stealth.pilot

This is our first SUV. We are expecting a baby in July, so the E63S and 911 Turbo S are out, replaced by the new GLE450 and the Panamera Turbo S. Both of our previous cars are white, and these two are both black (which is going to be a challenge given I am a bit OCD). Interestingly while I was searching for these cars I noticed something like 40% of GLE450s and 90% of Panamera Turbo Ss are ordered by the dealerships in Black.

Was hard to find a GLE450 with most of the bells and whistles off the lot, but this one was pretty close and it saved us a lot of time versus ordering a new one. The only things it is missing that I wanted are the 21" wheels and the powered side blinds (I'm dumbfounded why these aren't included in the acoustic comfort package or the premium package).

So here's the build:
Obsidian Black Metallic
Espresso Brown Leather Interior with MB-Tex Upper Dash and Door Trim
MBUX Technology Package
Drivers Assistance Package Plus
Parking Assistance Package
Exterior Lighting Package
Warmth and Comfort Package
Night Package
Acoustic Comfort Package
Airmatic suspension
AMG Line Exterior
Premium Package
Natural Grain Brown Walnut Trim
Power Passenger seat with memory
Massage Seats with heating and ventilation
Panorama Roof
4-zone climate
Burmester
Heated Rear Seats
Soft close doors
We have also PPF'd the entire front end including A Pillars and the metal part of the roof in front of the glass roof. Plus the lower doors and the loading sill.

Initial impressions after 2 weeks of ownership:
1) Love the technology. I don't understand why some reviewers don't like it. To me it works flawlessly and is the best tech setup I have seen in any car to date. My wife loves MBUX and loves saying "Hi Mercedes turn on the massage". We also love the AR navigation, and with the RTTI it now works as well as google maps so we have stopped using CarPlay. I could not imagining choosing the car navigation over Google or Waze, but with the AR and also the directions in the HUD it is a clear choice now.
2) The HUD is amazing. I've been using HUDs since my 2012 BMW 550i. This is our fifth car with HUD. BMW has always set the benchmark for HUD but no more. The Mercedes HUD blows that away. The HUD is huge and it shows so much information simultaneously. I love that you now have all the info in the HUD - navigation, speed, speed limit, warning signs, music track info, time, etc. The parking sensor display in the HUD is also a wow to me.
3) The air suspension lowering in Park so it is easier to exit the vehicle is also a big wow experience. I've never had this on any other car but it makes a huge difference to getting in and out of the car.
4) Handling is impressive. I took the car for a bit of a spirited drive yesterday and was quite impressed with how well it corners. I think the Air Suspension in Sport mode is quiet sporty and BMW like. It is not as flat as what you get in a Porsche, but it is a perfect balance of comfort and cornering sportiness for an SUV.
5) The biturbo inline 6 has enough power. I would normally buy a 580, but we took a chance on the 450 this time and I'm glad we did. It has enough power and even feels quite sporty around our city streets. I've had no trouble passing and weaving in and out of traffic. Plus we have been getting more mileage than our E63S which means we can refill every other weekend instead of every weekend. This is a huge convenience. I wish they had a more powerful battery and electric motor though for even more efficiency.
6) The car has a lot of surprise features you don't expect. The designers seem to have been incredibly thoughtful of the ownership experience and invested a ton of thought in details. Like the suspension lowering to exit the vehicle. The AR HUD showing house numbers against houses when you are in a residential neighborhood. The fact that MBUX knows which seat you are in when you ask for seat heating or massage, or temperature changes. The car has a concierge like capability where they seem to have though of everything.

I'm amazed this costs so much less than the E63S it replaced and yet has so much more functionality. Absolutely love the new 2020 GLE450.

IconBycon

Nice review, I agree with your findings.

as for the air suspension automatically lowering in Park, as far as I know you must enable it when you need it,
and it resets after you go over 30.
Is there a way that it will lower automatically every time without you intervention?

stealth.pilot

Thanks. I may not have been enough attention to this since it is my wife's car. So I will see if I can do it every time.

BTW Your car is my dream color combination on the GLE. I love the Emerald Green. It is the classiest color on this car, really pops in the sun, looks great when overcast too. And paired with the espresso brown interior it just oozes luxury.

BACnMercedes

Your number 3, is this part of the airmatic system or the E-ABC?

stealth.pilot

Airmatic. I don't have e-ABC, only the Airmatic. You can spec Airmatic on its own without e-ABC as the dealer did when ordering this inventory car.

Ron.s

It’s a pain to have to reset the lowering each time as well as the drive mode. They did fix Active Lane Keep so that it will stay on or off as set so they might do the same for some of the other functions in the future. Having MBUX across most platforms and the OTA capability should/could make for a living system some day. Right now Mercedes seems to be putting out fires rather than polishing MBUX.

bad habit

Agreed with everything said in the review.

klinms

Love your set up. Just placed order for my first MB (GLE450). I went back and forth on whether to go with Obsidian Black or Solid Black - ended up with Solid Black as I have with all my Tahoe's and Hummer H2. What are your thoughts on your Obsidian Black? The pictures look awesome and I really thought it was Solid Black but realized the pics were in the shade. Is there a significant color difference in the bright sun in your opinion?
Also wanted to ask you what PPF you went with as I'm in the beginning stages of researching them. Thanks for any advice and/or opinions!