#Mercedes benz gle drivers#

In both powertrains, the nine-speed automatic transmission is smooth to the point of near invisibility, shifting gears with such unobtrusive operation as to make you forget it has any gears at all. The EQ Boost 48-volt mild-hybrid system is seamlessly integrated, offering up quicker acceleration in all conditions but also boosting the efficiency of the GLE450 versus its competitors, according to Mercedes-Benz.

#Mercedes benz gle drivers#

Most drivers will find it perfectly adequate, but for anyone requiring a little more confidence in their daily drive or hauling around a full load of passengers regularly, the six-cylinder GLE450 is the one to get.

The four-cylinder has plenty of usable around-town power, accelerating smartly once rolling but not providing that much oomph from a standing start. (Per our ethics policy, pays for its airfare and lodging at such automaker-sponsored events.)

I drove both models in the Texas Hill Country north of San Antonio at Mercedes’ media introduction and came away impressed with both powertrains. Rear-wheel drive is standard on the GLE350 all-wheel drive is an option here and standard on the GLE450. Both engines are mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. There will be two GLE-Class models to start - the GLE350, equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine good for 255 horsepower and 273 pounds-feet of torque, and the GLE450 that uses a turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine with a mild-hybrid system, producing 362 hp and 369 pounds-feet of torque. What makes it so good? It’s a confluence of things, starting first with how it drives. This latest version, arriving next year as a 2020 model, is set to renew Mercedes-Benz’s primacy in the field, thanks to a technology-laden, ultra-luxurious, astonishingly capable offering that’s likely to reset the bar.

Related: Here’s Our Full Preview of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class It started life in 1998 as the original luxury crossover, the ML-Class, made here in America and the trigger for an onslaught of tall-roofed, off-roadable, all-wheel-drive luxury wagons that have surpassed the traditional sedans as the most popular models in the luxury categories. Every automaker sells them, and new models face an uphill battle to try and gain customers from the vehicles that have enjoyed years of success - models like this one: the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class. The craze for SUVs may be reaching its zenith.