Mercedes GLE review: Why the GLE450 is the Benz to pick in the luxury SUV segment!

Welcome to one of the most advanced SUVs on the market today! The all-new Mercedes-Benz GLE is loaded with the latest technology, but also comes with some insane suspension technology that allows it to bounce on the spot - gangster style! Paul Maric gets behind the wheel of the turbocharged six-cylinder GLE450 to see if it's any good!
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 00:52
Interior: 03:27
Infotainment: 04:56
Features: 08:32
Practicality: 09:45
On the Road: 15:47
48V Technology Explained: 18:51
On the Road Again: 21:53
Verdict: 23:08
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#mercedes #review #gle #mercedesbenz #gle450 #suv @MercedesBenz @mercedesbenzau

[@carter321ish1]

I work at a merecedes dealer and this guy does a better job than our trainers! Cheers!

[@alexN350z]

Agree, most car sales man done really bad job explaining the car features

[@Username-ze1ux]

That’s just plain sad

[@theteamaker283]

Kk}:‑)k oh go oh,

[@sibusisombhele3880]

Im in south africa, bought the 400d and i absolutely love it been a month, still on lockdown haven't used it properly. Well done on the review.

[@dumisanibhengu599]

Thanks for the mild hybrid 101 lecture... really appreciated it.

[@bestlifejr.5076]

One of the best reviews I’ve seen. Thank you for including an in-depth review of interior.

[@Malasruroon]

Quality video mate, also love the physics explanation! 😂

[@edgarchieng2130]

Thanks Paul for showing more details of the third row space and especially showing the second row space when those seats are back up. Great review and also like the special technology section! The back side of the leather seats though, looks nasty.

[@robertknapp6487]

Great review. Awaiting delivery of mine ~ March and this was very helpful. Cheers from Canada!

[@coolinken]

Great review!

[@DanPavelDoghi]

thanks for the great review! congratulations

[@kushil]

you just called a GLE - "entry-level SUV".. all the GLA , GLB and GLC owners just died.

[@campbellreither550]

Exactly. Overpriced and under delivered.

[@professorgimsara2180]

Only glb and glc cuz gla is the entry level

[@jacejai]

I thought it meant in this class of family sized SUVs.

[@kushil]

@J Knox GLB has 7 seats mate, what your talking about.

[@christhomas4260]

Drove a GLA a couple of days ago. Cruel Joke. Total Garbage

[@officesuperhero9611]

Great review. I bought thIs car. GLE 450 SUV. I got it in April. I’m in New York City. I love it. In America, the e active body control (curve mode) is an option that costs $6500 USD. I didn’t get that but I did get the airmatic system to lift the car up and down for off-road capability. I love it. Seats are so comfortable. But I do agree with that the ride in comfort mode is a bit floaty. My wife loves that floaty feel. I am not so fond of it. However, the car can be so appealing to most people bc once you change to sport mode or other modes , you can find your favorite setting / feel.

[@insixiengmb2]

Awesome review, can't wait to buy a pair for my parents

[@shirleyebuka]

Thank you for this

[@sonofcain14]

Great review man

[@dingizwayo5370]

Very nice car and the best presentation of all times.

[@grantod1]

Great reviews Paul, I’m from the UK and regularly watch your reviews as you are positive, energetic whilst also extremely informative! Well done sir! Keep up the great work

[@dilipmavireddi]

great review Paul 👏

[@dusty_rhodes]

I love it. It’s well out of my price range but it’s a delicious package of mild luxury.

[@santillbrezon2161]

You are a very classy professional car reviewer and I enjoyed this video, thanks.

[@Kaal_Bhairava1]

Spot on

[@AGENTARA1]

@10:03 "if you are American and you have giant 70 liter bottles of juice" LMAOOOOO

[@Mikey-cc2ny]

He is right tho 😂😂

[@zed5166]

Amazing review Paul, that technology with suspension iz amazing 👍👍

[@tonypavko1968]

The suspension was designed by a hercegovac

[@bennybpbj]

Hey Paul. Loving the new channel. The “hardness test” is different so I give you credit for that but a little useless. As you begin to test multiple cars can you compare them? Eg the merc is softer than a Beemer but harder than an Audi.

[@aaronmahanga7635]

That looks cool Paul, first time I've seen a factory car do that how it was rising then going up n down as if it was dancing to the tunes on the radio.

[@Grvmps]

Haha, I love the bouncing! Never thought I would see a Merc "getting jiggy wit it!" Impressive vehicle and love the interior. Never been a huge fan of Mercs (apart from AMG V8's) but I really like this one. Great review as usual!

[@offtherunway1949]

I wish tech reviewers reviewed products like you do.Gosssshhh

[@priyankpattani]

Good one as always, would love to see a comparison of all cars in the segment. BMW, Audi, Volvo and Jaugar pitted against each other.

[@wasdwasdwwasd]

Excellent video, do you know how much the E-ABC system weighs?

[@simoncouch1523]

Wicked review

[@nikolasschefold8035]

Looks soo nice! A lot better with the 21" mags!!

[@CarExpertAus]

Agreed!

[@EngineerZX]

Nice review -- only wish you did a detailed review on auto-pilot and lane-keeping with comparison to other cars....

[@jacejai]

I actually bought the GLE300d at launch. Was tossing up with the 450 but decided to just go 300d and option it up. Fuel economy isn’t bad (circa 6-7L/100km) but my only regret is not optioning air suspension. I think the standard steel springs make it float a bit too much (I get sea sick easily) but doesn’t have the comfort I would’ve expected of this class. Otherwise I’m very happy with it. Would’ve been nice if we had high spec version of MBUX which has only just come out for the GLE53 as an option but it’s still very nice to use. The HUD was too big for me initially but I’m so used to it now that when I drive other cars with smaller HUDs I end up feeling like they are too small eg w205 HUD.

[@nwachinamerechinedu3377]

I like the details but can you talk about the Gle 580 . Please can you also do the comprising between Gls 450 vs Gle 450 . Thanks. Keep the good work 💪

[@fadeyititusolakunle1598]

@CarExpert: Did you just indicate that this SUV doesn't have a spare tyre? Secondly, is where is the battery as I didn't see one when you pop up the hood, Thirdly, @8:28 Is that displayed on the dashboard or the windshield? Thanks for the excellent review

[@danbskyguy]

Can you do a review or gives us your thoughts on the 400d?

[@MathewBT81]

Wow didn't realise how much is packed into that Merc!

[@rasheshshah5387]

Hi Paul, you didn’t explain about Active Assist feature...it’s really cool

[@jameswestgarth4020]

Paul where did you get your cool jumper from?

[@tmwall25]

man those wheels are my fav gle wheels

[@vijju3939]

You can change the HUD position as you like paul .

[@andrewd7586]

Hey Paul, you keep the car & I’ll just have the $23,000 “options”!!!😱😆... oh & those twin “rear phone holders”, are they wireless chargers?🤣...Last time I was talking to the cloud I ended up wearing a white one size fits all jacket!🤪

[@conlomerate4841]

Can you mention the comparison of GLE and X5 in your verdict when you are doing the X5 video please?

[@haroldlee6923]

Anyone on thoughts of a gle 53 VS gle 580 for the US? Been waiting over 7 months now on a order and no confirmation date of a built date yet and real interest on perhaps a 21’ 580 .. thanks in advance for helpful thoughts

[@bingleidai4017]

Hi Paul, could you please do reviews on BMW x5 and x7?

[@michaelh4484]

I like that the only difference in spec between 300d, 400d and 450 is the engine (standard spec) and then you add what ever package you wane (or what it has been delivered with lol). I think metallic or more colours than white could be standard. The base wheels don't look impressive enough.

[@lesterarellano6563]

i like the looks of the GLE compared to the X5 and Q7 because of its more SUV more masculine design! but the performance the X5 offers specially in M50i is just on another level compared to audi and benz!

[@CarExpertAus]

Very true!

[@aerotus888]

Most people who have families don't need a super powerful SUV unless they enjoy their wife nagging constantly and kids throwing up in the back. The most important quality of an SUV is that it is a comfortable cruiser with great ride quality. The GLE fits the bill perfectly!

[@lesterarellano6563]

@@aerotus888 having a powerful vehicle doesn't mean you should always drive fast even when family is onboard! having a powerful SUV is like having 2 cars at a time! 1 for weekend fun so you dont need a sports car and 1 for family use!

[@Trackhawk_Gle53]

@@lesterarellano6563Yes but you loose confort by adding more power. The GLE 450 is the perfect trade-off between confort and power. The best combo would be a GLE 450 for everyday use and a sport car for the weekend

[@SDav21]

Why don't you show how the sun visor extends? When it's on the side you can pull it out to block that gap.

[@vinodbasu6628]

Could you do one on BMW x5 30d?

[@salvn]

Hmmm the Curve mode and bouncy thing wasn't available! Neither the lower car button in the boot

[@StephenFogarty2023]

Hi Paul, I’m pretty sure that the ML / GLE has only always been built in USA since being first released in 1997. Mbenz never built ML / GLE elsewhere. The electric second row seats r painfully slow ! That vehicle is $ 140 k with options, plus on road costs, and still no memory settings for the drivers seat ! For a heavy car like this, I’d buy it with the 6 cylinder diesel motor. Fuel bill would b much less then that petrol 6 cylinder motor.

[@graemehunter5403]

How long will it last and what will bills be like

[@samdimopoulos5981]

Awesome video as usual Paul. I disagree with you on the choice of engine though. We went from a VW Jetta TDI to a Volvo XC40 B4 AWD and the fuel efficiency is horrific. After this car I would never go petrol again and 100% would go another diesel! Not just for the efficiency but also for the way they drive, especially on freeways and country roads.

[@khimani]

My dream car.

[@lloydfifteen]

Wow 🤩! Mercedes Benz, the best or nothing!

[@alphamadzanire2953]

these fake exhausts are really stupid. great review

[@alphamadzanire2953]

i like this guy lol,

[@metallicablackend484]

Mr Car Expert. GLE 63 or Defender V8 best comfort? Love from Sweden

[@juliav8939]

Built in USA and shows the build issues clearly 😀😀 😀

[@terenceting26]

Paul: "Just in case the sun moves around" Me, an astrophysicist: **triggered**

[@larjkok1184]

The sun does move.

[@d.k.1394]

That's a lot of car!

[@tommyolsen8224]

Love the new GLE ❤️

[@issac746]

Car expert mobile of truth 😂

[@sunfarm1963]

I don’t know why they praise this SUV. Without E-active control, this SUV goes very bumpy in comparison with an Audi or BMW. And 90% of the dealerships do not have this option and you cannot test it in practice while driving. I was in 6 dealerships and nowhere they have this option and they all say that it is carried out on a special order. This SUV is good, but it does not go smoothly as it should be for a car of this class and price.

[@arnavbakkireddy6972]

Paul,please review BMW X7

[@santillbrezon2161]

I still think it's thirsty, I am thinking of buying the next lexus nx plug in hybrid, it looks like it's going to be a beauty.

[@adamstokes]

4:54 Damn, that is a big deal. Something a passenger would stare at

[@fightingcarrot]

What about the Cayenne?

[@HiHi-kj5qh]

You can’t even options the e active body control now

[@ZakDeadlight]

I've owned this car for 6 months now. Everything is top quality as you'd expect and I love it ... except for the sound system which is really poor. The Burmester in the 450 is purported to be one of the key features but honestly it's a mess. Mercedes have got everything else right with this car, but the sound system poor quality came as a complete surprise. Playing with settings doesn't help - the issue is with the speakers themselves. If you are thinking the Burmester is a perk, or anything like MB competitor systems, don't, go and demo the sound yourself. I can only guess that by adding so many speakers that the result just falls apart. Good old 2 speakers with a bit of sub would work fine.

[@kfmathew]

Could you be more specific about what you find lacking in the sound system, please? Also, what kind(s) of music you listen to in the car? Just want to figure out if it would work ok with what I like. Thanks!

[@ZakDeadlight]

@@kfmathew The quality of the sound is just poor. Listening to the radio talk is fine, the sound is clear and has presence. The high frequency and sub frequencies are evident. The mid and low frequencies are missing, listening to any music/songs lacks any punch. Turning the volume 'up' makes no difference to increase loudness. In fact the volume is a mess - turning up from 0 to 1 notch is all you need, then incremental steps hardly make much difference - there's absolutely no sense of a volume range from quiet to loud. I listen to just about everything - I stream Tidal playlists, KZbin, mp3, across all sorts of music - Electronic Dance, 80s/90's pop, modern/latest stuff. The audio is just a total junk all round. Changing the High/Mid/Low controls doesn't help. The only other setting is that choosing 'Pure' to 'Surround' modes. Surround gives a 'stadium' like effect. Pure is 'direct' sound so no modification as such - but Pure is awful, it acts the same as Direct or Bypass modes would do on your home amplifier. So 'Stadium' it is! Begrudgingly 'Surround' is the only other choice. This is easily be sorted by Software. I spoke to MB who said nobody else had complained and they couldn't hear the problem, and basically said both they and their other customers thought the sound was fine. Seriously, I would give my GLE 450 about 1/10 for sound quality & experience, and my other BMW which has a Harman Kardon 10/10. Don't let this put you off buying the car though as the car is totally amazing. Apart from the audio my only other gripes with the car are: no heated Steering Wheel; the fact the the key fob doesn't link to your seat profile so upon entering the car I have to wait 60secs for the IT system to boot up before I get to switch to my seat profile and after my wife has been in means I'm sat squashed up to steering wheel for 60 secs every day when I get in; poor fuel consumption. That aside, I love the car, I don't regret buying, it was just more of a surprise with sales expectations vs reality that caught me as everything else was accurately described.

[@kfmathew]

@@ZakDeadlight Thanks for the detailed reply. Much appreciated. Take care, stay safe, and as Neil Young sang, Long May You Run! 🙏🏾

[@jimrogers2756]

@@ZakDeadlight you can upgrade to the better system

[@campbellreither550]

The older models of this car in the 2000s were a nicer design and build.

[@vijju3939]

Because of your review in car advice i bought a200 . Please suggest us regarding this and is it worth buying when compared to q7 or x 5

[@MrVroom1]

The title alone shows that. It literally said this is the pick in the luxury segment meaning it's worth picking over the X5 and Q7 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

[@jimrogers2756]

Would have been better if you pointed out if each option was optional if so.

[@Trip-Play]

I'd rather have a manual seat adjustment than wait a full minute for the seat to automatically adjust itself

[@yimingzhang5876]

Good morning Paul, love your mobile phone of truth 🤣

[@pratapp]

Yiming Zhang a carwow fan I see! Wish they’d use kW though

[@tretchroots9803]

@@pratapp Just tell them in the comments section or on their Social accounts, they'll start including kW conversion.

[@pratapp]

@@tretchroots9803 Oh I have. It's just strange seeing car channels using outdated units from the 1800s that went out with horse and cart! :D

[@d15z1sux]

Bog laps while bouncing around with the windows down haha

[@Rockbottomsurf]

I can’t stand third row seating, it should be an option in cars not standard.

[@edisonng4961]

Is this a diesel or petrol 6 Cyl ? No mention of it, or I missed it

[@wasdwasdwwasd]

Petrol. Diesel Mercs will always have a d suffix.

[@StephenFogarty2023]

This motor is petrol, which Paul did clearly say

[@farhanaliborker]

I have owned a new GLE 400d for last 4 months and it has visited the service station 7 times. The poor squeaky plastic on the AC vents, the windows switch board and the doors make noise. MB is struggling to fix it.

[@yiyer1988]

The problem with these cars are reliability. They look adorable but burn a hole in your pocket with their maintenance

[@henrytoussaint7]

Not my pick in the segment, that Artico looks horrid. The X5 has a lot more presence and a better finished interior. I'd also prefer the VW Touareg over this.

[@AJay-je6ej]

You know what your talking about

[@santillbrezon2161]

You don't have stitching in a lexus like this the lexus stitching is better and better built quality, but I have to admit some of lexus non plug in hybrids are slower then they should be ,they should be a bit faster like the mercedes ,mercedes do have good performance.

[@jacejai]

anthony boland Lexus definitely has better “perfection” in build and assembly but this is miles ahead of comparable RX both in initial “wow factor” of the interior and UI design.

[@liewnyukchen]

Can we have a GLC review too?! 🙂

[@tyrellchibvongodze3566]

Hahahaha the dinner plate and sealed fake exhaust! Otherwise nice car and great review.

[@yourtube9224]

20:55 Are you sure you were alone in the car?

[@loving_dad_explorer]

Does it have tyre skipping issues like some other models such as GLC have? No point spending 120k on a car you can’t drive and Mercedes refuses to do anything about it

[@sinisajakus1744]

Blagi hibrid radi i skroz drugačije,ovoje samo u Mercedes u.mislim dače malo ko skužit

[@fiercedevil6955]

The Artico man-made leather looks like dry skin with those weird large scales.

[@Tomoyo0827]

Yes, base leather seats are horrible. Audi and BMW standard materials are way better

[@AJay-je6ej]

Looks like a Toyota with Mercedes badges , if I had the choice between x5 and this definitely x5 .

[@smule27]

The softtouch area i care is my left knee how soft is the centre not the dashboard, and Paul dont use your phone to test the fake exhaust 😂😂

[@zimcoder]

3:58 - 4:03 "An entry-level family SUV".. wait, what?

[@Justsomedude64]

That is a comical third row, lol...you were damned near in the fetal position. Knees pointed to the sky, lol.

[@jandersen6802]

What is the big deal? It is good enough for shorter trips. I would much rather sit like that for 30 minutes than take public transport for instance.

[@karankaler8777]

Better than Bmw X5 and Audi Q7 and Porsche Macan..

[@jjj14]

Lolz, the rear 2 seats were never meant to be there. Did Benz not pay their designers?

[@Hope2421]

There’s a lot to go wrong on that suv, what’s the warranty ?

[@mga71]

I think Mercedes has now gone to 5 years from 3 years.

[@eshanmirash2456]

Mark Atkinson yup. Five years unlimited k’s as well

[@Hope2421]

Be interesting to see exactly what the warranty covers these top end cars can have many gremlins

[@CS-qk2dj]

0:05 too Audi 😂😂

[@trancenut81]

Imagine when that suspension goes wrong and it sure will go wrong because its a Benz. Damn!

[@brightenupcc]

Not sure if a 2500kg SUV is worth advocating.

[@spewgilist]

lame discussion of the ISG

[@potatoaydin4112]

better than any Volkswagen

[@vkdlvkdl]

Fake leather at that price point is unforgivable.

[@dbhbb659]

Entry level.....haha try a gla or even a glc

[@taviation1]

the interior is so cheap compared to the x5!, especially due to the fact the trims creek and all the plastic

[@SDav21]

Also, the lower part of the door panels are hard plastic. I know people don't touch there but still. The X5 and Q7 have soft touch there. I was very disappointed with interior build and material quality. Everything fits together perfectly but doesn't feel as solid as the old. They went for looks which amaze but the underlying quality isn't there. I'm very sad. And they've been guilty of doing this recently and on top of it it is more expensive than the X5 and Q7. They need to remove all production out of America.

[@taviation1]

@@SDav21 don't get me wrong, the interior designers at Mercedes are great, but all their interiors are filled with cheap, hard plastics, unlike BMW where most surfaces are leather and metal. Even in Mercedes Benz flagship, the s600 Maybach you'll find cheap plastics in the grab handles, and in the door pockets, you won't even find plastic there on a BMW 3 series. Every comparison review between a Mercedes and a BMW or Audi they mention how cheap the Mercedes materials are, so IDK why Mercedes hasn't addressed it and continue to make cheap, horrible interiors.

[@SDav21]

@@taviation1 I agree. I think the design is what wows people and it LOOKS expensive but it's sad that the material and build quality isn't the same. For example, my dad has a 2005 W203 Mercedes C220 cdi with just under 300,000kms. The interior feels rock solid like granite when knocking on door panels and the dashboard and there's not a single rattle. Not one. Everything feels sturdy and there's no hard plastic anywhere and it still looks like it did when it was new. I had a 2012 W204 C180 with only 28,000 kms on. It had many rattles but still felt a bit solid but they used much more plastic which is where the rattles were coming from. I had that car 2 years back (it was a certified pre owned with extremely low kilometers). I then decided to look at the new C Class (the W205) and also certified pre owned. I couldn't believe it. Several I looked at had that metal effect look trim peeling off on the button that opens the centre arm rest storage in front! It exposed the yellowish white plastic underneath. Many also had that gloss black centre console which looks horrible because they all have fine scratches making it look dull. Plus they all creaked when you press on it. How those cars got past Mercedes level of testing and approval is beyond me. It's unacceptable because Audi and BMW are not doing this nonsense. So I then I decided to look at a brand new Mercedes. I then looked at the A Class. Now I know the A Class is their most basic model but it IS still a Mercedes. The amount of plastics was so off putting. A Peugeot 308 and Mazda 3 (both of which I sat in) has better materials. The Peugeot and Mazda rear doors had soft touch upper portions whereas the A Class was full on hard plastic. And those cars even felt more solidly out together. My heart broke. The one thing they can't be beaten on though is the technology. BUT that should not come at the cost of everything else. Also, the A200 engine is too buzzy and unrefined when revving. I ended up settling on a 2014 E350 Bluetec (W212) facelift. Now it feels solid and there's very minimal use of plastic (just a small portion by the door pocket and a small piece around the one row of buttons in the centre console). The problem is that there are still some rattles which would not exist in the W211 E Class but those are too old now and don't even have Bluetooth audio. I stuck with Mercedes because I'm too damn loyal to them. I would feel terrible changing. Their cars do still drive amazingly and the larger engines are great. Also their technology is nice. But everything they're doing now steered me away from the new models because I've managed to experience their older models. I think they've lost many older customers because they know what a Mercedes should be like but at the same time they've gained many new customers because their cars are emotional and well designed inside and out. It's an aspirational brand. I just wish they didn't have to give up the quality of older Mercs for that. Long comment but I'm done. Sorry. I'm just sad for my brand.

[@davidlegkodukh6969]

@@SDav21 You guys need the see the interior of my X5M hand stitched red and black leather everywhere. It's absolutely beautiful

[@SDav21]

@@davidlegkodukh6969 So apparently it can be optioned in the GLE like that but at that price, as standard, there should be NO hard plastics. It should at least have that soft injection moulded plastic. I know, I sat in an X5. Very nice build quality and materials but unfortunately for me, it's a BMW. Lol. I'm too damn loyal to the star. Silly I know but I couldn't see myself driving a BMW. They do however make technically very good cars. And the smell. People never talk about it but I think bmw has the nicest smelling interiors in the business. Each one, merc, BMW and Audi have patented interior smells apparently so that you're able to identify them by smell alone. The bmw smell is soooo addictive. It smells the best. It smells expensive and luxurious. But that's very subjective. I used to sit in my friends 220d coupe just for the smell. Haha.