THIS SUV ISN’T JOKING
German engineers show just how much serious tech can fit inside a luxury people-mover
Mercedes-benz proudly says it invented the premium SUV segment, way back in 1997 with the ML. Now, four generations in, we have the fresh-from-the-groundup 2020 GLE. With an 80-millimetre wheelbase stretch over its predecessor, the GLE offers Raptors-grade rear leg room, and for the first time, an available third row of seats.
Pricing starts at $64,000 for the GLE 350 that runs with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder, good for 255 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Move up to the $72,000 GLE 450, and it has the new 3.0-L turbocharged straight-six engine, kicking out a healthy 362 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Yes, you read that right — a straight six. All GLES get a ninespeed automatic gearbox and 4Matic all-wheel drive.
Benz has given its new mid-size SUV some sharp duds. The GLE looks squat, muscular, elegant, and nicely resolved. Twenty-inch wheels are standard, but all GLES we evaluated wore optional 21inch wheels. The sport package ramps up the attitude with a “diamond” grille and racier body bits.
It’s a class act from any angle.
Inside, the cabin is an absolute showpiece — a huge step up from the previous model. It’s rich, beautifully rendered, and dominated by a huge swath of digital real estate housing two 12.3-inch screens. The screen on the left is a configurable gauge cluster, while the one on the right is a window into the automaker’s new Mercedes-benz User Experience infotainment system, or MBUX.
There are many ways to interact with MBUX — the touch screen (a first for Mercedes), thumb pads on the steering wheel, a track pad on the centre console, programmable gesture controls, or the voice command which follows the mould of Siri, Google Alexa, etc.
If you say “I’m freezing,” Ms. Mercedes will turn up the heat. Ask for the nearest steak house with a five-star rating, and she’ll show you the way and read you the menu if such info is floating about the cloud. Ordering up a destination was simply a matter of saying “Navigate to …” There was the occasional vocal hiccup, and the console track pad is an ergonomic travesty. The old rotary controller was easier to use, and so much more precise for such things as the zoom function for navigation.
On the plus side, MBUX is great for whiling away the time.
Me: “Tell me a joke”.
MBUX: “Sorry. My engineers are German.”
Me: “What do you think of BMW?”
MBUX: “They’re nice. I like seeing them through my rear-view mirror”
Me: “What do you think of Audi?” MBUX: “The same as you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Also available on the 2020 GLE is Benz’s nifty “augmented reality” navigation display that layers street names, guiding arrows and house numbers onto a real-time video stream (courtesy of the front-facing camera) of upcoming intersections, etc.
Mercedes offered three GLE “builds” — a GLE 350 optioned to $70,800, a GLE 450 checking in at $86,850 and another fully loaded 450 at $107,040. Jumping in the GLE 350’s cabin, there’s nary a hint you’re in the base model. It’s a sumptuous experience, resplendent here in standard Espresso Brown and Magna Grey Artico faux leather, and open-pore walnut wood trim.
It’s bumped up with the $2,900 Premium Package (adding active park assist, an integrated garage-door opener, a Burmester Surround Sound system, a panoramic sunroof, a foot-activated rear hatch, and a proximity key), along with the $1,200 Premium Plus (rapid heating for the front seats and heated second-row seats, plus heated front armrests). The $2,400 third-row seating is tight at best, but fine for occasional usage. With that, you also get a power-adjustable second row of seats and two additional USB ports.
The turbo-four generally provides enough poke to move this heavy SUV, but at times feels strained and gravelly. Otherwise, it’s a pure premium experience — ride quality on the standard steelsprung suspension is good, and while you’d never accuse the GLE 350 of being sporty, it handles well.
The well priced, base GLE 350 with base suspension will be all most people really need. It’s roomy, comfortable, stylish, ubercool with its standard MBUX infotainment, and all the big-ticket options are available.