If you pop the hood of the new GLE, Mercedes' midsize SUV, you will see something no one has seen under the hood of a new Mercedes in more than 20 years: an inline six-cylinder.
You will also not see something under the hood: belt-driven accessories, such as a water pump, alternator, power-steering pump and air conditioning compressor. The accessories are there, just not the belt. The GLE 450's accessories are all driven electrically — to take the load off the engine and eliminate the need for periodic belt changes.
And that's not all.
What It Is
The GLE is the successor to the M-class SUV of the late '90s and early 2000s, Mercedes' hugely successful fusion of off-road capability with on-road civility.
It competes with models like the BMW X5 and Range Rover Sport.
Like them, it comes standard with two rows but offers an available third row. Also like them, it is a real-deal SUV that can tow several thousand pounds more than a light-duty crossover SUV (up to 7,700 pounds) and has the capability of traversing rough terrain without behaving like a farm implement when the terrain isn't rough.
Base price is $53,700 for the rear-wheel-drive GLE 350, which comes standard with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel-drive system is optional. So equipped, the MSRP is $56,200.
The GLE 450 comes standard with Mercedes' new 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder supplemented by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system called EQ Boost. It features a high-torque electric starter/generator that is used to seamlessly cycle the gas engine off and on, both when the GLE isn't moving (as when waiting at a red light) as well as when it is (as when coasting), in order to save fuel and reduce emissions. It costs $61,150 and comes standard with the 4Matic AWD system.
What's New
The redesigned GLE is a few inches longer than before, which makes third-row seating possible for the first time in this model.
Also new are both of the GLE's standard and available engines, as well as the interior, the centerpiece of which is a new dual 12.3-inch LCD touch screen array and MBUX voice/gesture interface that learns your preferences and obeys voice commands and gestures.
There is also a new E-Active Body Control adjustable suspension system that can fine-tune damping forces at each of the four wheels individually, a feature unique to the GLE. The system can also get you unstuck when off-roading by rocking each corner up and down until traction is recovered.
What's Good
More power equals better mileage.
More room.
It has borderline miraculous tech.
What's Not So Good
The center console cubby is small.
The MBUX system can't whip up a BLT ... yet.
Under the Hood
The GL 350 is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that has 255 horsepower. It comes paired with a nine-speed automatic and either rear-wheel drive or 4Matic all-wheel drive.
The GL 450 comes with the new 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder supplemented by the high-torque starter/motor and 48-volt mild hybrid system. Total output is 362 horsepower, enough to get this big SUV to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds.
Remarkably, the GL 450's mileage (19 mpg city and 24 mpg highway) is nearly as good as that delivered by the much less powerful GL 350 (19 city and 26 highway).
On the Road
Don't miss the six. It is worth the extra cost — but not solely because it gives you so much more power without noticeably more appetite. That's a bonus. The real payoff is the jet-engine smoothness of the inline configuration. Only an electric car is smoother — and not by much.
Also, you get the EV advantages without the EV liabilities. No recharge worries or waiting.
The 48-volt EQ Boost system is self-contained and requires nothing from you other than pushing down on the accelerator pedal.
At the Curb
The previous GL, which did not offer a third row, was always at a disadvantage compared with rivals like the BMW X5 and Range Rover Sport, which did have a third row.
Now it's a fair fight — unfair, actually, in the Benz's favor this time.
The new GLE has a roomier second row (38.4 inches) and has more total cargo room with the seats down (80.3 cubic feet) than rivals. It also has almost limitlessly configurable dual-LCD touch screens, which can be activated by touch, by mouse or by voice/gesture.
That degree of technological sophistication is not yet matched by any other vehicle in the GLE's class.
And it's not just gee-whiz. It's safer. There is so much tech, and there are so many features, in a modern luxury car that using them can be dangerous — all that scrolling through menus, trying to find what you need. Here, all you have to do is ask the GLE to turn on the seat massagers. Or make a call. Or do almost anything else.
Your wish is its command.
The Rest
The lower-cost GL 350 won't be available in Benz stores until summer.
Expect a high-performance GLE AMG sometime next year.
The Bottom Line
Sci-fi novelist Arthur Clarke said that technology beyond a certain point of sophistication is indistinguishable from magic. Here's an example of that!
Eric's new book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
View Comments