Booking a Rental Car with AVIS…

After staying in San Francisco, we headed to Los Angeles. We considered driving, but even without traffic, it would take about 5 to 6 hours, so we decided to fly, which took about an hour and a half. By the way, the rental car we got in Los Angeles this time was a Mercedes-Benz GLS450. I had reserved it in advance through AVIS in Japan, but when I went to the counter on the day, they initially said, “You’re renting a Chevrolet Camaro, right!?”…(This one↓)

Source: Chevrolet Japan Official Site

“No way, I definitely reserved the GLS450, and there are five of us!” After some negotiation, it took about 30 minutes to sort things out. Eventually, they said, “Wait a moment. We have one GLS450 available now; I’ll go wash it.” After waiting some more, a soaking wet, un-wiped GLS450 finally arrived (laughs). Well, that was pretty casual service~

About the GLS

For reference, the lineup of Mercedes-Benz GLS models sold in Japan is as follows:

Being the top-tier SUV model from Mercedes-Benz, the price starts at over 10 million yen. That’s quite something. The GLS450 we rented this time seems to be a model not sold in Japan. It has a 3.0L V6 twin-turbo engine. Our Panamera Turbo has a 4.0L V8 twin-turbo, so although the engine is smaller, the specs are more than sufficient.

This GLS450, if sold in Japan, would probably cost over 10 million yen, but in the U.S., the price is $69,550. Wow, why is it so cheap!? Apparently, cars are generally cheaper in the U.S., and even the Porsche Panamera Turbo can be purchased for about half the price with the same options. The U.S. is amazing… or maybe Japan is just too expensive. Next, here are the vehicle dimensions:

Huge! Over 5 meters long, more than 2 meters wide, and weighing about 2.5 tons. In the U.S., it’s just considered a “big SUV,” but bringing this to Japan would mean it’s really large. In fact, since the width exceeds 2 meters, there are probably very few parking lots or spaces in Japan where it could fit… So, this time I’d like to share impressions of the GLS450 and how its ride differs from Porsche.

Impressions of the Mercedes-Benz GLS450①

I wish I could write from my own driving experience, but unfortunately (again), I didn’t drive much this time…(Even though I went through the trouble of getting an international driver’s license, I chickened out and stuck to the back seat) So, I’ll write based on my husband’s opinions.

① Handling

It has that typical Benz handling. Compared to Porsche, the steering is lighter, which can feel unsettling at first, but unlike ordinary Japanese cars, the more you turn the wheel, the more it turns, and it firmly traces the road surface. The Toyota 4Runner SUV we drove until the day before initially had loose steering, then suddenly became more responsive, but

its rear didn’t follow well, causing significant residual and rebound sway.(Well, they’re not really comparable in terms of vehicle class, he said) This was especially noticeable in tight corners. Compared to that, the Benz turns smoothly and stably without any issues. It definitely shares something in common with the SL.