2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class

The name has changed, but the song remains, well, mostly the same. The updated 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class (née M-Class) is all about refinement and a new attitude. Further up the range things have gone all Daft Punk – harder, better, faster, stronger. Merc's bread-and-butter SUV was last revamped in 2012, and this redesign essentially grafts the company's new corporate face and tail onto the vehicle formerly known as ML. A two-bar grille runs the expanse between stretched headlights. Above them sits a more sculpted hood with dual power lines. Below all that is a bumper with three large intakes, similar to Mercedes' sedans. The sides are untouched, but in back you'll find a new LED taillight design and trapezoidal tailpipe finishers. On the AMG Line trim pictured here, the elements rendered in chrome on the base model – like the central guard in front and diffuser panel in back – are done in black. The interior changes start with the driver staring at a new three-spoke steering wheel front-and-center, and a larger, eight-inch infotainment display on the right. That screen stands proud of the instrument panel, with two vents flanking it to remind you this isn't a clean redesign. Compare that to the freestanding tablet look, like on the C-Class, and you'll get what we're talking about. Below the big screen are the infotainment and HVAC controls that we've been looking at since 2012. The center stack newness ends there. Below the big screen are the infotainment and HVAC controls that we've been looking at since 2012. They feel really old now – perhaps because these same dials and buttons were in the E-Class sedan in mid-2009. The controls on the console, however, are overhauled, with the glossy, swoosh-shaped COMAND controller taking up residence next to the driver's arm. Beside that are a few buttons controlling functions like ride height and hill descent control, as well as the new Dynamic Select knob. This dial controls up to six driving modes. There's Comfort, Sport, Slippery, Off-Road Light, and Individual. Buyers who opt for the Off-Road Package will get a sixth mode, Off-Road+. Mercedes expects only 10 percent of GLE customers will want that capability. Every GLE comes with the basic five-setting Dynamic Select knob, no matter which of the five engines are under the hood. Here's where things get tricky, so we'll list the details for the sake of clarity. GLE300d – 2.1-liter, turbodiesel four-cylinder with 201 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. GLE350 – 3.5-liter V6 with 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. GLE400 – 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 with 329 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. GLE550e – The same 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 as the GLE400, but mated to a hybrid module (packaged in the transmission) with a total system output of 436 hp and 479 pound-feet of torque. GLE63 – 5.5-liter, twin-turbo AMG V8 with 550 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. GLE63 S – Same engine as the standard GLE63, but with 577 hp and 561 lb-ft …
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