A good update for the Mercedes-Benz GLE 2024
It will soon be four years since Mercedes Benz introduced his GL generation on our market, a model that remains very lucrative for the manufacturer. On average, Mercedes-Benz sells more than 60,000 in Canada and the United States combined. Despite a slowdown in sales for all manufacturers in 2022, the GLE continues to sell very well overall. That’s why we’re giving it a good update for 2024, to keep it relevant to consumers, but also to fit better with the rest of the lineup.
This is a classic mid-term update, in the sense that it mainly affects the aesthetics, the cabin and the technology on board. However, the manufacturer takes the opportunity to review some technical details.
More powerful than ever thanks to hybridization
For example, if all its engines are the same as before, they now offer mild hybridization at 48 volts, a technology that was not offered on the 4-cylinder option. Both powertrains in the non-AMG lineup also receive a slight increase in power and torque.
The Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 4MATIC is therefore still powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. Its power remains the same at 255 horsepower, but its torque goes from 273 to 295 lb-ft. However, when the mild hybridization (called EQ Boost) is activated for a short time, the power is 275 horsepower and the torque, 443 lb-ft.
As for the GLE 450 4MATIC, the turbocharged 3.0-litre 6-cylinder now offers 375 horsepower instead of 362 and torque remains at 369 lb-ft. However, with the EQ Boost system temporarily in operation, this SUV increases to 395 horsepower and 517 lb-ft of torque.
Finally, the AMG 53 and 63 S 4MATIC+ performance variants remain in the game, but without technical alterations. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo 6-cylinder (AMG 53) still develops 429 horsepower (+22 hp with the addition of hybridization) and 413 lb-ft (+148 lb-ft). The AMG 63 S, meanwhile, is still powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine with an output of 603 horsepower (+22 hp) and torque of 627 lb-ft (+185 lb-ft).
These versions are always offered in the form of a coupe. All engines of the Mercedes-Benz GLE 2024 are mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox. The maximum towing capacity of a GLE is always calculated at 3,500 kilos (7,716 pounds).
Design refresh, several new features on board
If the aesthetic revisions of this new GLE seem timid, they harmonize a little better with the recent products of the manufacturer, the Class C, E and S sedans, in particular, not to mention its recent family of electric vehicles EQ. Headlamp units include a new LED lighting configuration. The bumper and grille are more prominent, same story behind. New rims and body paint complete the package.
It’s in the passenger compartment that we see the most obvious changes, particularly in terms of the MBUX multimedia interface. If the old GLE was among the first vehicles from the manufacturer to offer this interface, which at the time was very revolutionary, it had to be modernized to keep up with the parade. However, Mercedes-Benz updates the entire user interface, as well as the multimedia system, while leaving its presentation intact. In other words, we are not yet going to the vertical shelf found in the C-Class, for example.
A simplification of the commands and an improvement of the voice recognition system “Hello Mercedes” allow the system to become – according to the statements of the manufacturer – easier to use. The integration of artificial intelligence allows this system to learn more about its owner while updating itself remotely, or even, to install new applications to the system according to the user’s needs. Mercedes also took the opportunity to slightly tweak the interior design, to keep the product up to date with recent trends in luxury vehicles. There’s also the automaker’s new steering wheel, incorporating the physical vehicle configuration knobs.
According to Mercedes-Benz Canada, the 2024 GLE will arrive in dealerships across the country in late spring. Its prices will be announced shortly before its commercialization. Until then, RPM will try to get our hands on a copy to give you our impressions.
