80sailor

Looking hard at each of these vehicles.

Anyone else shop these two? Curious about reliability, ownership issues, differences in ride and room- esp in the 3rd row for kids.

Can get either at a good price pre-owned, hence my quandary.

Thanks for the help.

T-

obLu

We cross shopped the GL. I don't remember if it was part of an option package, but liked the power rear seats of the GL and liked the squared off cargo area of the GL vs Q. Other than that, the interior/exterior quality of the Q seemed much higher. My wife isn't a big fan of all the plasticy trinkets that MB styles the exterior of their cars with or the utilitarian style of the interior plastics.

I liked the MB motor's power over the 4.2; it always seems like MB motors of the same size feel like they've got a bit more torque than competitors. I also liked how the MB rode, much smoother than our 4.2 with air suspension.

Ultimately it came down to style/what wife wanted/servicing costs of MB. I've got a C class, and Mercedes servicing is a huge racket. They do things they call Service A and B. Service A is basically an oil change and eye-balling a bunch of stuff, but they talk it up like some master technician is personally going over the systems on your car; subsequently they charge you massively. Service A was $250. Service B was supposed be $450 but I went independent for $300. Before my lease is up, I'll need another Service A.

Compared to that, the $500 Audi service pre-pay package was a bargain. And just comparing the attitudes between Audi and Mercedes servicing, we felt that overall the Audi would probably cost us less in the long run (out of warranty). Another big factor was that Audi sales were flexible on pricing where the MB dealers in our area were adamant that they wouldn't sell for anything lower than MSRP. My wife being in sales that rubbed her the wrong way ... but she's not a big MB fan to begin with so any little thing would've sent her to Audi.

pavils

We too cross-shopped both, with me (subtly) trying to make sure the wife thoroughly considered the Q7, to provide some company to my S6.

It was close, and we considered both these vehicles were certainly in a different class when considering value for the dollar against other 3-row competitors (don't get me started on LX570 pricing).

In the end, however, wife ended up going with the GL, with the third-row seats being the clincher - designed for 'real people' (design specs for a 6' 2" male) and they are, I had to admit, a lot better than the Q7 third row - they are comfortable for adults; the power function on them was simply icing on the cake. Ride quality was also deemed better on the GL, and the wife found the seats more comfortable.

The wife was saddened, however, to have the leave behind the full-length sunroof of the Q7, which was a lot nicer than the two sectional ones the GL has.

The service costs have seemed to be in the same neighborhood as Audi service (for those who don't buy the pre-paid Audi package), and we haven't had any real maintenance/reliability issues over the 18m (and 14k miles) we've had the car.

As point of reference, wife was coming from an LX470...

postscript: once the wife decided on the GL, she then went back to do a test drive on the GL320, too, to compare to the GL450. She ended up choosing the 320 for the fuel economy...

tcardio

Be real! Audi is for driving! MB is for posing! Q7 TDI rocks! Forget the 3.6 or 4.2. TDI with ECU flash gets 294 HP and 630 nM of torque. IF you want to pose then get the MB and watch your wallet shrink.

Railflyer

Who has a flash for the TDI in the US already?

sharks777

If you need the third row seat regularly, then GL is the way to go, not to mention the power third row seats is a very useful function. GL seats are definitely more comfortable and the engine is more refined/quieter. If you order a GL450 w/ ADS, in sport mode, it actually handles quite well considering its size and much like a car. GL also have a more comfortable ride with its air suspension, while air suspension is an optional extra on the Q7 TDI or 4.2 (not available on 3.6). Maintenance-wise, I feel MBs tend to be more reliable and costs less to maintain (parts are also more readily available and cheaper). I have owned many MBs and the ones since 2005 have been just pretty much regular maintenance. Last but not least, also depends how your local Audi or MB dealers are. I know some Audi dealers can be pretty unpleasant to work with.

Having said all the above, I now have an order for a Q7 because I won't be needing the third row seats much and the Q7 has a nicer interior and the MMI is nicer than GL's COMAND. Furthermore, a GL450 equipped with the options I want are much more expensive than a similar Q7. For the purpose of my purchase, the Q7 met my needs. If I went the GL route, I'd take the GL550 since a fully loaded GL450 comes close to the price of the former while lacking the motor and exterior of a GL550, a very fast truck!

24wheeler

As others have mentioned, the third row of seats is far superior within the Mercedes. They are electrically folded and have real depth for the passenger's feet. Fully grown adults can sit there comfortably.
If this is a priority, along with a higher seating position, real off-road ability, a low range transfer box that allows for a slower range of gear ratio's, and towing, then the Mercedes is for you.

If a sporty road drive and a nice looking car is your priority, go Audi.

The Mercedes has an overcomplicated driver/car interface. By that I mean that it has far too many buttons and menu's and sub-menu's to fathom compared to the rotary switch fitted to the Audi.
The Mercedes automatic transmission is far more predictable and smooth operating than the Audi's ZF unit.
The Audi has a nice smooth and pleasing exterior styling while the Mercedes has many sharp angles and creases on almost every body panel.
The Audi has a better initial factory build quality although I've no doubt that the Mercedes is an equally good long term proposition.

Make sure you specify both generously for maximum satisfaction. Both need some time and effort spent getting to know how to use the various sytems and features properly. The Mercedes needs far more familiarisation and then regular reference to the manual, mainly due to the menu system and muliple operating buttons and the sequences needed to operate them.

Although I have a Q7 and various other SUV's, I have my eye on a friend's GL320 CDI to replace my old Toyota Land Cruiser 100 daily drive when the time comes for him to change.

uberwgn

I'd focus on which offers the superior driving experience. Long-term servicing costs are going to be very similar...Audi will certainly not be a "bargain". All the dealerships have their service schedule menus w/pricing. Nothing is "cheap" to service today.

I'd also give much consideration to your local dealership's reputation and ability to fix the vehicle when it's broken.

We've owned numerous Mercedes and have been lucky with the majority of repairs being covered by warranty. We've never had a serious failure on any MBz car.

80sailor

This is all great feedback and insight.

I'm leaning towards the Q7 personally. I have an A6 currently and love the interior, MMI and drive.

But this car will be for my wife and I don't think she's overly in love with the exterior styling.

We're going to go drive both this week again.

Thanks for all the input!

98a6quattro

im on the same boat here. Having owned an A6 in the past and my wife has a C class with over 115k on it, the Mercedes has defnitly been more reliable. really just basic maintenance. Sure MB tries to get you with that Service A or B nonsense. Unless you lease, you can pick and choose what they actually do. Most of the time its and oil change and some filters here and there.

Ideally i would love a GL320 CDI, but its a bit out of our price range. Although i have always loved Audi, the exterior of the Q puts me off a bit. Not a big fan of the roof line dropping towards the rear.