Fourth-generation SUV gets fresh styling, new interior features and a new electrified AMG derivative in mid-life refresh
The Mercedes-Benz GLE is, rather alarmingly, rapidly approaching its 30th birthday. And having racked up more than two million sales worldwide since it went on sale in 1997, badged as the M-Class, and now reaching towards the latter part of its fourth model generation, it has recently received a fairly typical mid-cycle facelift - with an all-new AMG performance derivative added to the line-up: the GLE 53 Hybrid.The M-Class was one of the founding fathers of the modern luxury SUV niche, although the segment as it exists today is vastly different to the one that it emerged into originally. Today, the premium brand SUV ranks have grown to include multiple offerings from a wide variety of car makers in many different sizes and configurations. To truly stand out and pique the interest of potential customers it takes something truly out of the ordinary.In a bid to match the competition head on, the fourth-generation GLE, which appeared in 2019, was developed anew from the ground up, as part of an engineering program that also included the second-generation GLE Coupé and third-generation GLS. Mercedes threw quite a lot of technology at it in an attempt to elevate its appeal – not least a whole new PHEV hybrid powertrain system, which can be teamed with petrol or diesel combustion engines of either four or six cylinders.Of the 10 SUVs that Mercedes currently offers, then, the GLE (and its GLE Coupé sister car) sit around seventh and eighth in the size rankings, below only the GLS and G-Class.
