2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE Reviews, Pricing & Specs

It might be a bit difficult to find the aesthetic changes in the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE, but a little goes a long way. The headlights and taillights are a bit sharper and there are now black fender flares over the wheel arches. The grille has also gotten some nifty chrome inserts. The optional AMG Line package on our tester is quite handsome, with a distinct grille that brings a bit more sportiness to the exterior. 19-inch wheels are standard, but you can go big with a set of optional 21-inch shoes.

If you’re really looking for sexy, check out the Mercedes-Benz GLE coupe. Although it’s only available in the uber-sporty Mercedes-AMG guise, it offers many of the same features, albeit with reduced interior space.

Inside, the cabin looks decidedly Mercedes-Benz, although it’s not nearly as futuristic as what you’d find in the newer all-electric EQ cars. However, there is still plenty of leather and plenty of soft-touch surfaces. The available open-pore walnut trim is gorgeous, but it came paired with Bahia Brown seating surfaces in our tester, resulting in a cabin that looked a bit like a wood-paneled rec room from 1975. Choose a lighter color leather to remedy this design disaster.

Buyers have their choice of the entry-level GLE 350 with 255 horsepower, the mid-line GLE 450 with a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, or the top-tier 4.0-liter V8 in the GLE 580, all mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Our test vehicle was none of these. Rather, we had a chance to try the new 450e, which uses a new plug-in hybrid powertrain that we think hits the sweet spot of performance and efficiency.

Under the hood of the 450e is a 2.0-liter turbo inline four-cylinder engine good for 381 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque when operating in hybrid mode with the gas engine and electric motor putting out full power. For the record, that’s more chutzpah than the GLE 350 and GLE 450. However, the plug-in hybrid is about a half-second slower to 60 miles per hour, than the GLE 450, thanks to the extra weight of its 23.3-kWh battery.

Mercedes says the battery can store enough energy to go a whopping 48 miles on all-electric power. But after charging, the gauge gave us a happy surprise, reading 55 miles. The 450e will default to all-electric mode on startup, assuming there is juice in the battery. However, it’s very easy to set the car to drive in Hybrid mode or to Battery Hold mode, which saves the electrons for future use. You’ll also have to set your preferred brake regeneration level at every start up, as it defaults to no regen at all. When the GLE runs out of electrons the switch to the gas engine is smooth and seamless. You likely won’t notice it at all.

The car has a Sport mode but it didn’t seem to do much for the GLE’s driving dynamics. While the V8 might have a sportier feel on the road, the plug-in hybrid felt staid with light steering and plenty of body roll. It’s not a bad experience, it’s just not much fun. You’ll be perfectly happy if you’re looking for a comfortable commute, but if sporty driving dynamics are important to you, look to the BMW X5 xDrive50e. That option offers snappier acceleration and a more taut chassis.

The 450e gets an 11-kW onboard charger, which is fast enough to charge it to 100 percent in under three hours on a Level 2 home charger. Unlike many plug-in hybrids, the Mercedes can also accept a 60-kW DC fast charge, making it a breeze to recharge on road trips.

What the GLE 450e lacks in driving dynamics it makes up for in interior luxuries. Heated front seats are standard, but our tester goes big by adding ventilation and a massage function into the mix. If you need a frosty soda or a hot coffee while battling traffic, the heated and cooled cup holders have you covered. There is customizable ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof, soft-close doors, and the cabin remains quiet on even the noisiest of highways. Add the ace Burmester stereo system and you’ve got one heck of a relaxing ride.

Our only quibble here is that the sun visors do not extend. Sure, they can be moved to block any side light coming into the cabin, but they are fixed in place on their rod. This is a maddening omission in a luxury SUV.

The Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class can tow 7,700 pounds, and it’s available with the new Trailer Maneuvering Assist technology designed to make maneuvering the trailer a bit easier in certain instances, and it makes reversing the trailer in a straight line a snap. Cargo is plentiful with 31.5 cubic feet behind the rear seats–add a few cubic feet for the non-PHEV models–opening up to 74.9 cubic feet when the second row is folded.

The GLE SUV comes standard with a 12.3-inch digital customizable gauge cluster. The latest version of Mercedes’ infotainment system, MBUX, is here, but don’t expect the giant touchscreen that is available on other Mercedes products like the EQS or S-class PHEV. You’ll have to make do with a smaller 12.3-inch screen. It’s not bad, mind you, just smaller. The menu structure is fairly easy to learn and there is even a touchpad on the center console if you don’t want to touch the screen directly. If you’re really trying to keep your hands on the wheel, just say, “Hey, Mercedes” and tell the car what you’d like it to do. Alternatively, some may want to use the smaller touchpads on the steering wheel to control MBUX and set up their gauge cluster, but we find these to be a bit finicky.

We like the available augmented reality navigation system that overlays numerical addresses and animated turn arrows on a video feed on the MBUX screen. Both functions are very helpful when you’re just not quite sure if you’re supposed to turn at the first right or the one directly after it.

Mercedes has also seen fit to include an off-road page in the MBUX system. While we doubt many drivers will use it as intended, it does offer up some great information like altitude, latitude, longitude, heading, steering angle, and tire temperature and pressure. Heck, there is even a transparent hood feature that pushes a video feed of what’s under the car right to your center screen. Information nerds will love it.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both here, but our tester did not perform as anticipated with our iPhone. While it was easy to pair, there were so many disengagements as to be almost unusable. However, there are plenty of USB-C ports delivering up to 100W of power to keep things charged.

Mercedes has always had stellar advanced driver’s aids, and the GLE has many features to make your commute just a bit easier and safer, as long as you don’t mind paying extra. Blind-spot monitoring is standard but ticking the Driver Assistance Package Plus box gets you active blind-spot monitoring that can intervene with steering if necessary, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control with steering assist, and lane-change assist. All work as advertised, the adaptive cruise control being especially good. However, the package adds nearly $2,000 to the price.

The 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE has not received an overall or frontal crash rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but it earned a five-star rating for a side crash and four-out-of-five stars for a rollover.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the GLE the top score of “Good” in crashworthiness, crash avoidance and mitigation, and seat belts and child restraints. Cars equipped with Mercedes’ Digital Light package earned a headlight rating of “Acceptable.”

The 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLE starts at around $63,000 MSRP, and the top GLE 580 can add nearly $20,000 to the price tag. However, both the 450e plug-in hybrid and standard 450 both start at $69,500. While options can stack up quickly–our tester’s price sat a smidge over $90,000–the PHEV offers more bang for your buck, especially when you start looking at efficiency.

The EPA gives the 450e a fuel economy rating of 58 MPGe when driven in hybrid mode and 24 miles per gallon when driven using just the gasoline engine. We kept our tester charged and drove 302 miles during our week with it with an average consumption of 36.2 miles per gallon. We also drove 120 miles in all-electric mode at an efficiency of 5.7 miles per kilowatt hour. Not too shabby. Meanwhile, the GLE 350 gets an EPA rating of just 23 mpg combined, the 450 nets 22 mpg combined, and the 580 just 17 mpg combined.

The Mercedes-Benz GLE Class’ biggest midsize luxury SUV competitors are also from Germany in the form of the Audi Q8, BMW X5, and Porsche Cayenne. But the Genesis GV80 and Lexus RX are worthy adversaries, as well. However, only the X5 and Cayenne are offered with a plug-in power train and neither can touch the all-electric range of the GLE 450e.

You’ll get a 4-year/50,000 mile basic limited warranty on the Mercedes-Benz GLE, which doubles as the car’s powertrain warranty. The battery in the 450e gets a warranty for 6 years and 62,000 miles or 10 years and 150,000 miles, depending on what state you live in.

The addition of a plug-in hybrid option in the new GLE makes for a compelling option in the varied lineup of this luxury mid-size SUV. While the GLE 350 makes sense for those who want to save a bit of cash and the AMG models appeal to drivers who value performance, when it comes to the GLE 450 4matic model, we think the plug-in hybrid 450e is the powertrain to beat.