AyM

It is interesting anybody tried Mercedes GL or new ML ? How do u find it in comparison with LX? Are they as soft and smooth as LX, mainly I'm interested in softness ?

03LX470

I have a GL with the 5.5L engine. Prior to this I've had 3 LX470's at different times. I was waiting for the 570 but they release was taking too long so I went for the GL.

While there are no 0-60 times available for 570 yet, the GL will probably be faster.

As for safely, again, I think GL should be better - its got that solid German feel.

However, Lexus has a much better navigation with much larger screen & a ML sound system which would definitely be much better than the Harmon Kardon in the GL.

Where I live, Land Cruiser & Lexus are so common that some of my friends call them cabs. With the GL there is more exclusivity.

The GL, in its lowest (normal) height level, will be lower than the LX which means it has lower center of gravity and therefore better handling on the road. I've also tried the GL off road on large dunes and its got a lot of power/torque which can be expected from a Mercdes V8 engine.

03LX470

To answer your question...yes they are very smooth and somewhat soft like Lexus (especially when suspension is set to Comfort mode) but not exactly as much as Lexus. The steering is soft and the gear change is very smooth.

With the GL you also get a glass roof in the back but it is fixed in position.

Jayson

Do you think the ML Audio System in our LXs sounds better than the one in your GL?

I have played with the settings in our LX and the sound just seems "tin-canny" compared to the ML System in my GS.

03LX470

Ive only used the ML in the GS & IS (not LX). The ML sounds much better than the HK in the GL. I think anything sounds better than the HK in the GL.

While the GL lags in some areas, there are also some positives like, leather covered / stitched dash, Distronic, 2 differential locks, and Low Range 4wd. I think the LX470 only had one differential lock and the LX570 doesnt offer leather dash or Distronic.

AKoch

Man, I am not sure what to say regarding the diff locks in GL.... did you really try to take it off-road? Forget the low-range, electronics and all the locks, but the LX will get stuck FAR further away even in hi-range/no locks than the GL ever would be able too under any circumstances. And sorry, I don't own a GL, but I do own now (and 'ed') in the past other Mercedeses. I would not even try to compare GL and LX as far as off-road abilities go. On-the-road, mall cruising - different story, entirely comparable, but different. And leaving the reliability here entirely outside of the discussion (lucky me DIY'er).

03LX470

Actually, I HAVE taken the GL off-road. Not mine, but I had a loaner for a couple of weekends and it passed with flying colors off road. It has a lot of torque, so it climbed big dunes effortlessly in 3rd or 4th gear. The only problem (and this is applicable to any long wheel base vehicle, including LC / LX) is if you get "crested" and all your wheels are hanging freely. In that situation the GL's diff locks come in handy and you could come out of it if you have at least 2 wheels that are in contact with the ground.

Believe it or not, even the Porsche Cayenne S is an excellent off-road performer (i've attended a couple of Porsche desert off-roading events). We are only talking about capabilites here and I think the high torque Mercedes is famous is a big + while off-roading. Of course, I wouldnt take my own GL, LX or Cayenne for serious off-roading as repairing any body damage due to off-roading would be expensive.

Back on the road, the GL is faster than a Cayenne S (as measured by 0 - 60) figures. I dont think the LX will even come close.

I attended the local auto show yesterday and I'm a big Lexus fan (owned three LX470). However, I have to agree with many here that Toyota messed up with the design (especially the rear end). I had a deposit on 2008 LC as well as 2008 LX. I am waiting for it to grow on me. If that doesnt happen, I'm keeping my GL for the long term.

AKoch

I agree that the design for the LX570 is 'off', at least for me and I am not likely be buying one. Despite that I was waiting for it eagerly to refresh my older 98 LX470.

As of the Cayenne being good off-roader... to each its own I think. It is OK on the dunes, rally-style and stuff like this, take it to the uneven terrain - forests, mountains, rocks etc and I think you will find its limitations fairly quickly. I did. I mean there are a few guys off-roading with us on the Cayennes and Tauregs and all we can do with them is only the simpler trails. Just my experience, take it with a grain of salt. Same goes for the GL. When you are off-road a powerful engine is by far not the most important part. The other question is that if you are looking for a GL or alike, off-roading may not be important for you at all.

pagemaster

While the LX470 is one hell of an off road LX470 is very dated. TruckTrend did a comparo and the Land Cruiser was last in 2005. They specifically stated the powertrain is dated....and it is.

One would be much better off with a 4runner or a GX470 for off roading that the LX470...

AKoch

Mmmm.... I don't read comparisons, sorry. That would be the difference. One of the examples would be that the GX470, 4Runner and LX470 have virtually the same powertrain. The chassis and suspension would be different though. I would suggest to try again and decide which one is for you.

tigmd99

Akock, i off-road...quite a bit, with all types of SUVs from Wrangler Rubicons to FJ Cruiser to LX470. And although i would agree with you that the LX is fundamentally a better off-roader based on it's rear axle, easier to modify, and body-on-frame design. However, i doubt that a stock LX would blow the doors off a stock GL550 with Off-road Pkg off-road. May i ask what YOU think the LX has that would make such a BIG difference off-road??

My view? Well, the LX is probably better off-road (in stock form), but it's not that big of a difference. Off-road...

GL advantages:
- Center and rear lockers. The rear locker will make up for most of the disadvantage of having independent suspension. I will venture so far to say that the rear locker may give the GL traction advantage over a stock LX off-road.
- Air suspension that can raise the GL pretty high...i think that the Off-road Pkg allows it to raise even higher than normal
- High torque engine + good low range ratio

GL disadvantages:
- No skidplates...big problem if you do rock crawling or high center yourself over rough stuff
- Unibody = over long haul, body will be weakened if off-road a lot; higher cost of repair when damaged
- Independent suspension = not much travel, weaker than solid axle
- Cannot fit smaller rims due to big disc brakes (good on-road, bad for smaller rims)
- Too damn big off-road!
- Unknown reliability

I think that the LX will be better down the road (holds up better) if you off-road a lot and is easier to modify. But, at any point in time, the GL should be able to keep up with the LX off-road, esp. if you talk stock vs. stock. And if you just need an SUV for camping trips or get to some distant vacation place, then i think that both will do just fine.

AKoch

Well, how 'BIG' is the difference we would not really be able to tell, within the limits of the virtual forum discussion. I will try to at least attempt to be less subjective. So I would view the differences as:
- well, I'll say that until last month I did have the central and rear lockers on my LX. The newer one I got does not have it and the electronics does not quite compensate for it, with my limited testing so far. The mechanical rear locker was really handy, so agree it makes a lot of a difference.
- No frame - this is actually more serious issue. If you do go offroad, you probably get stuck just as often as I do? I suck and I do that a lot. Now, would you really be comfortable tugging (often in a rough way) the GL out of that ditch, log or large rock it is sitting on?
- Not much travel for the suspension - this is the key. Even on simple ditches, the GL would lift one of the wheels. It will really need its lockers, and even then...
- If you tried the GL offroad, how did you find it comfort wise? I thought that it was really rough: the suspension was not happy at all and you can't help but think about your dentalwork. Which is one of the reasons it handles well on-road.
- no skidplates, underbody practically does not have much protection, does it? What about bumpers, since the approach/departure angles are not that great while the wheelbase is long - you are going to scratch these a lot (and they did).

But now, being 100% subjective - I would say if you are looking for a GL, you are not planning on taking it offroad. It is a great family hauler, slick and comfortable. It is just not really a good comparison with a LandCruiser, in fact entirely different vehicle. Just to illustrate this - I don't consider LX or any other LandCuiser to be a good autobahn machine, it is just OK at that.

tigmd99

The GL unibody is quite stout and should be able to handle a yank here and there off-road to get it unstuck. Most of today's unibodies are supported heavily by longitudinal rails and crossmembers...it's not like a body-on-frame design, but unibodies have rails that act to support the unibody esp. at areas of stress. It is no coincidence that the heavy-duty unibodies can tow quite a bit these days. The GL can tow as much as my G500...7000 lbs, which is more than what the LX470 can.

But, as i stated above, the long-haul durability of components favor the LX.

It's a tough call...i actually prefer locker over wheel articulation. It's nice to have both of course.

As for approach/departure angles, i think that the GL can lift pretty high which means that it has decent angles. It can probably lift higher than the LX, but i am not sure on this.

AKoch

To each its own, of course. My current SL is my third and last Mercedes for me (G320 and S420 in the past). So this influences my judgement as well.

AyM

Men, u went so far from the original question. Could u please contribute with your answer to the following questions:

IS GL as soft and reliable as LX ?

Answers: Yes, NO, less, more. Thank u.