Mercedes GL and Toyota Landcruiser V8 in comparison test

D he is truly the crowning glory. In addition to these giants, a Jeep Wrangler pales into a small car. A Smart even looks like you could park it right in the trunk of a Toyota Land Cruiser V8 or Mercedes GL. If you want to go even higher, you have to look around the Unimog. It is not just the sheer size with which GL and Land Cruiser are calling for attention: Both are of course way ahead in terms of luxury and performance. V8 diesel engines with liters of displacement, plus niceties from seat ventilation to TV reception - if necessary, the two could also be used as a holiday home.

The equivalent of a luxury sedan

Over Money is hardly ever talked about in this vehicle class, after all, the Toyota dealer wants to see 87,900 euros and the Mercedes seller at least 89,000 euros before you can put one of the two cars in front of your door. You play in the S-Class and BMW 7 Series. But the Mercedes only becomes a real Benz if the stately basic price is only seen as the beginning of a long journey through the 28-page list of options of the GL. Because while the Land Cruiser in its executive equipment only has a relevant surcharge extras (metallic paint for 950 euros), you can virtually complete the GL yourself. For extras that are necessary for resale in this class, such as DVD-Navi, leather upholstery or metallic paint on the Land Cruiser, everything comes as standard with the GL on another trip around the world. It seems downright frivolous that you have to pay extra for rear sidebags for a Mercedes of this category of all places.

The new eight-cylinder diesel from Toyota has an advantage of a good 460 cubic centimeters in terms of displacement. However, Mercedes gets the higher performance from the eight half-liter pots. And when it comes to torque, the Swabians are also in the lead. These are, however, more academic comparisons or cases of regular table friction, because there is truly no shortage of the Land Cruiser's 286 hp and 650 Newton meters. Nevertheless, the Mercedes is clearly ahead in terms of performance. The 4.5 liter engine of the Toyota is already thundering the giant device forward so mercilessly that one worries about the earth's rotation for a short time. But the “smaller” V8 of the Mercedes does it all a lot more violently. Less than eight seconds from a standstill to 100 km /h, less than seven seconds from 80 to 120 km /h - and all that with a live weight of almost 2.7 tons. There rubEven the drivers of seasoned luxury limousines are amazed when this elephant begins to step on the highway.

Of course, there is no such thing as pure violence for free. The two space cruisers are also not for narrow wallets when it comes to maintenance. Consumption can not be pushed below the 13-liter mark with normal driving style, with the comprehensive premiums good nerves are helpful, and in the event of depreciation, the buyer has to live with saying goodbye to the equivalent of a Land Rover Freelander within three years.