India-bound next-gen 2019 Mercedes GLE - Motorshow Focus
The 2019 Mercedes GLE made its auto show debut at the Paris Motor Show 2018 last month. The new mid-size luxury SUV will be delivered Germany from early 2019 and arrive in India in the latter half of next year.
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Speaking on the aesthetics of the 2019 Mercedes GLE, Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Daimler AG, said -
The GLE exhibits iconic Mercedes-Benz design while remaining true to its character as an off-roader. With its design idiom it perfectly embodies our design philosophy of sensual purity, thus representing modern luxury. The interior derives its fascination from the contrast between the luxurious and elegant design and the digital high-tech of our MBUX system.
At the front-end, the new model carries an octagonal grille with a diamond pattern, and a sporty bumper reminiscent of AMG models. The rear features a sleeker pair of wraparound tail lamps, while the chrome finish on the faux skid plate and the muffler-cutters look elegant. The new GLE offers best-in-segment aerodynamics with a Cd figure of 0.29.
The 2019 Mercedes GLE features a 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster and 12.3-inch floating-type infotainment screen. Other highlights include small rectangular AC vents, a small climate control panel, and a new flat-bottom three-spoke steering wheel with a round design for the centre pad. The longer wheelbase of 2,995 mm (an improvement of 80 mm), has led to a substantial 69 mm increase in the legroom for the second row. The rear headroom has increased by 33 mm. Buyers can opt for a 7-seat layout.
So far, the company has revealed the GLE 300 d 4MATIC and GLE 450 4MATIC versions. The former is powered by a 2.0-litre oil-burner that outputs 245 bhp of maximum power and 500 Nm of peak torque. The latter features a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine with EQ Boost. It outputs a maximum power of 367 bhp and a peak torque of 500 Nm. The EQ Boost employs a 48-volt mild hybrid system to add 22 bhp to the engine's power output.
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The 2019 Mercedes GLE benefits from the E-Active Body Control active suspension system. Being promoted as the “world’s most intelligent SUV suspension”, it is the only setup world over to offer individually controllable damping and spring forces, says Mercedes-Benz. Prices of the new-gen model start from £ 55,685 (INR 52.39 lakh) for the GLE 300 d 4MATIC and from £ 62,300 (INR 58.61 lakh) for the GLE 450 4MATIC version.