Curtis Moldrich is CAR magazine’s Digital Editor and has worked for the brand for the past five years.
You’re looking at the new, updated Mercedes GLE. Stuttgart says its tweaked almost everything about one of its most popular SUVs, with a raft of upgrades around design, comfort and technology. With that in mind, Mercedes says its engineers have been able to drastically improve the refinement and comfort of the old car – while also adding in new technology such as cloud-bases damper control.
The engineers a Stuttgart have revised and tweaked some 3000 components, but the most obvious changes come at the front of the car. Now the GLE displays the same ‘starry-eyed’ headlights as contemporary Benz’s like the GLC EV and even the CLA. Here, they’re arranged in a 2+2 horizontal configuration but on the GLS they’re stacked one on top of the other. Updated tech means the new lights use 50% of the energy as the previous generation but throw out 40% more light. The rear lights also feature two stars, and that moves up to three on the GLS. As you’d expect, the grille hasn’t escaped updating either, and is now larger, with an illuminated central star and contour lighting. Put it all together and the GLE looks more like the rest of the updated Mercedes line up.The GLE gets a serious update inside, too, with a new MBUX Superscreen. Outside of Stuttgart, that means three 12.3-inch displays, all running the latest version of Mercedes MB.OS operating system. Mercedes’ MBUX Virtual Assistant will also ship with every new GLE, though like the OS, it’ll improve through OTA updates. Luckily, it’s not all about software and screens though; Mercedes has reintroduced physical switchgear to the GLE’s steering wheel, replacing the unreliable haptic system it’s been persisting withing for the last few years.The range starts with a V8-powered GLW 580 4Matic, which has seen a power increase to 530bhp, torque is up to 553ft lbs too, and everything is spread over a slightly larger rev range. Like the updated S-Class revealed earlier in 2026, the GLE also gets a distinctive-sounding flatplane crank. The 450 4MATIC gets a straight six petrol engine, while a 450e plug-in hybrids sits at the bottom of the range – but again uses a in-line six. However, it also gets an all-electric range of 66 miles.Mercedes’ new E-Active body control tech uses a combination of processors and sensors to make the ride as comfortable as possible. By using data from soe 20 sensors and crunching it within five processors, the GLE can adapt to the road 1000 times per second – whilst also opting a sporter or more luxurious ride. In terms of safety, the GLE will uses ten exterior cameras, five radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors, all of which will stitch a comprehensive view of the road for the car’s safety systems. Mercedes adaptive cruise is available in the UK, but MB.Drive Assist and Assist Pro are all in China at launch and the USA later. Their appearance in the EU remains the subject of expensive litigation.Curtis Moldrich is CAR magazine’s Digital Editor and has worked for the brand for the past five years. He’s responsible for online strategy, including CAR’s website, social media channels such as X and Facebook, and helps on wider platform strategy as CAR magazine branches out on to Apple News+ and more.
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