a 7-speed auto, so you still have 4 gears left.

Excellent review! Thanks!

Does anyone have a subjective and objective comparison between GL320 CDI and GL420 CDI?

Always wonder if the extra grunt is needed for the North American roads.

Cheers.

Thanks wimmer...and congratulations! You made AutoSpies with this review today...I was reading it and said to myself...self, this sounds like wimmer...:-)))

Changed the color to Rabolo Red Metallic with Macadamia....CHANGED IT BACK TO BLACK DUE TO PAINT CONFLICT AT MB.

Great review as always!

I have yet too see a GL in the flesh, but considering the ML is quite large here, I'm sure it's huge though.

Thanks for posting!