Import/Export or Local Sale 2007 Mercedes Benz GL 450 W/ Rear Seat Entertainment and Navigation

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Day of reckoning
Mercedes reckons the GL450 is the ideal vehicle for what it sees as a full-size traditional family and as such, provides for occasions that involve towing a boat/horse trailer or require the cargo capacity for visits to a home-improvement center. Additionally, the GL-Class, as an entire vehicle line, will be sold worldwide with a variety of engines, both gasoline and diesel, to cover everything from the Middle East to the Midwest.

For now, the all-new 4.6-liter gasoline engine will be the only one powering the all-wheel-drive GL450 in the U.S. market, but a new 50-state 3.0-liter "Bluetec" V6 turbodiesel will arrive in model-year 2008, badged as the GL320 CDI. With an impressive roster of standard equipment, the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 goes on sale in April at a base price MBUSA says is under $60,000 and tops out at about $70,000 with every available option, including towing and off-road packages.

The GL-Class was once intended to replace the comparatively ancient and crude G-Class (a.k.a. Gelaendewagen), but Mercedes found enough of a following for the military-spec box on wheels that it will continue to produce the G in small numbers.

Sibling rivalry
Built alongside the midsize M-Class and large R-Class in its Tuscaloosa, Alabama, factory, the GL-Class aims to fill the gaps between those two in price, size and intended mission.

Mercedes describes the six-seat R500 ($55,000 base to $75,000 loaded) as an everyday vehicle for "late-forming affluent families" who don't have a need for towing. Think "premium minivan" and you've got the idea. The five-seat ML500 ($50,000 base to $70,000 loaded) is intended to be a stylish, sporty SUV that can tow up to 5,000 pounds and sometimes go off-road, but not with a family of five plus a weekend's gear and a dog, etc.

The seven-passenger GL450, on the other hand, blends the cavernous interior capabilities of the road-going R500 with the SUV qualities of the ML500, but adds power-actuated third-row seats (taking a mere 4 seconds up or down) that can accommodate real adults; a serious 4x4 off-road option with skid plates, low gearing and two locking differentials; and an optional 7,500-pound Class IV towing package.

High standards, low weight
Even in its most basic form, the GL450 comes with the aforementioned 335-hp V8, a seven-speed automatic transmission, Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel drive with traction control, adjustable-ride air suspension, and 18-inch wheels and tires. The standard all-wheel-drive system uses open differentials and ABS to detect wheel slip.

When up to three wheels lose traction, individual brakes stop those wheels from spinning and send power to the wheel(s) that do have traction. Even with the standard system, there's an electronic hill-descent control, and a host of other electronic changes that occur to the ABS, traction and stability controls when the off-road program button is selected.

The optional off-road package adds a planetary gearset and lockable differentials for true low-range four-wheel drive. For most buyers, the 4Matic AWD system is all you'll ever need, but it's nice to know the hard-core 4WD system is available.

Mercedes reps claim the unibody GL450, in its base form, is up to 450 pounds lighter than anything else of its size or capability. That may not sound like much to you, but imagine how that weight would affect the acceleration, handling and fuel economy of a full-size SUV.

Interior highlights include heated and powered front seats, eight airbags (including dual front airbags, side airbags for the first and second rows and three-row head-protection curtains), bird's eye maple trim, manual 60/40-split second-row and powered 50/50-split third-row seating, eight-speaker audio and a multifunction steering wheel.

We've driven much more expensive premium SUVs that don't offer this level of luxury or standard equipment. As self-evident as it may sound, the interior of the GL feels and looks like a premium product. The cabin is an exercise in taste and restraint despite the laundry list of equipment. The seats are exceptionally comfortable and well bolstered, feeling like they might've come out of the specialty AMG performance division rather than the M-B passenger car pool.

Despite its size, the GL offers good sight lines and unlike the sloping hood of the more minivan-shaped Audi Q7, it's easy to determine where the front corners of the GL are due to its sharply chiseled front fenders.

Refreshingly, the optional-equipment list is populated with individual extras you could live without, but can be sprinkled into the mix: bi-xenon headlamps with corner-peering articulation, Harman Kardon surround-sound audio, rear-seat entertainment, added third-row A/C, keyless ignition, radar-based cruise control, park-distance warning, rearview backup camera, satellite radio, power tailgate, sunroof, DVD/sat nav, heated second-row seats, heated steering wheel, auto-dimming/power-folding mirrors, off-road package, 19-inch wheels and tires, and the Class IV towing package.
We are USA Export Experts

Your one stop shop for Mercedes Benz exports

Call Now: 1-800-543-4536 or 1-561-962-4399

Call us now for your free quote on a 2007 Mercedes Benz GL 450 w/ Rear Seat Entertainment and Navigation!