2009 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class consumer reviews

This is my favorite car ever. I got it to be a family car and it has made me really happy overall. That is, when I don't think about how much money I've spent fixing it. I bought this car when it was about 7 years old. I knew regular maintenance would be more expensive than a non-luxury brand, but thought it would be worth it to have a "more reliable" vehicle and service would be infrequent. Boy, I was super wrong. At least every 2 months something big goes wrong. Well, even for a small part on a Mercedes it's "big" since they're going to charge you a LOT of money for a piece of plastic. I know the age of the car is just part of it, but throwing $600-$1200 at it every 2 months is killing me. I'm getting rid of it. I'd have rather spent the $10,000 I've done in repairs in the past year on a newer Mercedes, or a brand new vehicle that's more reliable and has more new technology (though for a 2009 this one is pretty loaded). Lesson learned! Don't buy a Mercedes unless it's 2-3 years old and you can get it with a warranty. Or, if you're rich and you can just keep throwing money at it. I am SO sad to be getting rid of it, but we just can't keep up.

Vehicle is very nice but it takes some getting used to. Not cheap to operate but that is expected for quality.

Very nice SUV, Nice quiet ride, plenty of room for friends and family with Mercedes quality, would recommend to anyone looking for a vehicle of this caliber.

I have loved this vehicle -mine is the 8cyl GL550 and I purchased it with over 50k on it. I say you have to pay to play since I have had a few air suspension issues that are very spendy to remedy - the regular service intervals are spread out pretty well, but I have had to fix a few things over the years/ I love it so much though that I am planning to purchase a newer one as a replacement/ the comfort, looks, reliability are top notch - the repairs were fairly routine items/ oh, and tires are spendy and you will need a winter set as well with the 550

This Mercedes-Benz is the best combination, luxury, strength, beauty, and practical utility. You can pull up at a fancy restaurant and not feel embarrassed, you can pile in all the kids and their friends and take them all to the soccer game, you can hook up your boat and take it to the cottage or lake easily with the 4 Matic and air suspension and 7500 towing capacity, it makes docking a snap. The GL-550 has a fantastic 382 hp v8 with a smooth 7 speed transmission that makes this SUV the smoothest driving Mercedes-Benz you can buy, and it still can deliver an impressive 17 MPG in the city. The built quality is fantastic, solid and reliable, this SUV was the truck of the year, twice in a row, this should tell you something! For the money a pre owned GL-550 is a unbeatable value, we love ours and friends that also own one love theirs as well. Get one, you will fall in love with this Benz,

I traded my R class for a 2009 GL550 - I fell in love with the larger grille, flared wheel wells and hadn't had a V8 in years, so I bought this pre-owned, a bargain compared to new. We love it for trips & it is my daily driver. I am only disappointed that the tire selection is very small for this size wheel on my vehicle and my last Continentals were showing considerable wear on tread in a year's time. I love this vehicle though and have had a few service hiccups over the few years I have had it, but nothing that could not be taken care of. I would buy a GL again, but with the newer style, I can't tell as much difference between a 550 and the lower end GL's styling-wise...

I've had my 2009 GL 320 Bluetec nearly two years. I bought it as a Mercedes Certified Pre-Owned with 29,000 miles on it and have put another 30,000 on it. My experience has been mixed. First the good. It is a superbly comfortable vehicle, particularly on long trips. We routinely drive four-and-a-half hours to a second home we own in Vermont and I finish the drive feeling less fatigued than in any other vehicle I've owned. The seats are very comfortable and supportive and at highway speeds the engine and transmission are very smooth and the ride is quiet and relaxing The sound system is good, the visibility is fine. As others have mentioned the fuel economy with the diesel engine is great for a large vehicle. I'll get between 24 and 27 mpg and the torque is very impressive. Although the engine is only rated at 200 horsepower, it has 400 ft lbs of torque and you get most of that at a very low rpm. This allows the truck to climb hills or pass other cars effortlessly, even when fully loaded. The tranny doesn't need to downshift or awkwardly hunt for a gear, the truck just goes. You really have to drive it for a while to appreciate it. Although the initial acceleration is a bit leisurely due to the turbo lag and low horsepower, once it gets rolling and that torque kicks in then getting onto a highway or passing is no problem at all. I also like the styling both exterior and interior and appreciate the electrically folding third row seats. After two GM trucks where I had to pull the third row seat out of the truck if I needed more storage and put it back in later, this was a real upgrade in convenience. Now the bad. This thing is in the shop for something or other literally every few months. It has been serviced since new at Mercedes dealerships and there has been no neglect of routine maintenance. Most of the issues were not serious or major things but still things that would cost a good buck to fix if not under warranty and a hassle to have to address. It's just that it's been constant. This past week was a biggie, the airmatic suspension pump and the front air shocks had to be replaced. That would have been a huge bill. No other car I've owned has had such a constant need for repairs. I'm not comforted by the one of the other reviewers need to put in a new transmission at 70K. Sadly, as much as I enjoy this truck we will be parting ways well before the CPO warranty runs out. A couple of post-scrips for those who own or considering this truck. First, the Bluetec fluidis actually called Diesel Exhaust Fluid. It's just distilled water and urea in solution. The truck takes 8 gallons every 10,000 miles. I've heard some dealerships charges $30 per gallon. You can get it at an auto parts store for $2 per gallon. The tank is in the back where the spare tire would be stored. Dump the stuff in before your service and just tell them you've got that covered. I don't know about you but I can find a better way to spend $200 than to just give it to Mercedes. Second, someone mentioned road/wind noise. It should be pretty quiet at highway speeds. It could be a drive line issue or tires. One other thing to keep in mind is that the cross-bars that mount on the roof rack increase the wind noise quite a bit. If it's wind noise you hear and it bothers you try removing the cross bars if you have them and use them only when you need them.

I am a Mercedes Benz buyer and have owned more than 15 Mercedes vehicles on the last 15 years. I will always own a Mercedes and moving to the GL class as a third vehicle for my growing family. Very happy with my purchase.

Best car I have ever owned, best car I have ever driven, but big surprise transmission went at 70,000 miles. A very well serviced car only touched by certified Mercedes mechanics. Great car, but be prepared for the ownership cost.

We bought a 09 GL450 2 months ago, and it's been a great addition to our family. I'm not sure why another comment here said that the road noise is bad, because I think that is one of the best features on the car. Maybe they have bad tires or a wheel bearing or something. The gas mileage is around 17 miles per gallon, that's mostly highway and some traveling around town. The V8 has some serious juice and can get you going in no time. I like the leather on the and the interior is nicely designed. The Command Center Navi/Radio is a little hard to use at first, but it gets easier. Overall I would give this SUV and A-, if it wasn't for the steep purchase price and the somewhat OK gas mileage (for an SUV that is), it would get an A.