Axxlrod

Hello. Lease on our 2013 MB GL350 is up in a few months, and researching what to replace it with. This is my wife's car, and she is leaning toward the new GLS 350. But the dealer is acting like they are made of gold, even though they won't even be available for several months.Annoying.

The tech in the Q7 is what is appealing to me, but my wife doesn't care about that stuff.

My biggest concern with the Q7 is that it might be too small for us. We have 3 kids, so a truly usable 3rd row is required. I'm concerned that when the 3rd row is up in the Q7 that there really is no storage space left behind the 3rd row.

Anybody else compare these two vehicles?

ksalno

It's hard to compare since there is limited info out on the GLS currently but assuming it won't be too different from the current GL350 the two biggest differences I can see are the rear area (GL - 93 cu. ft., Q7 - 72 cu. ft.) and Mercedes is promising their diesel for March delivery whereas Audi is still TBD until VW settles with the EPA. Feature-wise, the Q7 has caught up and in some areas surpassed Mercedes, which was not true when I bought my GL350 in 2010. However, the reduced space and lack of a diesel will probably have me trading my 2010 GL for a 2016.

Fdvigna

I have a 2012 GL350 and a 2015 Q7. IMO third row in both are just Okay-ish with the MB being easier to access. The real advantage of the MB for me is the cargo space, specially when third row is down. We use the MB for traveling. You can always consider bigger cars (like the Escalades... they have "captains chair" (which means easy access) and huge cargo area.

I saw the new Q7 this weekend and was unimpressed with it external design. I think in terms of technology the new Q7 will have an edge over the GLS (Q7 is a new platform - GLS is a mid-cycle refresh). From what I have read, the Q7 really stands out in terms of technology.

I do plan to trade my GL this year. I still may go for the new Q7, but I may also just wait for next year depending of what other cars are being introduced. There's a lot of movement in the segment and a lot of new technology to be introduced until 2018... just around the corner.