This week, we discuss the test results of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS450, and we share how this luxurious 3-row SUV performed at our track. We also answer questions about the likelihood of LED headlights getting covered by snow and ice (and what to do about it,) why the captain's chairs on higher trim level 3-row CUVs and SUVs might not be preferable to a standard bench seat, and if the new Honda Accord's 4-cylinder turbo engine is reliable.
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SHOW NOTES
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00:58 – 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS Test Results
09:03 – Question 1: Are new LED headlights less capable to melt snow and ice off the lens than the old halogens?
13:22 – Question 2: Captain’s chairs vs.bench seats
18:23- Question 3: Is the Honda Accord 4-cylinder turbo engine reliable?
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2019 New York Auto Show: 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS
First Drive: Polished 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS Expands Tech and Luxury
How to Keep Your Car’s Safety Sensors Clean When Snow and Ice Attack
Honda Extends Warranty on Troubled Turbo Engines
4K Review: 2018 Honda Accord Quick Drive
4K Review: 2018 Toyota Camry Quick Drive
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1st. Love CR. Jennifer is great.
I like this review very honest and detailed. Also interesting about the led lights not putting off heat…something to think about.
7:34 true, but the caddy should have a lot more luxury features. Mainly supercruise should not be missing from the features list.
In regards to the LED headlights. In Europe a lot of cars with LED headlights are available with washers that are usually heated. These help to keep the lights free of snow and ice in wintery conditions.
Nice, but $90 k? Not in my budget range. Do I need a behemoth like that for 10 k. Miles a year? No!
About that LED headlights that do not emit heat to thaw its ice encased surface, it may be a good power saver but car manufacturers should have at least consider putting a defroster feature on headlights and taillights as option for areas that have wintry weather conditions.
The Awakening my first car was a Volvo 850 that head the wipers on the head lights. full circle that we’re going to need those again!
I love our Palisade, next upgrade may be GLS or the GV80.
I love consumer reports, however I wish when reviewing new vehicles I wish more data on reliability was used. Some vehicles recommended have such new technology end up being headaches for the owners. Maybe put that disclaimer in the reviews “this new tech is great, however, long term reliability is unknown” or something.
I’d take the Camry over the Accord simply because of the way Honda has handled the oil dilution issues. An extended warranty doesn’t fix the problem itself, nor the potential damage that has already been done that would affect it long term. I’d expect that sort of response from GM or a Chrysler, but not Honda. Sticking with NA engines that have been so solid is the way to go!
Your comment is somewhat irrelevant to this video… bot?
Because people have been blowing it out of portion. It’s only impacted people who live in cold climates and only drive 5-10 minutes. Not enough to warm up the engine.
The Camry is reliable and that’s not boring. Reliability is the most important quality in a car.
There is NOTHING boring about reliability.
I really enjoyed the energy and the answers from this week’s hosts.
Check out Chevy Traverse. It’s available with 3-row seating and is available with a second-row bench. Better yet, buy a mini van. Mini vans are much more space efficient.
I like how CR covers up to protect Honda. The 1.5 turbo in the new Accord is the same engine they have offered for several years. CR does the same thing when they protect and defend Subaru. Subaru has known head gasket and oil burning issues, yet CR continues to recommend them. I personally like the Accord better than the Camry (because it looks so much better), but you are taking a chance with the 1.5T in the Honda.
I’ve noticed that every time a Mercedes is tested, the critique comes up that the seat controls are difficult to find/use because they’re on the doors. I have to say that I, personally, much prefer it this way. I have driven Mercedes for many years as well as other makes, so am familiar with seat controls being on the doors as well as controls that are on the sides of the seats, and I am always frustrated at having to fumble around blindly in the cars where the controls are on the sides of the seats. The seat controls on the doors I found super easy to use, as they’re nicely visible, so no blind fumbling required. The fumbling wasn’t that bad when I only wanted to adjust the seatback or seat bottom since the controls are vaguely seat-shaped, but as soon as I wanted to save a new position into the memory or press one of the memory buttons so that the seat would assume that position or other buttons such as the thigh cushion extender or lumbar support or the headrest or the height-adjustable shoulder belt the blind fumbling would start – or if the car wasn’t moving I’d actually open the door so I could see what I was doing. I also much prefer having the seat heating/cooling controls in the doors, as they are in Mercedes: super easy to find and use and see what setting they’re at. Those haven’t ever been hidden in any of the cars I’ve driven, but even if they’re just amidst a bunch of other buttons on the centre console it requires me taking my eyes off to the road for those potentially crucial seconds to find them and use them. If they’re on the doors, I can even see them out of the corner of my eyes without having to look away from the road. So that seems much safer to me, not to mention more convenient.
Another point I’ve seen mentioned in a similarly negative light that I also can’t understand is the stalk for the cruise control in past Mercedes models (I know, they’ve now moved these controls onto the steering wheel). And again I have to say that my experience with that stalk was only ever positive. I found it super intuitive: push up for increasing the speed, push down for decreasing the speed, push away if you want to cancel and pull it towards you if you want to resume. I find that preferable to the controls on the wheel. That’s not to say I’ve had big problems using the controls on the steering wheel. There it’s still up for speed increase and down for speed decrease, but in many brands, you first have to press yet another button to turn the cruise control on to begin with, so an extra step I never had to do on old(er) Mercedes cruise control stalks, and then I actually have to look at the controls to see where the “set” and “resume” buttons are or which “up” button makes the speed go up by an increment of one and which makes it go up by ten. The stalk never required me to look away from the road to figure out which direction would make it do what. Actually, the same goes for the cruise control stalk in Toyotas I’ve driven.
All that being said, I can understand if someone who drives different cars pretty much every day and is used to something being done a certain way because that’s how it’s been done in the majority of the various cars they drive would then need time to adjust if they find themself in a car where it’s done differently. However, in that case, the problems they might have with getting used to how things are done in this different car are not an indication that that different way of doing things is inferior, only that the person isn’t used to them.
And, even though I realize this is approaching rant-territory and I really don’t want to play the Mercedes fan who is oblivious to any of that make’s faults, I also couldn’t help but notice that other points of critique in this video were the GLS’s high price, big size and the difficulty to park it because of that size. Don’t get me wrong, I fully agree that that is a very expensive and big vehicle and that that can make parking an issue – I’m not denying that. But isn’t that like complaining that a super cheap car is or feels cheap or has lots of cheap materials? Or buying a sports car and complaining that the ride is harsher and that it’s set up for sporty driving instead of luxurious/comfortable/practical driving? It’s the nature of the beast. I would think that anyone who’s looking into three-row SUVs would expect them to be big (that that would actually be at least one reason WHY they’re looking into them) and that people who look into luxury brand vehicles would expect them to be more expensive than non-luxury brands. Of course, whether the differences between luxury brand vehicles and their non-luxury brand counterparts are worth that extra cost, that is something every potential buyer has to judge for themselves, as is the question whether they can even afford such a vehicle…
The Panel missed the question about 2nd row bench seats. Both the Subaru Ascent and Mazda CX-9 offer a second row bench in their top trims. (At least the 2019s did when i was buying a 3 Row SUV in Canada.)
I completely get what Jeff was implying! He sinply wants the ability to “seat” 3 accross the bench, that’s all! No other reason. Just wants the top option with a bench seat and not get gouged into extra options!
I second the complaint about absence of 2nd row bench seats in top trim SUVs. My large golden retriever rides in the 2nd row, so I definitely need it to be a bench.
Why does Emily not understand that five people cannot fit in four seats, no matter what “type” of people. PhD……
“Hey Mercedes”… I follow a vlog where the wife’s actual name is Mercedes. Imagine the confusion every time you asked Mercedes a question…
you all three ladies are so adorable