Mercedes-Benz GL 350 BlueTec

Thanks Jon, I love the look too and it hides the brake dust from the massive brakes!!

OK, so I had a chance to drive the GL 350, PoVo, Audi and Saab. The Saab was out as soon as I got onto the highway. The Audi was nice, but no room in the back, a little rough ride. The Porche was fast and tight, but after talking to the mechanics in the shop they said that pulling that kind of load would do more harm to the transmission than good. I drove by the VW place and those guys did want to talk to me at all for some reason. And from what I have read on here the V10 is the way to go on that vehicle anyway and they are hard to find. So they are out. Now to the GL 350. Smooth, period! My sales guy that sold one, in a different color, was able to talk to him and he met me and let me hook my boat up to his vehicle and pull it down the road. All I can say is that I was very impressed. The transmission was smooth shifting and easy on the take off. The air level ride was great as it leveled out the vehicle without having it nose high. Breaking was a big plus as it did not let the boat push it around. We took it to a loading ramp at the lake and backing it in and pulling out was not an issue. Overall I was very impressed with the vehicle. I pulled the boat approx 50 miles that day and the gas mileage was almost the same as if it was not back there. After dropping the boat off at my place I drove it back to the dealership and the ride was bar none. The motor was super quiet and you could not tell that it was a diesel. So my pick is the GL.

"The Porche was fast and tight, but after talking to the mechanics in the shop they said that pulling that kind of load would do more harm to the transmission than good."

LOL, maybe if it was the V6. A lot of Porsche dealers have very little to no experience with anyone towing. My dealer is the highest volume dealer in PA and they don't have any clients towing, but me. Considering a lot of people mod these cars to get an extra 100hp and 100ft/lbs of torque (550+hp total 550 ft/lbs of torque total can easily be attained without voiding warranty) I would think excess hp & torque and racing them would be a bigger worry than towing within capacity the vehicle is rated for.

Needless to say, I can tell you my turbo shifts smoother than anything I've ever towed with, including the famed Allison trannies on a 3500HD, especially when it comes to donwshifting from 6th to 5th at highway speeds, the turbos ease in lightly and actually allow the vehicle to not shift where others would, and when it does have to downshift, its super smooth. Can't say much for my gas mileage towing though, but that I don't mind, it is a sports car after all...

Either way, the GL was what you were orignally looking for, glad you liked it, post some pics when you get it...

(Message edited by sp0tts on January 05, 2010)

Thanks man, and JYI, I liked the Porche a lot! It was fast and made turns as if it was on rails. But I am pulling a lake boat and a center console (fresh and salt toys) and need something that is going to handle the load of each boat. And at 7500 lbs, it should do the job. Going this Sat to see about finding one in the area or ordering one.

Can you guys with the VW V10's let me know what ball adapter/bar you are using in the hitch. I just traded my '04 Avalanche in for an '06 Touareg V10 and stupidly forgot to check the height of the receiver before I drove off. Seems that the Touareg is a little lower, but then the air suspension will prevent it compressing much, so maybe it's a wash. I kept the one I was using on my Avalanche (the standard type that puts the ball right about at the same height as the receiver). What did you guys use? I can flip it over to push it up, but that might be too high. Trying not to buy a new one if the current one will work. Couldn't tell from any of the pictures in the thread what people were running, but wanted to check before I try to hook the boat up next time.
Thanks in advance

Go to uhaul and get a new one for $50.

joe, he's asking how much of a drop people are using...

magnusm, I use a standard 2" drop on my Cayenne and let the air suspension do the rest. From the looks of Greg's pics, that's what he's using with his LSV too. From my experience, flipping it puts it up too high and can make it a hassle to get the boat on.

Is it hard to back the boat into tight spaces with the small mirrors that these euro suv's have?

I use the factory VW/Porsche ball mount... i just flipped it over so that it's a rise instead of a drop. Works great and tows my 08 Wakesetter on a Ryan trailer perfectly level (see the photos earlier in this thread.) Without flipping it over it was a little too low. The factory ball mount is very heavy (it's solid!) and works great.

I do recommend the factory ball mount.. there is actually a spec on how far the ball can be from the back of the car (it needs to be rather close.) VW/Porsche does not recommend more than a few inches. Check your manual.

As far as the question about the mirrors... no.. not an issue.. the mirrors are actually larger than you think. I back my boat into a 10" wide double deep garage without any issues.

(And congrats on the V10 ... I am sure you are grining from ear to ear.)