Mercedes were among the first to launch a premium-badged crossover vehicle, as they could see a growing demand for cars of this type. Lacking the capacity to build their new model in Germany, they decided that as a lot of the demand was predicted to come from the USA, that they should also make the car there, so in the mid 90s, they set about building a brand new manufacturing facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was finished in the autumn of 1996, ready for production of their much-vaunted new car to commence in February 1997. The new model did not have an auspicious start. To begin with there was the name. Mercedes decided to call this the M Class, but very quickly BMW objected saying that this would confuse people who associated that letter with sporting BMW models, so the car had to be rechristened the ML Class. Then there was the car itself. Put simply, it was not that good, and the build quality also suffered from the fact that this was an all-new plant in a part of America that was not used to assembling cars. Reliability woes soon surfaced, too. Undeterred, though, Mercedes did not give up and the next generation car, development of which had started in early 1999, was launched at the start of 2005 and was immediately seen as a much better product, with significant improvements in quality also making the car a worthy competitor to the likes of BMW’s X5 and Volvo’s highly rated XC90. That car had taken six years to develop. So it was not long before work started on the third generation model, still known as an ML Class, this one being the W166 in Mercedes model code speak. That car was launched in 2012 and was yet another step forward. In 2015 it received a mid-cycle update which also brought a new name. Henceforth this car would be called the GLE Class, which would fit in with an expanded range of G-badged models ranging from the compact GLA and GLB through the mid-sized GLC and below the GL (later GLS) and G Wagen. The use of the E suffix was intended to align the model more closely with the E Class saloon and estate just as the other models were also positioned at least in market segment relative to their hatch and saloon relatives. A rather vulgar Coupe version was added to the range at this time, a response to the unexpected success of BMW’s equally brash X6. The fourth generation GLE model, a hatch initially, but with a coupe following, was launched at the 2018 Paris Show, with sales starting soon after. Having got the formula for a car in this class pretty well correct with the W166 generation, the new car was mode of a careful evolution of what had gone before. More tech and safety features were included, of course and the engines were revised to include hybrid technology, reflecting the market switch from diesel, which had previously been the most important engine option in Europe. A seven seater option was also new. On sale now for coming up to five years, there have been minor changes every year and a slightly more significant one for the 2024 model year with some visual tweaks. Although Hertz has tended to favour Mercedes as the brand to populate their premium rental car categories, they’ve rarely had GLE models on fleet, for some reason. So when I saw a few new 2024 model year cars parked up at Hertz’ LAX facility, I decided I had better see if I could try one whilst they had them on fleet. In those days of relatively low demand post the Thanksgiving Holiday, my luck was in, and I was able to get an almost GLE350 for a day. Let’s see how I found it:

Don’t fooled by the GLE350 badging of this test car. The engine is nothing like 3.5 litres. In fact, what you get is a 2.0 litre turbocharged four cylinder unit which puts out 255 bhp and 295 lb/ft of torque. It is coupled to a nine speed automatic gearbox and all 2024 models have standard 4Matic all-wheel drive. Unlike some previous 2.0 litre Mercedes 4 cylinder units which have truly horrified me at how unrefined they are (the last C300 I drove was so afflicted), in this car the engine is pretty smooth and refined. Low end power is ample and acceleration is brisk, and although the quoted 0 – 60 time is around 7 seconds, it does not really come across as what you would call fast (Mercedes have an array of more potent GLE models if that is what you crave!) and it seemed well matched to the gearbox. So whilst there are paddles, as the gearbox’ brain did such a good job at selecting the optimum gear, there was little point in selecting gears myself.  I drove quite a long way in the GLE. Taking advantage of cheaper fuel in the Palm Springs area, I put 10.3 gallons having done 260 miles, and then a further 3 gallons back in LA, 105 miles later. That computes to an average of 27.44 mpg US or 32.70 mpg Imperial, which is an impressive figure for such a large car. The trip computer in the car reported between 27 and 29 mpg, suggesting the car was reasonably full when I collected it.

Whilst the GLE is, by European standards at least, quite a big car, it is surprisingly easy to drive and it does not really feel from behind the wheel to be as large as it is. The steering is light and does not have much feel, as is so often the case these days but it does mean that the Mercedes is easy to manoeuvre. All-wheel drive means that there is plenty of grip, but you also get a certain amount of body roll and there is certainly some understeer when you get to the corners with some gusto.  The test car came on 215/55 R19 wheels and standard suspension and these endowed it with a comfortable ride. The brakes worked just as you would hope, with a nice progressive feel to the pedal. Visibility is generally par for the course though there is a particularly small rear view mirror. There are plenty of ADAS features, of which the Blind Spot Warning was useful on a number of occasions. It offers up a loud beep as well as a visual warning.

Pictures of the interiors of most modern Mercedes models flatter to deceive, as when you actually get to experience the car for real, you find that there are a lot of cheap materials used and the build quality is often far from what you might expect from a Mercedes. The GLE is different, as the reality is that it is actually at least as nice as photos suggest. For sure it looks super modern with a large black screen looking a bit like an elongated iPad on its side which extends across much of the width of the car, with air vents at either end, but there are also nice matt silver inlays and there is judicious use of leather on the dash and door casings, and not very much gloss black plastic. That black panel comes to life when you press the Start button, at which point you will see that there are effectively two separate 12/3” screens. The one directly in front of the driver is dominated by two large electronic but conventional dials the left of which is for the speedometer and inset fuel gauge and the right for the rev counter.  Mercedes currently favour some rather spindly column stalks, and whilst it looks there are two here, be careful, as the right hand one is actually the gear selector. The one on the left does indicators and wipers, meaning that lights are relegated to a rotary dial on the dash to the left of the wheel. There are plenty of buttons on the steering wheel boss for cruise control and audio repeater functions as well as selecting trip computer displays. Not all the ergonomics are quite right, as the engine start button is set awkwardly low. The central part of that black panel is used for Touch Screen functions which is pretty much everything else, but thankfully there are some buttons and haptic controls for this system in the centre console, as well. The system runs the latest MBUX software which is pretty responsive. The graphics are sharp. Features here include standard navigation as well as wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto and XM Satellite radio. The audio system set up provided good sound quality.  Below this unit are a row of metallised switches for the automated climate control. Beneath these is a wireless charging pad.

I found it surprisingly hard to get into the GLE. It seemed to be a combination of the height of the car and the angle of the screen pillar. Once installed, there is plenty of seat adjustment. The electric switches for doing this are on the door, in time-honoured Mercedes tradition. There is also a three position memory. The seats were trimmed in a faux leather.  Add in an extensible front seat bolster, for extra under thigh support for those with longer thigh bones, and an electrically adjustable steering column and it was easy to get my optimum driving position. Even with the sunroof that featured on the test car, there is ample headroom.

The GLE is very spacious in the rear. Even with the front seats set well back, there is ample legroom, the car is wide enough to seat three and there is headroom a plenty. Occupants here will benefit from a drop-down central armrest with cupholders in the upper surface, a couple of USB ports and there are seat nets on the back of the front seats as well as pockets on the doors.

The boot of the GLE is also very generous, one of the largest in its class. Don’t forget that there is an optional 7-seater version, so it should not surprise that when the car is a mere 5-seater then there is ample room for luggage. The sides of the load area have been straightened, with a cubby an area netted off in the space behind the rear wheels, so you get a nice regular shape. The floor is completely flush with the base of the tailgate so it would be easy to load heavy items in here. There is a small amount of space under the main boot floor and the contents of the boot are hidden from prying eyes by a load cover. The rear seat backrests are asymmetrically split and just drop down to create a much longer load platform, which is completely flat. The tailgate closes electrically. Inside the passenger compartment, provision for odds and ends is good with a particularly large glovebox, pockets on the doors, an armrest cubby and the front area of the centre console which has both cupholders and the wireless charging pad.

For the US market, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE comes in four versions: GLE 350, GLE 450, GLE 450e and GLE 580. Additionally, there are three basic packages: Premium (base), Exclusive and Pinnacle. All trims start with Premium features except for the GLE 580, which comes standard with the Exclusive package. Mercedes also makes the high-performance AMG GLE 53 and AMG GLE 63 S. The base GLE 350 SUV starts at $62,650 and sports a 255 bhp turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. It comes with the base Premium features, which include synthetic leather upholstery, heated and power-adjustable front seats with memory settings, a 12.3-inch touch screen, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation, five USB ports, Bluetooth, HD Radio, satellite radio, wireless device charging, 19-inch wheels, an adaptive suspension, a sunroof, a hands-free power liftgate, dual-zone automatic climate control, proximity keyless entry and push-button start. The GLE also comes with safety features such as a surround-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, driver-attention monitoring, hands-free park assist, LED headlights with automatic high beams and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Available features include soft-closing doors, acoustic-treated windows, a panoramic sunroof, genuine leather upholstery, heated second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, heated front armrests, quad-zone automatic climate control and a Class III tow hitch. Optional driver-assistance tech includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane-change assist, traffic-sign recognition and a trailering manoeuvering assist system. A pair of third-row seats is available on all trims but the GLE 450e plug-in hybrid. The Exclusive package ($1,600) adds ventilated front seats, navigation with live augmented video overlay and a premium Burmester sound system. The Pinnacle package builds on the Exclusive with adaptive LED headlights, massaging front seats with rapid heating and ventilation and heated and cooled cup holders. The GLE 450 (MSRP: $69,500) comes with the same features as the GLE 350, but it features the 375 bhp turbocharged inline-six engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. The GLE 450e (MSRP: $69,500) is equipped like the standard GLE 450, but it comes with a 381 bhp plug-in-hybrid powertrain comprised of a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and an electric motor. Starting at $86,700, the GLE 580 SUV boasts a 510 bhp twin-turbocharged V8 engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, 20-inch wheels, an adaptive air suspension, genuine leather upholstery and the contents of the Exclusive package. The Pinnacle package remains available. You can also add the Off-Road Engineering package, which includes underbody protection, 1.2 inches of additional ground clearance and an off-road transparent hood view that shows a virtual view of the lower front of the SUV.

My expectations for this GLE were not that high, as almost all the recent Mercedes models I have driven have left me unimpressed by some unrefined engines, and questionable interior quality. So it was a real pleasure to find that this GLE was really rather likeable. It is bigger than it looks, which means that there is plenty of space for five people and a decent amount of luggage, it drives quite nicely and feels refined and is certainly comfortable. Even the interior has avoided the worst excesses of tacky and over-wrought technology that afflict more recent Mercedes models, so it all adds to something with no significant weaknesses. It is not cheap, but in that respect it is not alone, as the most direct rivals from BMW and Audi cost similar money. The GLE has plenty of rivals beyond those two, these days, but it can hold its proverbial head high and compete with the best of them. Let’s hope Mercedes avoid the temptation to overdo it as the model evolves.