Features & Pricing
Excluding the destination charge, the GL320 starts at $53,400, while the GL450 starts at $55,900. Standard features on both include four-wheel drive, faux leather upholstery, a CD player with an auxiliary MP3 jack, dual-zone automatic climate control, a fixed third-row skylight, and heated, power-adjustable front seats. The GL550 hikes the price considerably ($77,375), but it comes stocked with standard features: larger wheels, a moonroof, leather, a backup camera, heated second-row seats, Harman Kardon audio, xenon headlights and a navigation system. Many of those features are optional on lesser trims.
GL550 options include keyless access (it supplements the regular keyless
entry) and a rear-seat DVD system. Fully loaded, the GL-Class tops out around
$83,000.
GL-Class in the Market
The GL's price spread gives it a wide range of competitors: At the low end it competes with Infiniti and Lincoln, and at the high end there's Lexus and Land Rover. It seems less suited for the higher-tier competition, as its ride quality and control interface stop it short of luxury-SUV perfection, but as an alternative to some of its less-expensive competitors, the GL holds promise. It's elegantly tailored, stylish and roomy, and for some families it could prove a worthy steed. Sales have been steady so far, but whether or not enough folks will be willing to look past the GL's annoyances to make it a success — particularly with $3.50-per-gallon gas — remains uncertain.
See also:
Design: Distinctive lines flow as an expression of effortless grace and
status
In 1995 the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was the first Mercedes model to appear with
the highly acclaimed twin-headlamp face - a highly symbolic design feature that
still characterises the identity of th ...
Slippery road surfaces
WARNING
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the
freezin ...
Adjusting the seats
Vehicles without Memory function: the
seats can be adjusted within three minutes
of a front door being opened.
The time period starts over again if, within
these three minutes, you:
• open or ...