sterto

as in hated it so much that he/she got rid of it?

i think it's based on the ML platform so makes sense that you see the similarities. i'm not sure what you mean by the "interior setting of an e-class" -- bad layout, overall feel? just the fact that it's copied from another line?

the leather in the MB is very supple and there are vast expanses of it everywhere. but the vinyl is cheap. i still like the audi vinyl quality and overall interior layout and look. i'll take brushed aluminum highlights over wood too. the MB has wood on the steering wheel too, which i think is ridiculous. the 07 a4's perforated s-line wheel is pretty nice, although i still yearn for the old 00 a4's sport wheel.

DukeLeto

Yep, as in hated it so much he got rid of it. He got a ML 500AMG (or whatever the engine size/model no. is). He also had some issues with the car's electrical system, IIRC.

The interior comparison was targeted at the interior similarities between the two classes (E / GL). It just looks the same, as far as I can tell (I am not a Mercedes connoisseur). It's the same issue I have with the Q7. When you're inside, it just feels like an A6.

I'm with you when it comes to interior styling. I find the plastics used in Mercedes to look the cheapest of the three premium German makers(Audi, BMW, Mercedes). I still like the leather in the Audi better. The wood in the steering wheel is not even wood, is it?

T.

sterto

only reason to choose the GL over a sportier ML PLUS AMG would be the family (3rd row seats, etc). but then again, if not for the fam, i can think of other nice (smaller) MB models he could take over a juiced ML.

don't all manufacturers make the interiors pretty similar across model lines? like you said Q7=A6 but also A6=A4. i think you have to go to the super premium model lines to get real differentiation.

i think the MB steering wheel is real wood. lacquered beyond all tactile recognition of course. better be real for a $540 option that only puts wood on the upper quarter arc (admittedly getting "multi-functions" too, but blah, not worth it in any case).

DukeLeto

The family was not the point in his choice. He's single. It was the fact that he could get a GL when nobody else had it in the country. Different things matter for different people, I guess.

Most manufacturers make models similar. That's okay, after all you follow a brand design line. What's bothering me is when they make them almost identical, like the ML/GL with the E Class, Q7 - A6, X5 - 5 Series.
AFAIK Mercedes interiors are all the same. For Audi, you at least get a navigation display and a MMI dial that switch positions depending on the model they are on. I can't think of a single Mercedes model, except maybe the new S Class which I haven't been in, that doesn't have the navigation placed anywhere else except the center of the central console.

I don't think it's real wood. I think they're no longer allowed to use real wood, but a wood replacement that doesn't break into parts that can harm you, in case of an accident. For the A4, my poor memory states that the wooden steering wheel, multifunction was around EUR450(so about your sum in USD), and the salesman told me it's not real wood and gave me the above explanation.

Have a great one,

T.

pyrobecks

the driver's side temp and the passanger side would follow... but that didn't work and I gave up.

DukeLeto

Did you hold the AUTO button for 3secs?

sterto

so after i praised the controls on the MB nav vs my audi nav, i now happily retract my statement. i do like the concept of a cursor and numeric keypad, but the MB cursor is horrible. and the NAV system overall is brutal compared to the audi NAV.

and i must say, i had gotten so used to the audi way, with my wife's car being an allroad, that i had forgotten how well audi does interiors, in terms of layout, ergonomics, quality of plastics, electronics, etc. after a few drives with the GL450, i'm falling in love with audi all over again.

DukeLeto

I didn't like it for the same reasons either