2013 Motor Trend SUV of the Year

Motor Trend has declared the 2013 SUV's of the year; the Mercedes-Benz GL. They held a week long test with 10 other SUV's. At the end of the testing they had three cars in mind that they thought were winners : the Mercedes GL, Ford Escape, and the Nissan Pathfinder. They knew that other SUV candidates were no match next to the Mercedes GL.

Yes, I know it’s a GL that won, we all know they are not cheap cars. When they first came out the base price was already $55,675 and now half a decade later the entry level GL is $63,305. So yes, it is kind of unfair for  the other competitors since the more you pay the better stuff you get, right? But look at it this way, it is still a full size seven passenger luxury SUV.  The GL just kills the rest in its class! GL being called best in class is just an understatement in my opinion.

So the interior of both the GL 450 and GL550 is just astonishing and leaves the rest of the SUV's in the dust. What is the price that you are going to have to pay for that amazing interior? How about $4,000? Mercedes is now starting to offer a non-glossy wood (open pore wood) interior. The wood is like nothing you have ever seen, it looks like it was just freshly cut from a tree and put straight into the GL.

Mercedes has adopted the new 360 degree camera which had a lot of people talking about and loved very much. The electric seats in the middle row were a little slow but still convenient to have electric seats in the back.

Now with the driving and handling, Motor Trend was very impressed on how it took on the things they threw at the GL. Even though it weighs 5,774 pounds, it can handle on the road and still get decent gas mileage. Motor Trend calls it “An absolutely amazing piece of machinery” and “ An ueber-smooth ride, even in sport mode”

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz GL does have everything you need in a SUV. So what were the criteria the the SUV's had to meet in order to be named the winner by Motor Trend? Performance of intended function, design advancement, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, and value. Mercedes met an astonishing five out of the six criteria. The one criteria Mercedes didn't meet was value, but it just depends on the way you look at it; Mercedes is way ahead in the GL then the other competitors.  

info credited to motortrend

What is the cost of ownership for an expensive SUV?

Wouldn't we all love to own a Ranger Rover? We all know in today's society, the car you own represents a sign of status symbol. When you're watching those reality shows on TV, all the Beverly Hill's wives drive a nice blacked out Range Rover. For many upper middle class, they try their best to mimic them. It's not so hard to imagine them going out to the dealership with their wives looking at all the beautiful selections of  high-end luxury vehicles, including Range Rovers. So imagine this; for your beautiful wife you decide to buy her a brand new car of her choice. Soon a nice man walks out in an  astonishing Armani suit greeting you, offering a cold beverage. Before going to take a walk around the lot, the nicely suited sales person will create small talks trying to make you feel comfortable. After several more small talks and couple sips of the cold beverage the sales man offered, the awaited show around the Range Rover begins.
     Of course, what I am about to say about this car is solely my opinion. Anyways, so you take a glance at the price and you see $63,000 as the base price. You are now thinking in your head, "Man, I can't even imagine all the upgrades my wife is going to want. Does she really need the Climate comfort package ($1,500), Luxury package($4,700), Vision assist pack($1,200), wood trim($350)?! At those prices she does not need any of that!" In reality Range Rover does not sell any car without a package. Now your wife is convinced she wants the Range Rover. Great, you just walked out of the dealership $80,000 poorer. 

     You just brought a brand new car, you should  not need to go back to the dealership for a long time until your first oil change right... You are wrong!! Range Rovers are the most notorious for being unreliable. You will be back at the dealership in a heartbeat for issues you have never even heard of. You are going to take your brand new Range Rover to the dealership and they are going to tell you your EAS (electronic air suspension) has gone bad. What is an EAS?! Well that has to do with your ride height, when you are in sport mode you want your car to be lower so the EAS lowers it for you. When its time to climb some mountains you want the most clearance as possible so you put it on its highest setting.

     The funny part about the Range Rovers EAS going out is that Range Rover's best selling point of the car! So how much is that going to cost you if it does go out? $500 each, Hopefully you will have a warranty on this car. Climate Control, I would be so mad if my A/C went out during a hot day. Well guess what? If you own a Range Rover the chances of you sitting in LA traffic without A/C is highly likely.

    Driving on some rocky mountains that might be the place where you break your oil pan, correct? Nope, just with daily driving you can still get oil leaks! I really would not want to take a Range Rover on any mountain runs now. Another common failure is overheating. Paying over $80,000 for a car and running across all this issues is not cool.

So if you are planning on buying a Range Rover, please look at your bank account and make sure in the "Service Car" account you have saved up another $5,000 or so just for the first year. You can roll deep just like the Beverly Hills mom's just make sure your pockets are just as deep though!

Info credited to  http://www.amug.org/~jthomas/for.html
Pictures credited to www.caranddriver.com