Mercedes-Benz has officially taken the wraps off the 2016 GLE ahead of its debut at the New York Auto Show. The GLE will be replacing the M-Class globally. The GLE is essentially a facelifted M-Class which adopts the company’s new nomenclature. The GLE sports a familiar design but features a new front fascia with a refreshed grille that is flanked by restyled headlights. The rear end also has been updated and now gets new LED taillights and a sportier exhaust system.
Compared to the regular GLE, the AMG variant features a sportier front bumper, a single bar grille and 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels with a titanium grey finish. At the rear, it gets a rear diffuser and a quad exhaust system.
The interior is remniscant of the M-Class but gets a new multi-function steering wheel and a freestanding infotainment system. Mercedes has also given the GLE a revised color palette – that includes ginger beige, espresso brown, saddle brown and porcelain – and an extensive assortment of trim. Customers can choose from aluminum, carbon fiber, piano black, brown ash, brown eucalyptus and brown burred walnut.
The Mercedes-Benz GLE will be offered with the following engine options:
- A twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 cranking out 333 PS and 480 Nm of torque
- A twin-turbo 4.7-liter V8 belting out 435 PS and 700 Nm of torque
- A 2.1-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel with 204 PS and 480 Nm of torque
- A 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel with 258 PS and 620 Nm of torque
The AMG variant of the GLE is GLE 63 AMG which features a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 under the hood that dishes out 557 PS and 700 Nm of torque. The GLE 63 AMG sprints from 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). The GLE 63 AMG S produces 585 PS and 760 Nm of torque from the same engine and dismisses the 0-100 km/h mark in just 4.2 seconds.
Also on offer will be the GLE 500 e 4MATIC plug-in hybrid which features a 3.0-liter BlueDIRECT V6 engine, an 8.8 kWh lithium-ion battery and a seven-speed 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission with an integrated electric motor. Along with the electric motor, the total output stands at 442 PS and 650 Nm of torque. The model returns 3.3 L/100 km (71.2 mpg US / 85.6 mpg UK) and can travel up to 30 km (18.6 miles) on electricity alone at speeds up to at 130 km/h (80.7 mph).
Mercedes-Benz GLE Image gallery :
