Mercedes GL450 vs. Volvo XC90

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Thoughts?

We scrapped the whole idea of an Excursion and are going back to the drawing board. I think we'll do a big diesel pickup for towing, and something in an SUV with a 3rd row for daily driving.

I was surprised to find out that in terms of used vehicles, the Mercedes was comparably priced to the Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban class of vehicles we had been considering, and the Volvo was cheaper (when matching comparable years and odometer readings). Since I won't need to tow anything substantial with my daily driver, I'm seriously considering these options.

I'd be interested in a 4Runner if I could find one with a 3rd row, but those are rare enough that they're quite expensive. We looked at a Highlander today but my husband isn't convinced it's got what it takes for daily gravel road driving, and it was right at the top end of our potential price range.

I'd also sacrifice 3rd row seating if I could find something with enough clearance and durability to handle the road we'll be living on with good gas mileage. But it looks like I have to ditch gas mileage in favor of something that can off-road a couple of miles a day, and if I'm going to own two gas-hogs I'd better be able to cram a bunch of people into one of them so we're not taking two cars places.

Ok, so I looked at 3 cars on a "luxury used car lot" today. Went by myself so I didn't get to have my husband chime in on anything. One car I saw was an Audi SUV. I don't recall the model name but I ruled it out after finding there was literally NO ROOM in the 3rd row to put knees. After climbing into the 3rd row I actually was unable to put the 2nd row back into place; it was about 6 inches too short to fit my knees in there. No space for a RF seat at all, and I don't think any FF seat of any size would fit either; maybe a RSTV or a Radian but that's about it; anybody small enough to fit in that rear seat is going to need a child restraint, and there just wasn't any room for a child restraint, and with my oversized children that's going to be a problem.

Next I looked at the Volvo XC90. This one has the advantage of being pretty darn economical. The 3rd row was cramped, but not as bad as the Audi and at least on the passenger side the 2nd row seat was able to be moved forward a few inches to make more room in back. I was not able to test drive this one, and they had just sold the V8 version so all they had was the straight 6. Not sure yet which one I'd want but they said they get them in all the time. The one they had on the lot was only about $11k (2004, something like 60k miles on it). Question mark: Will it hold up to the road I need to drive it on? The salesperson seemed to think that of all the SUVs on their lot that the XC90 was the best one for that. Also the built-in booster in the center of the 3rd row seemed like it could come in handy from time to time.

Last, I looked at the Mercedes GL450. They had two of them on the lot, both MY 2007. OMG, I think I'm in love with this vehicle. The 3rd row was actually spacious enough for adults AND had two full sets of LATCH. 2nd row had 2 full sets of LATCH plus a top tether in the center... seriously, a tether anchor for every rear seating position. I think the 2nd row may be wide enough for a FF Frontier 85 and a RF Radian side by side, leaving room for another adult in the 2nd row. I was really impressed with the power buttons that stow the 3rd row seats for you and bring them back up. No reaching and pulling at all. In terms of the interior of the car, this is my DREAM vehicle that I didn't even know existed. Now... will it handle a rough gravel road as part of its daily life? Not sure.

What am I missing that I should be researching? Both vehicles were packed with air bags all over the place. Anybody know whether they get comparable safety ratings? Anybody have one of these vehicles and have an opinion about them?
 
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tl01

New member
I had a GL450... 2009... My cousin has a 2008. I loved my GL! Such a nice car to drive. They can be pricier to maintain. Of the those two I would say they are both super safe vehicles. I did switch out for my Ody for the sliding doors but when I don't need those doors anymore I'm getting another GL. We did out 7 people in it pretty frequently and it wasn't too bad getting everyone in.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Any thoughts about how well it would hold up to living up a very rough gravel road? Compared to, say, a Tahoe?

We are kind of scratching our heads because a Tahoe would actually end up being more expensive (comparing similar years and miles).
 

Hazelandlucy

Active member
I was so close to getting a GL. I watched an off road comparison/review on YouTube and it did great! Will try to find it when I get to my computer.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Well, we are now the proud owners of a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL 450.

Overall, I love it. But I just discovered one thing it didn't occur to me to check on.

Mercedes apparently does not include child safety locks on their back doors. At all. :mad:

This might have actually been a dealbreaker for me if I'd known about it before we drove the dang car home. I have one of those hard-to-train kids and there have been multiple times when it's only been the child safety lock that keeps her from bolting out the door into the street or parking lot as soon as the car is stopped and she's released from her car seat. The doors auto-lock when the car is in motion, so that's good I guess, but that doesn't solve the parking lot problem.

I'll find a way to deal with it. It's just that often one of the adult siblings in the back seat will unbuckle her before getting out of the car, and the safety lock keeps her in place until an adult comes around and opens the door for her.

Suggestions?
 

tl01

New member
Well, we are now the proud owners of a 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL 450.

Overall, I love it. But I just discovered one thing it didn't occur to me to check on.

Mercedes apparently does not include child safety locks on their back doors. At all. :mad:

This might have actually been a dealbreaker for me if I'd known about it before we drove the dang car home. I have one of those hard-to-train kids and there have been multiple times when it's only been the child safety lock that keeps her from bolting out the door into the street or parking lot as soon as the car is stopped and she's released from her car seat. The doors auto-lock when the car is in motion, so that's good I guess, but that doesn't solve the parking lot problem.

I'll find a way to deal with it. It's just that often one of the adult siblings in the back seat will unbuckle her before getting out of the car, and the safety lock keeps her in place until an adult comes around and opens the door for her.

Suggestions?

Mine had them I believe. They are on the door latch themselves. There's some small lever your move I think. Are you sure it doesn't have them?
 

kagw

New member
Hi! My GL450 has child safety locks on bk doors. There is a little latch on each door- visible when door is open. Hope that helps.
Have you had any problems with carseat install due to headrests? I am needing to buy highbk booster for 7yr old boy and not sure what to order :-/
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Mine had them I believe. They are on the door latch themselves. There's some small lever your move I think. Are you sure it doesn't have them?

I looked everywhere for the lever, searched my PDF of the owner's manual (I don't have a paper one yet), and then checked with Google. The GL-class vehicles and most of MB's other vehicles do not include child safety locks. :(

I saw some evidence from some of Google's search results that there have been some exceptions on some models.
 

tl01

New member
I looked everywhere for the lever, searched my PDF of the owner's manual (I don't have a paper one yet), and then checked with Google. The GL-class vehicles and most of MB's other vehicles do not include child safety locks. :(

I saw some evidence from some of Google's search results that there have been some exceptions on some models.

Looks like maybe the 07 doesn't. I think the 09 did. Looks like Mercedes were worried in case the driver was incapacitated? Who knows!

I'm glad they still lock once the car is in motion. I know we recently rented a car and forgot to check the doors and DS2 randomly opened the door while we were on the freeway. We quickly gave him a lecture about that and switched the lock.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Hi! My GL450 has child safety locks on bk doors. There is a little latch on each door- visible when door is open. Hope that helps.
Have you had any problems with carseat install due to headrests? I am needing to buy highbk booster for 7yr old boy and not sure what to order :-/

I removed the head rest where I installed my daughter's Frontier 85. After it was installed I was able to insert the head rest backwards for safekeeping.

Different model years may be different as far as whether the head rest is removable and/or designed in a way that it will get irreparably stuck if you put it in backwards, but it works in my 2007.

What year do you have? I've only had mine for about 6 hours, so I haven't had a chance to go over every feature yet, but I am fairly confident that it doesn't have the child locks.
 

tl01

New member
Hi! My GL450 has child safety locks on bk doors. There is a little latch on each door- visible when door is open. Hope that helps.
Have you had any problems with carseat install due to headrests? I am needing to buy highbk booster for 7yr old boy and not sure what to order :-/

I believe all the headrests are removable. So you just need a booster that doesn't require headrest support.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Looks like maybe the 07 doesn't. I think the 09 did. Looks like Mercedes were worried in case the driver was incapacitated? Who knows!

I'm glad they still lock once the car is in motion. I know we recently rented a car and forgot to check the doors and DS2 randomly opened the door while we were on the freeway. We quickly gave him a lecture about that and switched the lock.

Dang. We were hemming and hawing over whether to spend a little more and get a 2008. Sounds like we might have just picked the wrong model year. I wonder whether the '08 had them. I probably don't want to know, do I? LOL
 

tl01

New member
Dang. We were hemming and hawing over whether to spend a little more and get a 2008. Sounds like we might have just picked the wrong model year. I wonder whether the '08 had them. I probably don't want to know, do I? LOL

It sounds like the 07 and 08 don't have them... But don't hold me to that. When one of my parents get home shortly. I'll go checked their cars and see if I can find it and if I do I'll take a pic just in case. They don't have a GL... But they do each have a Benz.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I believe all the headrests are removable. So you just need a booster that doesn't require headrest support.

IMO, a better solution would be a booster that installs well in spite if the head rest. I think a backwards head rest would "work" for support as well.

Although some highback boosters require head rests and others don't, that seems to have more to do with the manufacturer's opinion on how important whiplash protection is than it does with how the boosters are designed. You'll never convince me that a Harmony or an Evenflo booster provides any meaningful whiplash protection with out vehicle support behind it. An Oobr, on the other hand, should do a great job keeping the head supported. But that's not a realistic option for many families, whether due to finances or just fit.

I do suspect that a highback booster may work pretty well with a backwards head rest behind it to provide that support so it's touching but not pushing the booster forward, but that's not a hypothesis I can test. And there are currently no standards for testing highback boosters for sufficient head/neck support. Right now, my daughter's head isn't high enough to need that support, plus the Frontier 85 offers more structural support than most boosters do so I'm not too concerned at this point.
 

kagw

New member
I removed the head rest where I installed my daughter's Frontier 85. After it was installed I was able to insert the head rest backwards for safekeeping. Different model years may be different as far as whether the head rest is removable and/or designed in a way that it will get irreparably stuck if you put it in backwards, but it works in my 2007. What year do you have? I've only had mine for about 6 hours, so I haven't had a chance to go over every feature yet, but I am fairly confident that it doesn't have the child locks.

I have a 2014 and only had a week so getting use to it as well... My headrests are removeable but have to be done by svc dept bc are not "suppose" to be removed (very annoying!!) bc when carseats are not in I want headrests for adult passengers. My carseat safety is more important tho!!
 

tl01

New member
My understanding is that you shouldn't use them backwards as they may fly out in a crash unless they lock. I know it is quite possible since I saw properly used ones fly out in a honda odyssey crash test video.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
My understanding is that you shouldn't use them backwards as they may fly out in a crash unless they lock. I know it is quite possible since I saw properly used ones fly out in a honda odyssey crash test video.

Bummer. I was looking at it again and there's no way a backwards head rest would provide any support anyway.

I'm not entirely sure what I should do with my head rest now. I don't want it to not be in the car, because I'd like to be able to remove the seat and put an adult there.

Thing is, even when facing forward the head rests don't really lock into place. You only have to press the button when pushing them DOWN. There is an equal amount of friction (maybe even a little more) when they are backwards compared to when they are forwards.

On the other hand, if you want to get them all the way out, you have to wiggle them loose at the top because there almost isn't enough clearance between the head rest and the car's ceiling. The instructions say you have to tip the seat forward in order to remove the head rest, and I was wondering why until I actually removed one and saw that it hits the ceiling and doesn't come out easily with the seat back in the upright position. It *does* come out, but not in a straight line. Perhaps that's enough to prevent it from flying loose in a crash. Either way, if these particular head rests are going to fly off when installed backwards they'll fly off when installed forwards too. So maybe it really doesn't matter.

It's super annoying to have a model that you can't take them out on, though. I wonder whether you can replace them with a removable part from a previous model year. Probably a super long shot.
 

tl01

New member
Bummer. I was looking at it again and there's no way a backwards head rest would provide any support anyway.

I'm not entirely sure what I should do with my head rest now. I don't want it to not be in the car, because I'd like to be able to remove the seat and put an adult there.

Thing is, even when facing forward the head rests don't really lock into place. You only have to press the button when pushing them DOWN. There is an equal amount of friction (maybe even a little more) when they are backwards compared to when they are forwards.

On the other hand, if you want to get them all the way out, you have to wiggle them loose at the top because there almost isn't enough clearance between the head rest and the car's ceiling. The instructions say you have to tip the seat forward in order to remove the head rest, and I was wondering why until I actually removed one and saw that it hits the ceiling and doesn't come out easily with the seat back in the upright position. It *does* come out, but not in a straight line. Perhaps that's enough to prevent it from flying loose in a crash. Either way, if these particular head rests are going to fly off when installed backwards they'll fly off when installed forwards too. So maybe it really doesn't matter.

It's super annoying to have a model that you can't take them out on, though. I wonder whether you can replace them with a removable part from a previous model year. Probably a super long shot.

I always put my headrests in the trunk right up against the last row I seats so hopefully they will stay there in a crash. I want them in the car too. I have also strapped them down to cargo hooks. You could get a cargo net too and put them in there.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I always put my headrests in the trunk right up against the last row I seats so hopefully they will stay there in a crash. I want them in the car too. I have also strapped them down to cargo hooks. You could get a cargo net too and put them in there.

We have a cargo net, but the 3rd row is going to be up and down and having the head rest rattling around in the back (even secured to something) is just going to lead to it getting damaged or lost. :p

I think with this particular head rest, it's no more likely to fly out when installed backward than forward. It really does not lock in place when installed forward anyway. Although this is the first head rest I've had which has been like that.
 

tl01

New member
We have a cargo net, but the 3rd row is going to be up and down and having the head rest rattling around in the back (even secured to something) is just going to lead to it getting damaged or lost. :p

I think with this particular head rest, it's no more likely to fly out when installed backward than forward. It really does not lock in place when installed forward anyway. Although this is the first head rest I've had which has been like that.

I think it should lock into place. Does it have the notches on the side on one post? It should click in at each one. I stored headrest for any car I have had in the back of the car and have had no issues. We have had like 5 Mercedes SUVs over the years and a bunch of minivans;). We have packed luggage on top etc... And they have been fine. We have also gotten them dirty whatever was in the trunk and they wipe up fine.
 

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