Review: 2016 Mercedes GLE

If you want a used utility vehicle that is big, luxurious, and grand, you would love to have the 2016 Mercedes GLE in your garage. From the heavily chromed nose to the big, vertical rear, it has every bit you would expect in a Mercedes utility vehicle, and that is what motorists like most about it in the UK.

The 2016 Mercedes GLE was introduced at the start of 2015. It is not a totally new vehicle rather is an updated version of the 3rd-generation Mercedes M-Class boasting some design changes both inside and out. For the 2016 model year, it gets a new nine-speed automatic transmission and a new plug-in hybrid model.

Powertrains

Meet the new GLE 500e plug-in hybrid featuring a 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 and an electric motor. The hybrid powertrain generates 328bhp.

Apart from that, we do not see any change in the engine range. It means all the mills come from the M-Class. However, engineers have updated them to enhance fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.  

So, expect the base GLE 250d to come equipped with a 2.1-litre four-cylinder diesel producing 204bhp. The next in the range is the GLE 350d housing a 3.0-litre V6 diesel churning out 254bhp. If it still makes you power-thirsty, you have the option to choose between the two robust AMG models - the 385bhp GLE 43 and the 577bhp GLE 63.

Trim Levels

Mercedes has made the GLE model range comparatively straightforward and more well-resourced. It starts with the Sport variant (the sole engine option is 250d), featuring sat-nav, heated front seats, and climate control. The AMG GLE 43 and GLE 63 come with air suspension in addition to sportier design cues and bigger wheels. The Night Edition features gloss black accents.

Drive and Handling

The 2016 Mercedes GLE featuring air suspension delivers a comfortable ride. However, it is slightly awkward, drifting over bigger ripples in a somewhat disturbing way, and shakes over minor bumps, and sometimes tumbles into the side of a road. Surely, you can switch to Sport mode, but that makes the suspension stiff.

Handling is not the strongest point of the GLE. You will find it heavy, tilling its nose forward and bending over in curves, even when you engage firmer suspension setting. The steering is adequately agile enough, but it feels gentle and slightly non-natural. In a word, it is not the SUV you can push along a back road.

Interior

On the inside, you find the Mercedes tablet infotainment display laid between the air vents. It connects to a rotary controller and smartphone-like touchpad on the centre console and manages Mercedes’ COMAND system. The sitting position is high, providing you a dominant view.

The 2016 Mercedes GLE can accommodate four easily and five tightly owing to a big bump in the floor and a tight center seat. Unfortunately, you can’t order third-row, which is a major drawback. The Audi Q7, Land Rover Discovery, and Volvo XC90, all are accessible in a seven-seat layout. Nevertheless, the GLE offers plenty of boot space, in fact, one of the largest in the segment.

If you are keen to purchase a used Mercedes GLE or any other utility vehicle, visit our used car classified webpage.