2020 V167 GLE
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,770
Likes: 1,264
From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
"2019 Mercedes GLE-Class SUV Stalked For 9 Minutes At The Ring"
https://motor1.com/news/252757/merce...-stalked-ring/
https://motor1.com/news/252757/merce...-stalked-ring/
So they’re still calling it a ‘19, even though we know the US ‘19 is a W166? Hmmmm.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,770
Likes: 1,264
From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
W167 availability
"2019 Mercedes GLE-Class SUV Stalked For 9 Minutes At The Ring"
https://motor1.com/news/252757/merce...-stalked-ring/
https://motor1.com/news/252757/merce...-stalked-ring/
I was told W167 Availability Feb/Mar with ability to order in Nov '19. Take that as a grain of salt because of all the "mish mosh" info we've all been getting. Damn Benz really screwed this up good.
Also was told dealerships may extend leases by a month by month basis to help out those who's leases are ending and are getting hosed on the 2019 W166 short runs.....but nothing yet in writing.
Also was told dealerships may extend leases by a month by month basis to help out those who's leases are ending and are getting hosed on the 2019 W166 short runs.....but nothing yet in writing.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
I was told W167 Availability Feb/Mar with ability to order in Nov '19. Take that as a grain of salt because of all the "mish mosh" info we've all been getting. Damn Benz really screwed this up good.
Also was told dealerships may extend leases by a month by month basis to help out those who's leases are ending and are getting hosed on the 2019 W166 short runs.....but nothing yet in writing.
Also was told dealerships may extend leases by a month by month basis to help out those who's leases are ending and are getting hosed on the 2019 W166 short runs.....but nothing yet in writing.
M
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
It would really surprise me if Mercedes had a 6 month model run, but I’d like to be surprised. Something got screwed up on this release - I wonder if we’ll ever know what. It’s obvious this was not planned and the drivetrain update to the base W166 is a stopgap measure.
M
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,391
Likes: 1,040
From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
I think what Greg is saying is why change the engine vs just a paint color or two? There are several possible reasons. It would give the short year buyers something better, maybe keep from discounting the lame duck, maybe allow an engine line shut down to start building the new engine, etc.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
They make changes to cars every single year, even in the last year. It's nothing unusual really. The I6 engine is already in production has been for nearly a year now. The turbo V6 in ALL versions of the GLE is the same engine that has been productions for years.
M
M
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,391
Likes: 1,040
From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
True, but there will be a changeover period where a large number of V6’s will drop off and a large number of the I 6 will be needed. The GLE is one of the largest volumn sellers. Ramping up production of the I 6 will require changes to the assembly line .
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
What does that have to do with anything? The I6 has been in production for about a year now. This has nothing to do with the GLE plant in Alabama.
M
M
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
Yep they're getting ready for model changeover and pilot production. Can't have anyone taking picture of a totally naked next generation GLE.
M
M
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,391
Likes: 1,040
From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
Are you saying the GLE engine is made in Alabama? I’ll have to look at a vehicle sticker again but last I knew they were made in Affalterbach. They likely have various engine plants but didn’t know any were in the US.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,447
Likes: 333
From: Tampa, FL
2019 E450 4Matic & 2018 E400 4Matic
Just a quick flyby. The F Pace is out. I tried to get even a modest discount off MSRP from the three local dealers, who all scoffed at me and wouldn't even return phone calls or answer emails.
So, this Saturday I'm going to my MB dealer and will be test driving the current GLE and the E Class. I'm leaning to the E450 4Matic as my next car. The E400 has been discontinued for 2019 and the tech in the new E Class is just miles ahead of the GLE. Of all the MB cars I've owned over the years, my 3 E Class have been my all time favorites.
So, this Saturday I'm going to my MB dealer and will be test driving the current GLE and the E Class. I'm leaning to the E450 4Matic as my next car. The E400 has been discontinued for 2019 and the tech in the new E Class is just miles ahead of the GLE. Of all the MB cars I've owned over the years, my 3 E Class have been my all time favorites.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
M
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,391
Likes: 1,040
From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
No, I'm saying it isn't made in Bama and that the engine change over is no factor in what goes on at the GLE plant in the U.S. When they stop building the current model they will build the new one with engines that are already being produced for the S500, and "53" models. There is no "issue" with engines.
M
M
But specifically about the engines being no issue you may be overlooking the huge numbers and complexity. The fact that they are building a few thousand I6’s is insignificant to ramping production to 200,000-300,000 more. The engine lines that were building the 18 GLE engines now have to be retooled for the I6. And at the same time the non Mercedes suppliers of engine components have changeovers. AMG engines are built in a different plant so I’m guessing it was possible for them to provide a limited number of the AMG sourced engine for 2019 while the other factory lines shut down and retooled. If that was their strategy it also provided some enhancement to the short run 19 model. Only Mercedes knows the real strategy!
You can argue that none of this is an issue but that’s simply unrealistic in today’s complex manufacturing of an engine and components like Turbos and the Electronics-if you want a high quality product. Elon Musk is getting schooled on volumn production issues and he’s a lot smarter than most of us. As you said though it’s easier to add capacity for an existing engine than starting from scratch,
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
There are always issues retooling a factory for a new Gen. They have to build extra inventory so that the retooling shutdown doesn’t result in significant loss of sales. A product that sells in the hundreds of thousands requires complex automation. The fact that the engine is built at a different factory just transfers the issue to another location.
But specifically about the engines being no issue you may be overlooking the huge numbers and complexity. The fact that they are building a few thousand I6’s is insignificant to ramping production to 200,000-300,000 more. The engine lines that were building the 18 GLE engines now have to be retooled for the I6. And at the same time the non Mercedes suppliers of engine components have changeovers. AMG engines are built in a different plant so I’m guessing it was possible for them to provide a limited number of the AMG sourced engine for 2019 while the other factory lines shut down and retooled. If that was their strategy it also provided some enhancement to the short run 19 model. Only Mercedes knows the real strategy!
You can argue that none of this is an issue but that’s simply unrealistic in today’s complex manufacturing of an engine and components like Turbos and the Electronics-if you want a high quality product. Elon Musk is getting schooled on volumn production issues and he’s a lot smarter than most of us. As you said though it’s easier to add capacity for an existing engine than starting from scratch,
M
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,770
Likes: 1,264
From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
W167 GLE delay
That's just it, what issue are you talking about? I guess I just don't understand what you think the problem is here? You're talking like Mercedes hasn't done this a million times before. You don't seem to grasp that the I6 is NOT built in Alabama. Do you just not understand that the I6 is already in the CLS and the S-Class in Europe. The engine plants are already cranking them out for various cars. As V6 production slows and stops the I6 will crank up. There is no retooling for engines in Bama that I'm aware of, only the changeover for the new model which is something that Mercedes does all the time in one of their 8 plants all over the world. You simply don't know why the current GLE was extended another year and neither do I, but this about about engine production and what not is just guesswork. You are reaching and trying to create a problem where there is none. You act like this is the first time Mercedes has had to do a model change over. What exactly is the real problem here? This is is all 100% normal Mercedes (and other makers) practice.
M
M
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
Yes, it is all guesswork. We all know an 8-year model cycle was not planned, but happened due to some unforeseen circumstances. So it's not reaching to say there is a problem. You may be right that the I6 had nothing to do with it. Or we may find the W167 was well-along in development when the new mild-hybrid powertain reached a point when it needed to be integrated. We may never know.
M
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,770
Likes: 1,264
From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
W167 GLE delay
Do you all just not get that the I6 is already on the road in various models in Europe? The CLS is all new also and it runs the same engine right now, there was no problem there. It came out before the GLE and it runs the new engine just fine so that blows that theory out the water. It isn't an engine problem. There is nothing to support that. Yes this is nothing but reaching when the engine in question is already on the road. How do you really know that the current GLE wasn't supposed to go 8 years? There is 0 officially out there about that. It is unusual yes, but not unprecedented.
M
M
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
I'm not sure why you are harping on this. I didn't say it was a problem with the engine, I said, depending on when it was decided to put it in the W167 it could have caused a delay if the model development was progressing with the V6 family. I don't know. We don't know. But something caused a delay. The public will probably never know.
Again, what officially points to a delay? Mercedes have gone 8 model years before. How does anyone here know that the current GLE wasn't supposed to go 8 model years? The W140 S-Class did. No one here even knows if there was a delay or if there was a problem to begin with.
M
Last edited by Germancar1; Jul 18, 2018 at 10:26 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 377
Likes: 40
From: Chicago, IL
2023 EQS 580 SUV
I guess I'm just shocked at how little is known about car development here and how so much misinformation gets taken as fact. If the new CLS is out before the next genration GLE and it runs the new I6 why would it make any sense for Mercedes to develop the GLE the V6? You're literally saying that they were developing the new GLE with the V6 and decided to all of a sudden use the I6. Nothing here makes logical sense. That is ridiculous man lol. There is no problem integrating anything, the new I6 was clearly finished BEFORE the GLE.
Again, what officially points to a delay? Mercedes have gone 8 model years before. How does anyone here know that the current GLE wasn't supposed to go 8 model years? The W140 S-Class did. No one here even knows if there was a delay or if there was a problem to begin with.
M
Again, what officially points to a delay? Mercedes have gone 8 model years before. How does anyone here know that the current GLE wasn't supposed to go 8 model years? The W140 S-Class did. No one here even knows if there was a delay or if there was a problem to begin with.
M
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,846
Likes: 291
From: Dallas TX
2013 650i Coupe, 2010 IS250 AWD, 1999 S500
Yeah right, there is no "source". They're just really clueless. It's all just unfounded guesswork. Reading here you'd think that the GLE is first time Mercedes has ever replaced a model or an engine. There are oh so many problems, that Daimler can't figure the GLE out, but they've replaced countless models and engines before quite seamlessly.
M
M
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,391
Likes: 1,040
From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
Just a quick flyby. The F Pace is out. I tried to get even a modest discount off MSRP from the three local dealers, who all scoffed at me and wouldn't even return phone calls or answer emails.
So, this Saturday I'm going to my MB dealer and will be test driving the current GLE and the E Class. I'm leaning to the E450 4Matic as my next car. The E400 has been discontinued for 2019 and the tech in the new E Class is just miles ahead of the GLE. Of all the MB cars I've owned over the years, my 3 E Class have been my all time favorites.
So, this Saturday I'm going to my MB dealer and will be test driving the current GLE and the E Class. I'm leaning to the E450 4Matic as my next car. The E400 has been discontinued for 2019 and the tech in the new E Class is just miles ahead of the GLE. Of all the MB cars I've owned over the years, my 3 E Class have been my all time favorites.
All signs are for an early spring 2020 GLE and the next Gen Engine and Tech May be worth waiting a few months to find out!
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,770
Likes: 1,264
From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
I thought I'd start a new thread as this gets closer. With prototypes testing on public roads since late last year, I would guess the new model should be on track for Summer '18 release with deliveries starting this Fall. The US Dealer Ordering Guide for the W166 was released on June 11, 2011. I'm hoping this one follows the same schedule as I'm dying to replace my '12, but there may be a possibility it's not out until early '19. I'm looking forward to the new turbo straight-six with mild hybrid and 48v electrical system, which will appear in the CLS first. And the -53 AMG series should be kickass!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,447
Likes: 333
From: Tampa, FL
2019 E450 4Matic & 2018 E400 4Matic
My personal opinion is that not getting the F Pace is a good move. I doubt they are 5.1 seconds and once you get past the looks they aren’t in the same class as the German cars.
All signs are for an early spring 2020 GLE and the next Gen Engine and Tech May be worth waiting a few months to find out!
Last edited by rbrylaw; Jul 19, 2018 at 12:21 PM.
