Kian-S8

I was out there last weekend helping a friend to shop his SUV. He was locked on the MB brand so we got locked on the MD dealers and he really liked the new 320 diesels they have. It was fun for me since I remembered why last year I did not buy the GL compared to Q7. anyhow I do not want to compare the models but here is the story about the new GL 320 bluetech diesel: there is no spare in the car (space is taken by the bluetech technology and its tank). Car comes with run flats and there is no TPMS sensor in the tire! they use that crappy ABS based rotation comparison to warn you if a pressure drops and that crap acts if it drops %40 or more on the regular tire and even more on a run flat and it does not wotk at %90 of the situations like uneven road. ice on the road, curves, speeds higher than 100km/h, ... you name it. Only works if everything is in perfect condition! then you got only 400km to run on that tire if you had instant warning about the pressure drop. Tires supplied with the vehicle are not repairable (or MB tells you not to fix them) so you have to buy a new tire since you had a flat! or a set of four if tires are old to keep the AWD system happy! I got freaked out and sales person told me, they have to come up with a solution fast as this is causing issues in selling 2009 diesels. We ended up getting a 2008 for my friend that does not have that bluetech technology.

mkaresh

We all know what urea is, right?

For the reasons you mention, and others, run-flats aren't a great idea with AWD vehicles.

AutoUnionQ7

Besides the whole stupid BluTec technology, it seems as though MB (even though they pioneered this technology) didn't think it through very well. What's a huge SUV with no spare? The GL, R, and even the ML have this problem.

One other stupid problem is that on the GL, for 09, it's acutally ~4,500$ more then the Gl450 gas engine. In 08, it was actually CHEAPER to get the CDI vs the GL450, and that engine came with more power, and a spare.

It seems that only VW and Audi thought this true by giving us US Q7 owners, who want the TDI, a spare tire. They thought out the urea tanks by putting them in the "sides" of the car vs under the 3rd row.

And it's not only MB. BMW is doing the same thing with its X5 diesel. Only the Q7 and Toureg have the well-thought out systems.

And on the topic of price, has anyone noticed how stupidly overpriced the ML, and GL Bluetecs are? Very big premium over the gasser, and even the X5d, which starts at 52,XXX. Whereas the T-reg V6 starts at around ~43,000. Which makes it the cheapest, and most fuel efficent SUV.,

I'm really waiting for the Q7 TDI's prices to come out. If Audi is smart, they will undercut BMW and MB's price and sells TONS more Q7s.

And the CDI engine is actually slower, then the 3.0 TDI from VAG. It has about 210 hp, and 390 tq, whereas the T-Reg, and Q7 get a 240hp with 420 tq. HOwever the BMW does blow both of them away...

If anyone was in the market for a MB CDI, GET THE 08s!

der Scherzkeks

Re: If VW = +$3500 over V6, Audi should be the same, no?

AutoUnionQ7

Audi, especially where I live, I used to see 1 Q7 every so often, but now I see about 2-3 a week. And more A4s and A6s a day, then I can count.