2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec Back Photos
2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec Engine Photos
2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec Interior Design Style Photos
2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec Interiors Photos
2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec Dash Interior Photos
2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec Front Photos
2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec Front Photos
2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec Photos
Drop the appellation "Big Benz" in chat and best bodies accept you're talking about the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. While the full-size flagship auto has – appropriately – becoming that moniker over the years, aback it comes to arduous admeasurement and volume, the GL-Class is absolutely Benz' behemoth. But don't booty that as a negative. The GL350 Bluetec, the automaker's diesel-powered alternative of its seven-passenger full-size action account vehicle, has affluence activity for it. Beneath the awning is a torque-laden, fuel-efficient diesel, and afterwards a anniversary affairs ancestors duty, we emerged impressed.
Today's Mercedes-Benz calendar seems to accept the beyond to beat General Motors. The German automaker offers the C, E, S, CLK, CLS, CL, SLK, SL, SLR, R, GLK, GL, M, G and SLS models. Mixed throughout its alphabet soup are coupes, sedans, convertibles, action account cartage and alike supercars. There are additionally gasoline, agent and amalgam powertrains. Distinguishing itself as the alone seven-seat SUV and the better non-commercial commuter agent offered by Mercedes-Benz is the GL-Class.
In North American guise, the GL is offered in three variants: The "entry-level" model, and the accountable of this review, is the diesel-burning six-cylinder GL350 Bluetec. Positioned added up the aliment alternation are the eight-cylinder GL450 and the alike mightier GL550 – both of which alcohol gasoline at a biggy rate, earning an EPA accumulated ammunition abridgement amount of 14 mpg.
The address of the GL-Class is its ample seven-passenger cabin, acceptable burden capacity, truck-like arena approval and adeptness to tow upwards of 7,500 pounds. Those aloof in carriage weekend accouterments can get their paws on the "its-not-a-minivan" R-Class, which manages 2,500 pounds of towing and makes due with added passenger-friendly arena clearance. But what anon impresses with the GL is its astonishing adeptness to adumbrate its accumulation – it's generally mistaken for its abate (but still large) sibling, the five-passenger M-Class.
Visual illusions aside, the GL-Class is about as big as a Cadillac Escalade. Yet clashing GM's high-riding luxo-ute, Mercedes-Benz has engineered the GL-Class with unibody construction. In return, the European is 400 pounds lighter than the American and its absolute belvedere is stiffer.
The chromed "350GL" badge on the rear liftgate infers an agent displacement of 3.5 liters, but don't be fooled. Today's badging classification generally has actual little to do with what's activity on beneath the hood, and in the case of the GL350 Bluetec, it boasts a 3.0-liter (2,987 cc) all-aluminum six-cylinder turbodiesel adapted with an intercooler. The powerplant delivers 210 application at 3,800 rpm and 400 pound-feet of torque starting as low as 1,600 rpm. The EPA ante the GL350 Bluetec at 17 mpg city, 23 mpg artery and 19 mpg combined. Mated to a accepted seven-speed electronically-controlled automated transmission, the 5,423-pound oil-burner will advance to 60 mph in aloof over eight seconds.
Unlike the ancient alive arbor abeyance begin beneath the rear of the Escalade, the GL-Class utilizes an absolute double-wishbone in the advanced and a four-arm multilink in the rear. All four corners are additionally abject by a accepted air abeyance adjustment – dubbed AIRMATIC – and the SUV rides on 20-inch admixture auto cutting advanced 275/50R20 tires.
Now in its fourth year of assembly (originally launched as the GL320 in 2006), the GL350 Bluetec has accustomed a accessory makeover for the 2010 archetypal year. The awakening included new bumpers, advanced and rear drift pates, chrome roof rails, LED daytime alive lights and a bang in caster admeasurement from 19 to 20 inches as accepted equipment. The interiors were adapted with bigger seats with alive headrests, a new covering council wheel, redesigned instruments and upgraded bulge walnut trim.
Decorated in Boralo Red (read: burgundy) acrylic over Cashmere leather, our 2010 GL350 Bluetec tester accustomed with a abject amount of $59,950. Several alone advantage packages, including an upgraded council wheel, abounding covering and adaptive xenon lights bumped the amount up a bit. However, the big backpack came with the "Premium 2 Package" ($5,950) that includes navigation, COMAND articulation control, Harman/Kardon LOGIC7 audio, HD Radio, an iPod interface and keyless ignition. Aback the abacus band chock-full and destination/delivery was added, the admirable absolute for GL350 Bluetec was $70,945.
Without question, the GL350 Bluetec is beautifully appointed. Cartage are greeted with yards of flawlessly sewn covering on the seats and doors, while darker allegory covering covers the dashboard. Abysmal bright copse trim is counterbalanced with brushed aluminum accents on the vents, dials and assorted grab handles. The centermost animate is ample (thanks to the cyberbanking P-R-N-D controls amid up on the tree) and there's accumulator galore. Fit and accomplishment is excellent, the affection of abstracts is superb and berth lighting is about perfect. Distinctively European in execution, the all-embracing ambience of the berth is classy, well-polished and appealing.
Better still, all seven basement positions are comfortable. The advanced seats are actual supportive, abnormally for the lower back, activity as acceptable afterwards 10 hours as they do afterwards 10 minutes. Second-row cartage are appropriately as agreeable as they adore acceptable allowance for knees, legs and feet. The third row is a actual affable surprise. Many SUVs accept the binding seats aback there (BMW X5, Audi Q7, Acura MDX, etc...), but added generally than not, they are annihilation added than thinly-padded uprights anchored to a shallowly scalloped floor. Acknowledgment to the ML's unibody platform, the German engineers were able to carve out a abysmal and all-around commuter alcove in the "way back" of the GL. (By the tape, the aftermost row in the big Mercedes offers as abundant leg allowance as the additional row in a mid-size Audi A4 sedan). Making it alike added pleasant, entry/egress is accessible as the second-row bench pivots advanced and absolutely out of the way. It says volumes about abundance aback adults advance to sit aback there for a 40-minute cruise – and appear with a smile.
Primary instrumentation, with ample annular dials set anon abaft the four-spoke council wheel, is excellent. However, the sea of baby aboveboard buttons bracketing anniversary ancillary of the 6.5-inch COMAND aeronautics and infotainent affectation crave that the driver's eyes leave the alley for several abnormal to accomplish – a shame, as the aeronautics adjustment is actual good. However, it's account acquainted that the cartoon on the adviser are as brittle and bright as those on an iPhone.
We begin quirkiness with the about-face arresting axis on the larboard ancillary of the council wheel. About every automaker places it at the accumbent nine o'clock position, while some manufacturers position it hardly college up at ten o'clock position. Mercedes-Benz drops the axis bottomward to eight o'clock, and puts the cruise ascendancy up at ten o'clock. Those alien with the non-standard adjustment will acceptable acquisition themselves again and aback averseness with the cruise ascendancy operations aback artlessly aggravating to arouse a few blinks to change lanes.
We additionally admired the color-coded buzz icons (red to hang-up, blooming to dial), but begin the numeric keypad that shares functions with the map affectation to be ambagious and a absolutely a ability from the larboard seat. The HVAC temperature knobs were accessible and intuitive, but the console-mounted radio aggregate bulge was artlessly too bank for our big fingers to calmly grab – it has to be a bit taller – but thankfully there's a bombastic ascendancy on the council wheel.
The advantageous appearance from the driver's bench offers accomplished afterimage of the altitude alfresco whether darting through cartage or canoeing on the accessible highway. The GL's size, however, works adjoin it aback the acceleration slows to a crawl. It's a academic bold anticipation area the advanced auto are, abnormally aback alongside parking forth a barrier or attempting to action about a baby obstacle. Backing isn't any easier as the GL-Class has decidedly undersized exoteric mirrors. Our analysis archetypal was adapted with a rear-view camera that helped abolish best of the abstruseness – until it rained and the drop-laden lens refracted the apple into a bleared underwater mess.
Outward appearances say the Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec is activity to drive like all of the added big SUVs. And as expected, it does. However, this seven-passenger German is absolutely agreeable to pilot whether canoeing bottomward the artery or through a abundance canyon. It handles abundant lighter than its weight would suggest, acknowledgment to its able abeyance and acceptable acquaintance patch.
We put the GL-Class through its paces, and demography advantage of its commuter volume, we frequently had all three rows active with nary a complaint. At one point, we took the GL350 Bluetec on a one-day 200-mile adventure beyond the L.A. Basin during a active rainstorm. The automated rain-sensing wipers kept the bottle spotless while the automated altitude ascendancy ensured all windows, alike with seven cartage on board, remained absolutely fog free. Like all GL models, ours had the accepted all-wheel drive and four-wheel cyberbanking absorption adjustment (a.k.a. "4MATIC") that's absolutely cellophane in its operation. Inclement acclimate will not avert this SUV.
What sets this archetypal afar from its GL-Class ancestors is its superb agent engine. Ignore the characterless application appraisement and booty a attending at the admirable 400 lb-ft of torque. None of the eight-cylinder models can bout it. The agee ability of an ox gives the Mercedes a quick jump off the band and a assured cull on the highway, alike aback casual on a grade. Action account cartage are absolute candidates for turbodiesel engines, and the GL-Class is no exception.
As mentioned, the Feds bang the GL350 Bluetec with a accumulated ammunition abridgement amount of 19 mpg. However, we saw 26 mpg during best of our artery canoeing and our all-embracing abridgement was in the low 20s the accomplished time. Best amazingly – and we are still afraid our active in atheism – the "lifetime economy" cruise computer on our tester had never been reset, account an alike 22.0 mpg over the accomplished 4,222 miles. An absorbing accomplishment for annihilation of this admeasurement and weight.
The better Mercedes SUV is one accomplished acreage yacht, but the antagonism in this flush articulation is fierce. In accession to the Cadillac Escalade, the date is awash with the Lexus LX570, Range Rover, Infiniti QX56, Audi Q7 and Lincoln Navigator. The Escalade vaunts its amalgam powertrain, while the Q7 offers a diesel. The QX56 from Japan credibility to its technology, while the traditionalists, both the LX570 and Range Rover, booty pride in their off-road prowess. The Navigator, meanwhile, boasts affluence accessories and an industry-leading infotainment system.
Nevertheless, distinct class wins don't accomplish champions amid these acrimonious rivals – front-runners charge to bear beyond the board. As conceivably the alone SUV in the articulation able of acclimation affluence appointments, active dynamics and commuter accommodation this able-bodied – all while carrying actual absorbing ammunition ability – the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 Bluetec charcoal absurd to be annoyed by its challengers.