We saw first saw the Mercedes-Benz GLE in the middle of last year. Now, it has become a new talking point again after the South African Car of the Year awards. This big SUV boasted a smoother design and a new infotainment system, but how is that holding up right now after its big win? Let’s discuss what makes the GLE a great car.
GLE has a stunning design that speaks.
From the 20-inch alloy wheels to the big grille with pins, it’s a stunning looking car. Mercedes-Bens have done a great job with highlighting certain features with polished metal, especially if you are looking at a darker coloured model. I was impressed with the overall look when I first saw this GLE and my feelings have stayed the same, nice work, Mercedes.
The GLE’s interior is great too.
The interior design is just beautiful in the GLE. The metal highlights on the outside continue on the inside but this time with a functional purpose. Everything button or control can be easily seen from a glance. There’s a lot of nice feeling fake leather with wooden trim, however, that quality stopped at a few places, unfortunately. It’s not a turn off because where you will touch a lot is still all high quality like around the centre console and its neat grab handles. You’d expect to find the gear selector here too but it’s not. You will find that by the steering wheel.
There is plenty of room in the back seats for friends of all sizes, even if you get the panoramic sunroof. You can choose to get two extra seats and turn the GLE into a 7-seater. But there is just no space for that, and the electronic seat controls will make you regret inviting extra passengers on board.
Back to the cabin, we are greeted by a massive infotainment system and digital driver’s display that connect and move along the dashboard. It has a good design and it’s easy to use with a trackpad. You can also control it with shortcut buttons, the steering wheel or the limited voice commands. The parking assists will display through the infotainment which shows very well. If you pay a bit more, you can get a colour heads up display and augmented reality SatNav which is a lot of fun.
The GLE engine and model options.
The GLE comes in 3 flavours each with a slightly different engine and upgraded features. Let’s start at the bottom with the GLE 300d which has a 2-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel that gives 180 kW and 500 Nm. Next up is the award-winning 400d with a 3-litre turbodiesel driving 243 kW and 700 Nm. It came 2nd in the South African Car of the Year awards and took the Premium SUV title. Finally, the only petrol engine which is the 450. It gives 270 kW and 500 Nm with mild-hybrid technology.
All 3 models have a 9-speed automatic transmission and 4-Matic all-wheel-drive systems. They also come with air suspension with the exception of the 300d. 
Price
The Mercedes-Bens GLE comes with many additional options from safety to luxury which can add to the price. Ignoring those, here are the standard prices.
- 300d | R1 210 500
- 400d | R1 351 200
- 450 | R1 329 400