mercedes-benz gl-class road tests and consumer car reviews

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class 420 CDi 2007

When I bought my GL 420 CDi, I thought I was buying a car for life. So I added the TV, the wooden stearing wheel, the rear heated seats, the DVD player, the rear sun roof which I thought opened until I took delivery, wireless phone equipment, side rail bars, 20 inch wheels and many more extras. The car was great until I took it to Venice in February last year. As I was driving through the beautiful Swiss mountains the problems started. I noticed I had problems when I had the accelerator pedal all the way down and the car would not increase its speed beyond 80mph. As I approached Lugano that’s when the fun and games started. When I stopped as I took the wrong turning, the car would not go beyond 20mph and as I tried to change the gear it sounded like the engine was rocking in its cage and wanted to fall out of its place. This was a matter of trial and error and proved to be an intermitent situation. We got there in the end, but three days later on our return journey, instead of spending a couple of hourse in Milan, we spent three hours being on the back of a pick up truck and in an empty mercedes benz garage in Brecia with an Italian mechanic who could not speak one word of English. That was an experience, even with sign language. I agree with Stewart Bailey in his report that this is a very luxurious 4 x 4 and is like travelling business class but on the road, without a shadow of doubt. The car flys on the motorway even with five passengers, and fully loaded with suitcases. You could be doing 100mph (watch out for the cameras!), and the passengers think you are doing 60mph. However, it is has been a roller coaster ride with mercedes trying to repair my car. My return journey back to the UK was the most challenging and the problem certainly did not go away throughout our drive right upto the front door of our home. Well February 2009 through to now (February 2010), we have had nothing but one electronic control panel changed after another, the engine has never the been the same, the sun roof has had problems and still does, the reverse camera would not work, the TV’s had problems in the rear head rests, the remote control to the TV only this month had to be changed, the rear suspension had to be adapted under warranty and the list goes on. The engine at the moment drinks the deisel like water and is reves very high (mercedes tells me that the automatic choke stays in longer when its cold - in my opinion utter rubbish until proven wrong). The problems have been endless and I always feel that I am being told porky pies to be kept quiet. The three mercedes employees that dealt with my case have now all left and I am having to start all over again before the warranty runs out. An absolute shame to have these problems from what I consider to be an amazing family car. I bought this car because it offered in my opinion the best safety cage to protect my family but in luxurious and comfortable surroundings to all seven seats as opposed to my last car being the Grand Voyager. If someone out there has shared similar problems with their GL 420i, I would be interested to know.