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2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec 4MATIC - Short Take Road Test

Keeping up with the changes to Mercedes-Benz’s big SUV.

BY MICHAEL AUSTIN
November 2010

Pages: 1 Photos

• Photos (29)

Specifications

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 5-door wagon

PRICE AS TESTED: $74,635 (base price: $61,825)

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve diesel V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 182 cu in, 2987 cc
Power (SAE net): 210 bhp @ 3400 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 400 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm



DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 121.1 in Length: 200.3 in
Width: 74.6 in Height: 72.4-75.4 in
Curb weight: 5712 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 8.6 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 16.7 sec @ 82 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 130 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 176 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.75 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 17/21 mpg
C/D observed: 21 mpg
*stability control-inhibited








What Is It?
Seven seats of Mercedes-Benz, American-style. Although the GL-class is sold worldwide, it’s clearly made to target our country’s love of extra-large and extra-in-charge trucks. Plus, the GL is manufactured in the good-old U-S-of-A, down in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
Since we said goodbye to our long-term 2008 GL320 CDI 4MATIC, the GL has undergone a number of running changes. In 2009, Mercedes added BlueTec, a urea-injection exhaust after-treatment that made the diesel 50-state emissions legal; and 2010 brought a mid-cycle refresh to the front and rear styling. The badge change from GL320 to GL350 is purely semantic—the oil-burning powertrain remains unchanged—and the drop in the highway fuel-economy rating from 23 mpg to 21 is merely a result of new EPA test procedures required for all 2011 models.




How Does It Drive?
The GL’s impeccable road manners remain intact. It never tries to be a sports car, but the steering is slop-free and accurate, and it wafts over bumps in a way that seems to say “you’re in a giant Mercedes; I know you don’t want to be disturbed.”




At the test track, we found skidpad grip increased to 0.75 g from the 0.71 our long-termer posted when new, and 70-to-0-mph braking is down to a commendable 176 feet. Both of those figures are probably due to a switch from tires with a slight off-road bent to more pavement-friendly Goodyear Eagle LS2s. Acceleration to 60 mph is the same, at 8.6 seconds, but this truck trailed the long-termer by 0.2 second in the quarter-mile and a full second to 100 mph. Chalk that up to the extra 157 pounds carried by this example. Our observed fuel economy matched the EPA highway number at 21 mpg, 1 mpg lower than our 40,000-mile average in the GL320.




How Does It Stack Up?
A GL won its first (and only) comparison test way back in 2006—in V-8–powered GL450 guise—and we’re still fans. Back then, the Audi Q7 4.2 finished second, and we still like that SUV, too. While the Audi attempts to be a bit sportier, the Mercedes leans more on attributes like a tall, commanding view of the road, a no-nonsense demeanor, and a more spacious third-row seat. When considering the diesel versions of both, the Q7 TDI is about 10 grand cheaper. That’s a tough price difference to overlook, but those who can afford to won’t be disappointed with the GL.
What’s The Cost?
It’s large and has a three-pointed star in the grille, so it ain’t cheap, but the BlueTec is our pick of the GL range. Its base price of $61,825 undercuts the GL450 by $1000 and the GL550 by a whopping $23,500. What’s more, while we wouldn’t call the diesel stingy, it crushes the gas-burners on fuel economy, 17/21 mpg versus 13/18 and 12/17, respectively. That’s one thing the latest round of updates hasn’t changed at all.