Overview & Reviews

For 2011, the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class gains a blind-spot monitoring system. The GL550's front bumper has also been restyled.

• High standard of luxury
• Quiet cabin
• Excellent V8 performance
• Fuel-efficient diesel engine.
• Comfortable seating for all

• Non-adjustable second-row seats.
• Breathtaking prices when fully optioned

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 19.00

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  Trouble some vehicle - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By nafresh - January 26 - 12:09 pm

  I have 2011 GL Since 2013 now after 48 months Engine and transmission start leaking oil rear suspension airbag blasted at highway last year drive assisted sensor stop working, so much trouble spoke to several owners they confirm vehicle have lot of problems

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  American All-Star - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Zach Vannoy - February 13 - 10:00 am

  After coming from 2011 "American" Escalade (Made in Russia)I have realized that I have been missing out on the Best SUV for the last 4 years. Since 2006 I have been buying a Cadillac Escalade for me, and a ESV for my wife. The GL provides a replacement for both. The third row is larger then the ESVs yet the car itself is smaller then the regular Escalade. Its far more easy to navigate around town, provides a better ride,has more passing power,and looks better in and out. Test drove the new Infiniti QX and the Lexus Lx. The third row seat in both of them were far smaller, and didnt handle as good. The Qx did have a nicer center row r, but was inferior elsewhere. Very Pleased overall.

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  6 Years of Maintenance Headaches, but still Own It - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Jim A. - May 27 - 7:46 am

  Original owner, vehicle serviced 100% by Mercedes repair/maintenance facilities in San Francisco & Monterey CA. After 50,000 miles, the maintenance problems began, and they are common to many other postings I have seen on the web. Engine oil cooler seals go ($4,000), front wheel bearings leak/go ($3,000), AdBlue Heater goes ($3,000), vehicle loses speed and requires multiple repair visits to finally repair fuel system problem ($2,500), plus regular maintenance that has averaged $1,500 per visit. Vehicle has locked me out twice, battery has unexpectedly drained on several occasions requiring jump-starts, "Check Engine" light goes on way too often, requiring dealership visits. Vehicle itself is a pleasure when its working properly, but those intervals are getting shorter and shorter. Bought the diesel for power, efficiency and reliability but its not turing out that way.

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  Love/Hate Heartbreak - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Schaffs04 - October 20 - 3:59 pm

  The GL was a dream come true for me at the beginning. One owner, 2011 GL450 with a clean carfax and good looking maintenance history. Purchased from an MB dealer in April 2015. On the upside it was incredibly comfortable, fast, elegant, and as capable of hauling 6 adults in comfort to dinner as it was pulling a trailer with 3 tons of rock. When it was right, it was a thing to behold. When it went wrong, as it often did, it was like getting kicked in the gut. In 12 months and 20k miles: *Front Airmatic failure: $2,450 to repair *Primary and Secondary Battery Failures: $550 to repair *Blown underhood fuse panel: $450 to repair. *Standard maintenance for the year: $800, and that was skipping the spark plugs due at 60k which would have been another $600. Insult to injury was the depreciation in just one year: close to 40%. It has gone away and I am back to a nice, reliable, Japanese Infiniti. No need for 7 passenger so I also downsized. The only way this truck makes sense is if you can either do the work yourself, or have no worries about significant unexpected repairs. Wanted one for 25 years and after a year with the Benz, I suggest if you want a 7 passenger SUV that can tow, save yourself the heart wrenching experience of a GL and buy a GMC Yukon or Lexus LX570.

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  2011 GL 350 Bluetec - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Atlanta North - May 1 - 10:00 am

  We just recently moved from a 2008 GL 320 CDI to the 2011 GL 350 Bluetec. The fit and finish and additional sound insulation in the 2011 are very noticeable. There are some nice feature upgrades from 2008 to 2011 such as bluetooth, voice control, HD radio etc. MB has definitely taken a step forward on what was already a great vehicle. The larger 20" tires on the 11 are definitely nicer than the 18" on the 08. We loved our previous GL and look forward to even better experience with our 11. In fact already the fuel economy seems slightly improved which was already impressive for such a large vehicle.

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  Better have a warranty - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Mark Miller - November 8 - 9:23 am

  I have owned this car since new. It has been a love hate relationship. The fuel economy is very good for a full size, 3 row, all wheel drive vehicle. I have found the ride and handling and body rigidity to be sub par. Reliability has been below average with an engine leak at 50,000 miles that required the transmission to be dropped and cost $3,000. One of the air bladders in the suspension went out at 55,000 miles which cost $1000. An emission sensor went out at 60,000 miles which cost $2,000. Fuel filter recall occurred twice. You will get to know your service adviser well. That has been my experience with my other European luxury cars. I like the character and comfort of the car over the Asian makes. Given the lack of personality with the Asian equivalents I may try domestic next because the warranty will be out soon. The extended warranty definitely paid for itself. Addendum Watch out for poor resale value. Thanks to VW (diesel gate scandal) as well as Mercedes long term cost of ownership, when I went to trade in my Blue tec diesel for a new BMW X5 5 months ago I was offered $20,000 for a vehicle in perfect working order (other than needing new tires), having all the maintenance records,very good cosmetic shape (garaged throughout its life) with 65,000 miles on the odometer. It lost $53,000 dollars in value over 5 1/2 years. Poor resale is a trend with all Mercedes. They are so expensive to maintain and repair as they get older. Mercedes please get rid of the unnecessary complexity (ie air bladder suspension) which makes maintaining these vehicles past warranty difficult. By the way I bought an BMW X-5 diesel (was on special due to VW again) and its drive train is unbelievably better than the Mercedes diesel. It is the first diesel vehicle I have owned (and that is many) that I cannot tell its a diesel. Getting 28-30 mpg in suburban driving in the BMW with AWD. I no longer own the GL. I can say that my neighbor has traded in his 2015 GL after 2 years due to multiple visits to the dealership for mechanical issues. This vehicles are more complicated than they need to be.

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  What a Luxury SUV Should Be - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Mr. Jim - March 28 - 7:35 pm

  We used to own a GMC Yukon XL Denali. That was a great roomy SUV but frankly it felt like driving a school bus around town, and long trips were kind of draining despite the fact the vehicle was roomy and comfortable. Our GL450 on the other hand has a little less room on the interior, but it is the best SUV I have ever driven. It steers and feels more like a big luxury sedan than a "truck". The seats are comfortable and look almost brand new on a car that is nearly 5 years old. There is plenty of room for our family of 5 and the third seat can be split or both side folded down to give cavernous storage room. The GL450 accelerates very well, brakes great and shifts smoothly. Some of the controls take a little getting used to and yes, it is a Mercedes so the maintenance can be a bit pricey. That said, we have had nothing major go wrong in the 2 plus years we have owned it. A couple of quirky things required fixing but were covered under the extended warranty we purchased. The GL450 has been really reliable and although the services can be costly, we always get a loaner and are treated with tremendous respect and courtesy by the Mercedes service staff. I think a lot of folks dont consider the loaner value when they complain about the cost of repairs. When I get our Ford or Buick fixed Im usually out anywhere from $50-$100 to a rental car place. The GL450 looks great, is a safe and reliable luxury SUV.

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  Nice, but costly to maintain - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By Abraham - November 30 - 2:15 am

  The performance of my GL350 is unacceptable at any level of quality standards. The Oil Cooler, AdBlu Heater, and GPS unit have all failed, within 5-8 thousand miles of the warranty. The costs to fix all these items are > 10% of the original purchase price of the car, at >$7,000. No one would offer that this performance meets or exceeds the most basic expectations. While MB national and local discounts were offered and accepted (20% off), I told the MB national representative, Andrea D., Case Manager, [contact info removed] that I doubted if that discount was near the profit margins enjoyed by MB on parts and labor, making the ENTIRE cost remediation of these issues on my shoulders. We didn’t SHARE the remediation, I paid for it ALL. I’ve purchased 4 Mercedes since 2008…I’ll not be an eager return MB buyer for my next auto… UPDATE - (9/16) Since this above, Ive had the motor on the autolift tailgate fail and need to be replaced. Another $500 down the drain...

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  Delightful Improvements - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By beechtiger - September 14 - 11:28 pm

  I was delighted with significant improvements in Mercedes GL450 in the last few years. The firm seats are comfortable for both short and long distance driving. As a previous Land Cruiser owner, I am mighy pleased with the third row seats in GL450 as compared to Land Cruiser. It was a very simple push-button to set up the third row seats.

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  Very nearly perfect - 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By expdek - July 21 - 8:14 am

  Having owned a variety of minivans and large SUVs over the years, we were looking at the new Dodge Durango. A trip to Carmax to check the trade value on our van allowed us to walk the lot and we were taken by a GL450. We wanted new, so went to the local MB dealer and drove the 2011 GL450. End of story, we were sold with the ride, handling, luxury, and style compared to anything we had ever seen. The dealer encouraged us to try a GL350 diesel, and that really made the deal so much better, to have this kind of performance with this kind of fuel economy.