I booked a rental car through AVIS...

After our stay in San Francisco, we headed to Los Angeles. There was some discussion about driving there, but it would take about 5-6 hours even without traffic, so we decided to take a plane for about an hour and a half to get there.Incidentally, the rental car I rented in Los Angeles this time was a Mercedes-Benz GLS450.I made a reservation with AVIS, a car rental company in Japan, and when I went to the reception desk on the day of the rental, the first thing they said was, "You're renting a Chevrolet Camaro this time, right?" I was told...(This ↓)

Source.Chevrolet Japan Official Website

'No way, surely not, I rented a GLS450 and there are five of us over here!It took about 30 minutes of various negotiations, such as the following, before we actually reached an agreement. In the endHe said, "Wait a minute. There's only one GLS450 in the lot right now, I'm going to go wash it."I waited for more time, and then a GLS450 arrived soaking wet and not even wiped down (lol).

About GLS

For your information, the lineup of Mercedes-Benz GLS models available in Japan is as follows.

It is the highest-end model of Mercedes-Benz SUVs and costs at least 10 million yen. That's quite a lot of money!The GLS450 I rented this time seems to be a model not released in Japan.The engine is a 3.0 LV6 twin turbo. The engine is a 3.0 LV6 twin turbo. Our Panamera Turbo has a 4.0 LV8 twin turbo, so although the engine is smaller than that, it is more than adequate.

If this GLS450 had been sold in Japan, the price would have been over 10 million yen, but the price in the U.S. is $69,550. It seems that cars are inexpensive in the U.S., and even Porsche's Panamera Turbo can be purchased for about half the price of a Japanese car with the same options. America...amazing. Or is Japan too expensive? Next, let's look at the size of the car.

Huge!It is over 5 meters long, over 2 meters wide, and weighs approximately 2.5 tons.In the U.S., it's just like a big SUV, but if you bring it to Japan, it's quite big. I mean, it is completely over 2 meters wide, and there are probably very few parking lots or parking spaces where you can park it in Japan... So, I would like to write about my impression of the GLS450 and the difference in ride quality between it and a Porsche.

Thoughts on the Mercedes-Benz GLS450 (1)

I wish I could have driven and written my impressions... but alas, this time (and again) I did not drive...(I even went so far as to get an international driver's license, but I got scared and ended up specializing in the back seat.)I'll try to write this based on my husband's views.

(1) Handling

Benz-like handling. The steering wheel is lighter than that of a Porsche, which makes me feel uneasy at first, but unlike a normal Japanese carWhen the steering wheel is turned, the vehicle turns as much as it is turned and traces the road surface well.The Toyota 4Runner (SUV) that I had been driving until the previous day did not steer very well at first, but suddenly started to steer well from the middle of the car.

The rear does not follow, and there is a large amount of rear sway rest and sway back.(Well, they are not comparable in terms of vehicle size.)I felt it more especially in tight corners. In comparison, the Mercedes-Benz turned steadily without any problems.After all, there is a connection with SL.