Well I got my new car last week - unfortunately I hate to be blasphemous here, it is not another Lexus. But since my wife still has her GX I thought it would be a good way to do a quick little "this is what GX owners should hope to see with the next gen GX". I realize it is a totally unfair comparison since the GX is virtually unchanged since 03. I just picked up an '09 GL450 and while there were certainly things I did not like at all with the 08 version, MB certainly made some changes in 09 that I would've loved to see in my wife's GX or in the next gen.

I won't get into the technical crapola about what comes standard vs optional equipment because I think hands down Lexus is a better value but my wife (who drives her GX to the "office") now works for MB (the car thing can't go over too well over there, but she loves her Lexus) So I figure - one of us should get the benefit of the reduced employee pricing...so I replaced my IS with a GL.

The new COMAND system is not nearly as user friendly as the Lexus Nav setup, but it is lightyears better than the 08 MB models.

Some very nice features the MB has that I think the next GX should get are integrated Ipod connection - that puts your ipod controls on the nav screen. A music Register to download mp3's and store on the internal hard drive, an SD slot for more of the same, and the ability for DVD's to play ripped mp3's. I know in my IS i tried like crazy to get the DVD-Audio to recognize MP3 files - but couldn't get it to work....the MB system in my GL works awesome - includes the folder structures and track names - allows for shuffle play within the folder or off the whole disc. I know it seems like a lot of overlapping options to play music files, but it is nice to have that flexibility. It also incorporates a stnadard 3.5mm audi in jack to play a non apple MP3 player - but no nav screen view in that case.

The RSES consists of twin monitors on the front headrests and is a multi-source system (2 dvd's at once or game console and dvd a once or if yo uchose 2 game consoles at once)- with wireless headphones (compared to 08 which was single source and wired (if you can believe that)

In every other way I like the Lexus execution of things over the MB stuff, but it is growing on me - we'll see how the quality holds up.

So have some hope GX'ers - that the next gen GX can up the ante even further, with some really cool features....if MB came out of the stone age within the past year I gotta suspect that the Lexus guys have a few tricks up their sleeves for the next GX's creature comforts.

I'll do some side by side photos and comparo comments on other things when the weather gets better and I've had some time to learn the ins and outs of the GL a bit.

 

Yeah they did change a few things in the 09 GL, but they also raise the price by $5000. The GL at around $70000 should be compare to the LX, not the GX.

 

No doubt when comparing on price it should go against the LX, but from a size perspective - I don't find it significantly bigger than my wife's GX - which was more my point - the GX blows it away from a value perspective and I'm sure MB was targetting the LX with it not the GX - you can get a loaded GX for the price of a base GL, MB really hammers you on the options though which kind of sucks.

 

Johnny, out of curiousity what kind of incentives on new vehicles does MB offer employees?

 

The GX as nice as it is, is not in the same class as GL. The GL is just over the top on everything. If I were looking for a 7 seater, the GL would be on the top of my list.

 

They offer pretty much the same as she was getting when she was at Lexus - monthly subsidy towards a lease, plus the factory offers incentives on certain vehicles for employees this deal for me was 0% lease - which is unheard of - normally a good lease rate would be around 2-3%APR (for the finance portion of the lease) - this was not quite 0, it was 0.21%APR. That right there over the life of the lease compared to 2.9%APR translates to almost $6k. The pricing is obviously not at MSRP either - but I can't really get into the details of that.

As the G Man says the GL is a bit over the top compared to the GX - I like it since it is a bit more agressive looking - especially with the appearance package.

We've had a GX in my household since '03 - so we are very familiar and comfortable with it...like I said I like my new GL, but I'm skeptical since I've read about some serious quality issues - deal I got was worth the risk - and I know with my wife working there the dealership takes care of me - loaner etc... so it was all relative to that. Her decision to stay with Lexus was based on that's what she knows and loves - she worked there for 15+ years.

I look at it this way too - why haggle and deal with salespeople to negotiate a price when you can walk in and say can I get that one for this $$ and they say yes - we'll figure out how to get you there.

 

Makes sense and if I were in your shoes I would have done the same thing. Personally I like the looks of the GL and when it first came out i thought MB took styling cues from the GX with its' more angular/boxy rugged design. My wife said it best; "From the side it looks like a streched out GX." I saw a GL550 last Sat w/the 21" amg rims and it looked badarss! Anyway, they are nice trucks it's just to bad MB vehicles are plagued with the reliability issues, not to mention their pricing is out of sight!

 

GL? That's certainly nice, but what about MB's awesome "63" cars? E, CL, S, etc.

If it's 4WD you were after, what about their 4Matic with a CL or S?!

Were they on the list?

(Congrats on your new car!)

 

Those others were certainly considered, but my son plays travel hockey and when we go away to tournaments (6-7 per year) it would always wind up being my wife's car that we used....so I thought it best to spread it out a bit rather than have her mileage get racked up all the time. The 63's would've definitely been nice - the E was probably the next most "practical" choice, but again for a family of 4 travelling with hockey gear and luggage for a long weekend...SUV was my only logical choice and ML63 has appealing as it would've been was too small.

 

Congrats on the new vehicle. I must say I hate all SUV I guess b/c I’m a coupe or sedan kind of person. Since you got a deal, it's obvious you made a good choice. I know it was hard purchasing a GL when there is an AMG's sitting in the showroom as you sign your paperwork.

 

Practicality is a buzz kill; but families demand practicality (I know, I was tested like you).

Is there an E63 4Matic wagon or is it just an E550 4Matic wagon?