Greater presence, power for Merc GLE
ROAD TEST/ The luxury SUV is more hi-tech than ever, though gesture control causes some confusion, writes Denis Droppa
Back in 1997, before the X5 or Cayenne were a twinkle in the eye at BMW and Porsche, MercedesBenz invented the luxury SUV segment with its M-Class and spawned a legion of copycats.
Today there is barely a luxury brand without a contender in a class; having an SUV in the lineup is as obligatory as having a chasing-to-the-airport scene in a romantic comedy.
The Benz — which was been renamed the GLE as part of the brand’s new naming convention — has gone through three iterations and has been a great success for the brand by selling more than 2-million units.
The fourth-generation car arrives wearing natty new robes that exude more presence and power. It’s also reimagined with a host of driver assistance systems that further increase safety, and a roomier cabin that’s available with a third-seat row.
The infotainment system introduces gesture control that detects hand and arm movements to help with control functions. Clearly I needed some training, as my random gestures sometimes accidentally changed the radio station.
I preferred using the car’s voice control to quick-access some of the labyrinthine functions as Mercedes’ speech recognition is pretty good — although ironically the one radio station it couldn’t find by spoken word was the very one that it kept selecting by accidental hand gestures.
Artificial intelligence is getting better, but it’s not quite ready to pass the Turing test.
I do admire the luxurymeets-hi-tech cabin atmosphere, though, with its large digital screens, brushed metal, and ambient lighting that can be personalised to 64 colours. Even to a cynical car journalist the interior has a real “wow” factor that puts it at the cutting edge of modern cabin design.
It’s impressively spacious too. Thanks to a stretched wheelbase the new GLE’s rear legroom has increased by a substantial 69mm, making for a real family-sized cabin. Boot space has grown to a sizeable 825l, expanding to a cavernous 2,055l with the rer seats flipped down.
The optional folding third seat row provides two additional seats and an easy-entry function.
The local GLE line-up comprises two diesel derivatives and one petrol model, all offered in 4Matic all-wheel drive. On test here is the petrol version, the GLE 450, which is hustled along by an inline six-cylinder 3.0l engine packing 270kW and 500Nm, with a further 250Nm and 16kW available via EQ Boost over short periods.
The EQ boost is part of the electrified 48V technology that uses an integrated starter/ alternator that also recuperates energy. Despite this fuel-saving system our test vehicle was not particularlyl thirsty 13.5 thrifty, /100km, guzzling and the a diesel GLE versions will make for a better choice in terms of parsimony.
However, the powertrain does a great job of shifting this big SUV at pace. The GLE 450 feels enjoyably punchy, as attested to by the hot-hatch-like 5.7 second 0-100km/h sprint. While not being quite AMG-type power, this effortless performer is very unlikely to leave anyone with unsatisfied power cravings.’ It s a smooth punch, with the 9G-Tronic auto firing through its many gears with finesse. The engine’s mellow drawl adds to the overall refinement without being totally sanitised; it’s underlaid by a hint of sporting six-cylinder hoarseness.
All-wheel drive provides great all-weather grip. It’s an intelligent system with an electronically controlled multidisc clutch that can instantly vary the amount of drive to each axle, depending on conditions.
The test vehicle was fitted with optional air suspension which at a switch can be set to wafting comfort or roll-resisting stiffness. In sports mode this Benz churns through turns with respectable agility for its size and also stays level under hard acceleration or braking, though one is always aware it’s a heavy piece of hardware.
As an option, E-Active body control independently regulates the suspension at each wheel, and when driving offroad is able to “bounce” the vehicle out of sand or mud. Dirt-driving prowess can be further enhanced with an optional offroad transfer case with low range and an automatic locking effect.
As a stepping stone to an autonomous-car future the new GLE offers driver-assist tech that keeps you at a safe following distance, in your lane, and checks your blind spots. New in the safety repertoire is a system that automatically applies the brakes if you intend to turn across oncoming traffic that was unsighted.
With its smart safety, combined with its roominess and sci-fi-inspired cabin, the latest iteration of this SUV pioneer looks set to continue the GLE success story.