Luxury car alternatives for less

Once upon time, and not that long ago, Mercedes-Benz and Dodge were owned by the same parent company. It was a bad relationship that everyone involved would probably prefer to forget, but it did yield a few good results. One of those is the Dodge Durango, which is a distant relative of the GL.

The Durango R/T, with its 5.7-liter Hemi V8 gets about the same overall fuel economy as the GL while being considerably quicker and more enjoyable to drive on twisty roads. Admittedly, the interior quality, while not too bad at all, is not quite up to Mercedes-Benz standards.

Of course, what you're probably buying an SUV for is interior space and, possibly, towing. There, the Durango gives up only a little. Front and second-row seats have just as much legroom as the GL while the third row is somewhat tighter. In terms of towing capacity, the Durango can pull 7,400 pounds.

And, for the Durango R/T, you'll pay only $39,000, more than $20,000 less than the GL.

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