Mercs GLB180 vs GLB200

[charleslin]

I love my lexus. Super reliable and have not given me much issues yet (touch wood). I just service it twice a year, just the usual stuff. My only gripe is the poor user experience of infotainment system, but you will get used to it.

LM is like luxury alphard and super expensive (like 700k ex).
We don't think we have LX here, only RX.

Tbh there is still brand pressure from family (ie. Wife). Given our family status (we are all have decent positions at work) and housing (landed), we will not consider cars outside of M,B,A,L. In fact wife was telling me to look at porsche but I told her it is not rational for now given the price and reliability. Macan too small, cayenne too expensive, panamera is nice but 4 seater.

Another option is to go EV (tesla model Y, byd sealion 7 or M6), since we can charge at home. But I still prefer my ice car and will want to drive maybe 1 last ICE before transiting to EV.

Which model? ES or RX?

I love my RX300, but not looking to upgrade to the new generation cause I prefer my last gen one.

I love and hate the entertainment at the same time, most of the time it's so boring, but sometimes in my BMW I really do like the simplicity and "nothingness" of Lexus infotainment, I guess kinda like iOS in a sense lol.

But yeah, never replaced any single thing in my Lexus, even battery more than 3 years dealer say still good for 1 more year lol.

How about 2 cars? A BYD and keep Lexus.

 

[fulaien]

Driving Lexus now really want to move to a Merc?

I daily a Lexus and have an M3, which is really fun to drive, but if I only can have 1 car, it will always be a Lexus for me.

But if really need 7 seaters, then I guess your options more limited, cause the only 7 seaters from Lexus are LX and LM which is not cheap.

I rather get a Chinese EV brand that is cheap than a GLB though, eg the Denza D9.

Btw what lexus are you driving now? IS or ES? S sport?

M3 will be quite harsh for passenger but very dynamic driving. I think at my age I cannot drive this kind of car already

 

[charleslin]

Btw what lexus are you driving now? IS or ES? S sport?

M3 will be quite harsh for passenger but very dynamic driving. I think at my age I cannot drive this kind of car already

RX, but for context I'm based in Jakarta.

So comfort very important for 1 hour jams, I tested before the EQB, find it slightly better than GLB but the price gap is quite substantial.

 

[fulaien]

Which model? ES or RX?

I love my RX300, but not looking to upgrade to the new generation cause I prefer my last gen one.

I love and hate the entertainment at the same time, most of the time it's so boring, but sometimes in my BMW I really do like the simplicity and "nothingness" of Lexus infotainment, I guess kinda like iOS in a sense lol.

But yeah, never replaced any single thing in my Lexus, even battery more than 3 years dealer say still good for 1 more year lol.

How about 2 cars? A BYD and keep Lexus.

Es300h.
I actually like the exterior alot and still find myself admiring it now haha.

The interior is meh compared to similar class E class/5 series/A6.

Cars are depreciating assets, so I try to keep to 1 even though my house can park 2. Also I'm not as rich as anus Dr even though my wife is also a professional haha

 

[charleslin]

Es300h.
I actually like the exterior alot and still find myself admiring it now haha.

The interior is meh compared to similar class E class/5 series/A6.

Cars are depreciating assets, so I try to keep to 1 even though my house can park 2. Also I'm not as rich as anus Dr even though my wife is also a professional haha

But I find the interior age much better than a BMW or Merc.

Say you take a 2010 version of both Lexus and BMW / Merc, I think the Lexus will look nicer "today". But when new it's less exciting yeah, the ES300 feels a bit dated though nicely done. No choice la, you have to get LS600 already.

 

[fulaien]

BMW M3

As fun as it is to drive, if I only can have 1, I will never buy a BMW lol. But Model 3 Performance probably faster than me.

But the vroom vroom feel is different haha.

EV are hard and cold fast, some described as soulless.

 

[charleslin]

But the vroom vroom feel is different haha.

EV are hard and cold fast, some described as soulless.

Haha yeah, but when go servicing is scary.

 

[fulaien]

But I find the interior age much better than a BMW or Merc.

Say you take a 2010 version of both Lexus and BMW / Merc, I think the Lexus will look nicer "today". But when new it's less exciting yeah, the ES300 feels a bit dated though nicely done. No choice la, you have to get LS600 already.

Really? I find it abut uncle lol.
It's the great luxury feel whereas merces went abit overboard with the tech.
But the less tech the better for reliability.
Tesla is the extreme. Need to use the touchscreento adjust aircon

 

[charleslin]

But anyway for your case, if second hand and already close to end of warranty, buy PI is also fine I feel, as long as condition is good and mileage not tempered, and everything is "stock". I never take second hand if it was modded before.

I personally prefer servicing the car outside, when it's out of warranty, sometimes the technicians at ADs also not better, except maybe have more stocks to upsell changing parts.

I had a Toyota Crown, change many parts in Toyota AD CEL (not critical but vacuum leak causing more air intake) not fixed (6 months), go to a referred workshop, end up totally different part is affecting, changed it and done.

 

[charleslin]

Really? I find it abut uncle lol.
It's the great luxury feel whereas merces went abit overboard with the tech.
But the less tech the better for reliability.
Tesla is the extreme. Need to use the touchscreento adjust aircon

Yeah, just came back from USA and rented both Tesla and GLE, really hated the infotainment of Tesla except the built in internet connectivity is useful so can listen to music direct, without needing to touch HP and waste battery.

But the acceleration really is good for overtaking and driving faster, but it's not as comfy for my family, GLE despite being "low powered" is way more comfy for passengers.

 

[battledome64]

But the vroom vroom feel is different haha.

EV are hard and cold fast, some described as soulless.

EV are for saving petrol money.
did you consider that GLB200 may use more petrol due to the higher engine displacement?

You could save $100-$200 a month on petrol expense if you go for an EV SUV.

 

[sallybee]

anyone tried LOTUS EV?

 

[C4l3b]

BMW M3

As fun as it is to drive, if I only can have 1, I will never buy a BMW lol. But Model 3 Performance probably faster than me.

Nice. I love it!

model 3 performance fast but no feel.

 

[deathscthe]

I love my lexus. Super reliable and have not given me much issues yet (touch wood). I just service it twice a year, just the usual stuff. My only gripe is the poor user experience of infotainment system, but you will get used to it.

LM is like luxury alphard and super expensive (like 700k ex).
We don't think we have LX here, only RX.

Tbh there is still brand pressure from family (ie. Wife). Given our family status (we are all have decent positions at work) and housing (landed), we will not consider cars outside of M,B,A,L. In fact wife was telling me to look at porsche but I told her it is not rational for now given the price and reliability. Macan too small, cayenne too expensive, panamera is nice but 4 seater.

Another option is to go EV (tesla model Y, byd sealion 7 or M6), since we can charge at home. But I still prefer my ice car and will want to drive maybe 1 last ICE before transiting to EV.

if brand is important then only GLB already unless get used x5, dont think there are new 7 seaters x5. imo see if you have any workshop friend or whether service centre is near you, then can choose PI or AD. i find go damn far for workshop quite inconvenient

 

[C4l3b]

if brand is important then only GLB already unless get used x5, dont think there are new 7 seaters x5. imo see if you have any workshop friend or whether service centre is near you, then can choose PI or AD. i find go damn far for workshop quite inconvenient

There is. Pml brought in 7 seater X5 recently

 

[capo22]

I was in a similar position 3 years ago, looking for a 7 seater SUV for my expanding family.
Test drove the GLB, Sorento and Santa Fe.
Loved the outlook of the GLB but the driver seat was really uncomfortable, i would suggest you borrow/rent the car for a day or more before u decide to commit.
But the real deal breaker was the lack of aircon vents in the 3rd row. In our weather this is a definite must have.

Settled for the Santa Fe in the end, best decision ever and love the car.

Good luck in your car hunting journey!

 

[deathscthe]

I was in a similar position 3 years ago, looking for a 7 seater SUV for my expanding family.
Test drove the GLB, Sorento and Santa Fe.
Loved the outlook of the GLB but the driver seat was really uncomfortable, i would suggest you borrow/rent the car for a day or more before u decide to commit.
But the real deal breaker was the lack of aircon vents in the 3rd row. In our weather this is a definite must have.

Settled for the Santa Fe in the end, best decision ever and love the car.

Good luck in your car hunting journey!

think 7 seater SUV market <300k only kodiaq, santa fe, sorento, glb, cx8, xtrail

saw sorento, santa fe, glb, kodiaq and got kodiaq cause dont feel like paying premium for hybrid cause my usage not that high. glb felt a bit bare and the boot is non existant with 7 seats up.

 

[sglandscape]

But the vroom vroom feel is different haha.

EV are hard and cold fast, some described as soulless.

Ironically this is what a smoother ride is all about. Compare the ride experience for the passenger of the C/S/E class Merc and the smoothness and the noise isolation, most EVs could offer that for a fraction of the cost due to using an electic motor.

For the driver it depends if you're looking for a daily car, or the car you have for fun.

 

[spyder81]

Not sure about Volvo. Got once I at JB workshop. I ask the sales person how come the Volvo bring 1 can of engine oil. She say the owner come here top up oil only.

so, Volvo cars eat engine oil one.

Don’t think so I know many Volvo owners engine reliable. Merc more prone to breakdown.

 

[FandiAhmad17]

Good thread to share info. I'm currently driving a 6 seater CX-8 that's 4+ years old and looking to change to another 6 or 7 seater SUV but there's really not many options in the market. I have viewed and shortlisted a few SUVs (including some 5 seater SUV) and will like to hear any thoughts on them.

This car is to fetch my family of 4 (2 adults and 2 primary school children) daily and I will bring my parents out for dinner on every weekend. Hence, ideally 6 seater is the best but I can consider 7 seater (don't really like bench seats on 2nd row) and 5 seater SUV (squeeze a bit). My budget is $300k+ and I can stretch to low $400k. I drive to Malaysia often (long trips to Penang, Ipoh, Kuantan etc, and at high speeds) and I like some spirited drive from time to time. My 2.5NA CX-8 while is a great drive, power is lacking. It's very stable at high speeds (180-200km/hr) but yeah, acceleration can be better.

Requirements:
1. Spacious.
2. Comfortable seat and passenger comfort.
3. Somewhat fun and engaging drive. Yes, I know fun drive and SUV don't really go hand in hand but I'll take whatever there is.
4. Stable at high speeds (above 150km/hr).
5. Reliable - less visits to workshops other than normal servicings and I don't want to keep replacing spoilt parts within first 5 years.
6. Priced between $300k+ to low $400k.
7. No MPVs!

1. CX-80 - This was originally my choice car as I wanted to get the 3.3 litres turbo petrol in-line 6, 6 or 7 seater. TEK decided to only bring in 2.5 PHEV and I don't like PHEV. Everything else about the car was great, comfort was the 2nd only to Lexus RX. Specs were top of the line and inclusive of everything which even GLC 300 Coupe and RX didn't have. CX-80 has a lot of soft-touch material and the infotainment is very user-friendly. Mazda has really improved a lot and built quality is really good now.

2. Skoda Kodiaq RS - Not launched yet but I want to test drive it. I previously shortlisted Kodiaq when I got my CX-8 but did not go with Kodiaq because I needed a bigger car and more space in the 3rd row. I'm not very familiar with Skoda so I'm not sure about reliability of Kodiaq.

3. Mercedes Benz GLB - Back in 2020 when GLB was first launched, I withdrew my cheque that I used to express interest because the 3rd row was cramp and there was no aircon vents in 2nd row back then. Everything was very plastic and I did not like the 1.33 litre turbo engine. However, I liked the interior (1st row only) and the MBUX. But hey, GLB200 at $170k was a great opportunity to own a Mercedes, and being a 7 seater made it even better.

4. Santa Fe - The current generation looks futuristic and has pretty good specs. However, there's a lot of hard plastics and the seats aren't exactly comfortable.

5. Lexus RX - This 5 seater came up as a close contender as I used to drive a RX270 several years ago and it was very very comfortable. The current Lexus RX is the most comfortable SUV among all the SUVs in my post here. It is adequately spec-ed but I'm not too keen on the hybrid engine and the e-CVT gearbox. I like Lexus for its comfort, reliability, design and attention to details. The infotainment is bad, worst among all SUVs here, and it doesn't even come with premium audio (Mark Levinson) anymore.

6. Mercedes Benz GLC 300 Coupe - This is more of a selfish choice . I really like the design of the car and the interior wows me. This is also the most powerful among all the SUVs here (0-100 in 6.2 secs). But the seat is hard and not comfortable. Interior space is the smallest and can't really fit 3 adults in 2nd row. Specs wise, it's the poorest spec-ed as it doesn't even have HUD and sunroof at $400k+. Quoting Business Times, if I wish to have a last flirt with petrol, the GLC 300 Coupe is a great choice.

7. Not considering BMW and Audi due to other reasons.