Car seats in Mercedez R350 or GL450 Vehicle

[ChefGirl]

I'm hoping to get some opinions on the above two vehicles. Does anyone own one of these cars? Do you like it? Is it reliable? Does the 3rd row fit two Regents? How about the 2nd row? Does it fit 3 car seats?

I would appreciate your opinions.

Thanks.

Chefgirl
DS 6/6/3
DD 6/4/5
DS 1/26/8

[mommyapb]

We almost bought a R350 but opted not to because the 3rd row didn't really meet our needs. Ended up with a Odyssey Touring. Totally not even in the same ball park but met our needs much more. I have to say that the automatic sliding door are PRICELESS! Once are family is complete & kiddos are out of the baby stage & car seats then we will be back in the luxury car market.

HTH
Amelia

[mommyapb]

Deleted double post.

[mom2binsd]

I may not answer all your questions, but we have the R350, it's DH's (leased), it has 2nd row captains, and the space between the 2nd row and front seats is HUGE....the 3rd row seats look like they'd fit Regents but I can't say for sure...with the 3rd row in use though, there is almost no cargo space. Of course, it rides like a dream and DH hates driving in our minivan. He's had it for 2 years and not a problem yet...but unfortunately it's going back in 3more months when his executive (very cheap) lease expires....I'd almost suggest putting the regents in the second row...but it sound like you are looking at a bench seat for the 2nd row?

Good luck in your search!

[spanannie]

I drive an R350. There is no way that a Regent would fit in the 3rd row. Not even one. It's just not deep enough. However, the 3rd row is very spacious. My last car was a Lexus LX470 -- a whole lot bigger that the Mercedes R350 -- and the R350 has a more spacious and comfortable 3rd row. We're due for another baby in July, and DS will have to move the 3rd row. I'm bummed that I'll have to take him out of the Regent, but that's just the only way we can work it. I'm wondering what will happen with the stroller situation as well, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Oh, and the 2nd row has Captain's seats, so you can only put 2 car seats. Regents work fine there. The Captain's seats were my main selling point for the car; so my kids' friends could get to the back row w/o having to climb over the 2nd row to get there.

I really like my car, and I'd love to keep it, but I have a feeling I'll be moving to something larger later. I take around a lot of their friends, so I'll need more than that one extra seat.

[LaurelC]

We almost bought a R350 but opted not to because the 3rd row didn't really meet our needs. Ended up with a Odyssey Touring. Totally not even in the same ball park but met our needs much more. I have to say that the automatic sliding door are PRICELESS! Once are family is complete & kiddos are out of the baby stage & car seats then we will be back in the luxury car market.

HTH
Amelia

Same exact thing here! I love my Odyssey - more than I ever thought I could love a car. I really thought I wanted an R series, but after I test drove it I realized that it really wouldn't have worked for us.

[ChefGirl]

Annie,
First, congrats on your DD #2. How exciting.

We went test drive the R320 CDI the other day. Let me tell you, I almost crashed the car twice during the test drive. It's so long.

Are you sure the Regent won't fit in the 3rd row? DH thinks the 3rd row will fit TWO Regents. That was our plan. Well, if the third row won't fit even one Regent, than the R class will be eliminated from our list. I wonder if the GL450 3rd row will fit the Regent or not.

By the way, DH did a stroller test in the R350. It barely fits our Ignesia Double stroller without the shades.

Do you know what you will be getting next with your new baby and all? I think we are in the same boat as far as vehicel goes!

Thanks again.....

[luvmypeanut]

I'm getting a GL550 when my XC90 lease runs out in May. I never tried the car seats in the 3rd row but an adult can sit back there confortably so I would assume it's deep enough for a regent. But the regent is a finicky seat so it would be better to try it in the car at the dealer.

[ChefGirl]

Is the GL 550 the same size as the 450? What do you think of the CDI model? We haven't tested the GL model yet. How do you like the drive? Does the 2nd row captain seat fit a Regent?

Thanks.

[luvmypeanut]

The 550 has a bigger engine than the 450 and has a little bit of a "beefy-er" (is that a word?) look to it. Bigger wheels, different grill. If you need the off road package, it's only available on the 450. I did consider the CDI but I know the first year cars were having a big problem with one of the parts. People were reporting their cars died on the road. Plus, we live in Hawaii and although I haven't looked much, it doesn't seem like a lot of the stations have diesel pumps. The drive is fantastic - solid and easy to handle. We've had many MBs so maybe we're just used to them. I don't have a Regent in my Volvo because it doesn't fit due to the headrest, but I've ridden in the back seat of the GL and it's quite roomy. Noticeably roomier than my Volvo. My dad has a regent in his Explorer (no headrest issue) and there is at least that much room in the GL. I really need to take the regent into my dealer to check but I keep forgetting. My mom has an Odyssey and we've had a booster and Marathon in the captain's chairs and two boosters in the 3rd row with an adult in the middle. Good luck in your search!