Paul,

I don't agree with much of the comments posted other than the brake feel. They do feel a fair bit different than the brakes on my E430, but once I got used to them, I can brake quite smoothly. The brakes are massive and they stop well. They are NOT the drive-by-wire SBC brakes.

I find the seats fantastic and a substantial improvement to the W210 seats. I do no find them narrow at all, and I am 6'2" and 195 lbs. They are not as wide as the W210 seats, but they are far more comfortable, IMO. The driver's seat has a lumbar adjustment which I don't use but my wife loves. She hates the seats in my E430, finds them too big (she's about 5'6").

The body roll is what you would expect from a 5,000+ lb vehicle that sits relatively high. Given that, it's not really any worse than a stock W210, which I found had ridiculous body roll for a sedan (hence the AMG suspension on my E430). Of the SUVs and minivans I have driven (and there have been quite a few), the GL handles the best. It belies its large size.

I've got the 4.6L V8 version and I really like this engine and tranny combo. I find its response is far better than the 722.6 5G-Tronic. I usually have to end up resetting the transmission in my E430 if I have done a lot of city driving, it gets 'lazy' and requires substantial throttle application to downshift. Once the adaptive values have been reset, it functions perfectly. The 7-speed in the GL450 shifts brilliantly, and there are paddle shifts on the wheel if you wish to control the gears, which is fun. Acceleration is brisk at any speed, passing is effortless.

I'm not bashing Kent here, btw :D, I'm just surprised that you find it that bad Kent?

I have already done quite a bit of city driving with it, picking things up and hauling goods, and I love driving it. I haven't had any issues at all? :confused:

If you want to talk poor visibility/blind spot design, drive a Chrysler 300 or a Volvo S60! :eek: