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Been lurking here for many months while going through the ordering delays, but my GLE450 is finally here! Worth the wait.
Surprisingly nimble and fun to drive. I thought I getting a relatively tame daily driver, but it moves very well and curve mode is a silly amount of fun. You can tell the straight six is definitely a little detuned (though it sounds sexy as hell) to clear the way for the eventual AMG models, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone comes out with an ECU tune that puts the current 450s immediately on par or above the eventual AMGs.
Hi there. Long time lurker first time poster. First off I wanted to thank everyone for posting their concerns, advantages and disadvantages of the 2020 GLE 450 on this site. You've definitely helped me in making my decision to purchase this SUV.
So anyways I took the plunge this afternoon to purchase the vehicle at my local Mercedes Benz dealership. When I showed the salesman my spec sheet he plugged a few details into the computer and came back a few minutes later with the General Manager. The GM explained to me that there's a good chance the GLE 450 will no longer be produced going forward and will be replaced with the GLE 53. Of course I was disappointed and when asked him why he believed this, he stated out of the 10 2020 GLE's he's sold in the past year only 5 of them were produced while the other 5 were lost in transition. He also stated that these 450's were slated to arrive this past March and here we are in mid November and they still haven't arrived. The GM apologized profusely and stated that although this hasn't been confirmed from corporate, he's seen it happen before. He also stated he'll try and find out from the corporate office what the chances are that they'll accept and build further 450's. From this point the salesman then proceeded to try and "down sell" me on a GLE 350 (which I test drove and honestly it felt a bit less refined then the 450).
At this point I don't know what to think. The GLE 350 is a less expensive vehicle and although I might be naive I don't believe the dealership is trying to deter me or rip me off. I also believe that Mercedes is having a difficult time keeping up with all these 450 orders and possibly production and quality has suffered as of recent. I've read quite a few complaints online about people having various electrical issues with there GLE 450's. I definitely don't want an SUV "coupe" like the GLE 53 that can't make up its mind whether it's a car or an SUV. I much prefer the design of the GLE 450.
What do you guys think? Do you believe the General Manager is talking smack? Do you think there's a bait-and-switch awry? Do you think I'm posting in the wrong forum? Thanks.
They are sadly misinforming you...hope it’s not intentional. The 53 is an AMG model to be followed by a 63 and the 350 & 450 round out the line. This is similar to prior Gens.
There was a lot of prior info posted about the 30,000 sitting in Alabama missing parts like bumpers. That delayed a lot of spring orders. From what I’ve seen the new orders are getting out within 90 days or less. If you have another dealer in your area I would check with them. Go for the 450 IMO.
You should post your general location for better feedback.
What do you guys think? Do you believe the General Manager is talking smack? Do you think there's a bait-and-switch awry? Do you think I'm posting in the wrong forum? Thanks.
Big red flags. They are totally trying to up sell you, no question. Any issues with the 450 will also be with the 53, but it sounds like production is getting smoothed out. I would go to a different dealer if possible; this one sounds shady.
So it's pretty certain they're doing the ol' bait-and-switch?? I figured they'd be honest since the salesman tried to talk me out of looking at the E-Active suspension (the most costly option) saying it was unnecessary unless you were off-roading with the vehicle. Then he proceeded to steer me towards a 350 which is a less expensive version. Then again the news about the 450 being discontinued came from the GM, not the salesperson.
Either way I really appreciate your responses Ron and Greg. There's another dealership in the area but it's about an hour away. I live in Santa Fe and the one I visited was only a few miles from home. The next one over that's an hour away is in Albuquerque.
So it's pretty certain they're doing the ol' bait-and-switch?? I figured they'd be honest since the salesman tried to talk me out of looking at the E-Active suspension (the most costly option) saying it was unnecessary unless you were off-roading with the vehicle. Then he proceeded to steer me towards a 350 which is a less expensive version. Then again the news about the 450 being discontinued came from the GM, not the salesperson.
Either way I really appreciate your responses Ron and Greg. There's another dealership in the area but it's about an hour away. I live in Santa Fe and the one I visited was only a few miles from home. The next one over that's an hour away is in Albuquerque.
I'm guessing they were trying to steer you to a 350 because that's what they have in stock. They don't care as much about the total price of the vehicle as they do their margin, so the "downsell" seems like they are doing you a favor, but they're just trying to make a sale (nothing wrong with that, it's just business).
I'd check the one in Albuquerque next and, if they don't have what you want, hop on CarGurus.com and/or AutoTrader.com to search for one that meets your specs (or is an acceptable approximation) at a dealership from outside your general area. As I've mentioned numerous times on other threads, I ordered two rigs locally and, after waiting eight months, finally gave up the wait and bought one from a dealership in North Carolina. I couldn't be happier to finally have my 450.
So it's pretty certain they're doing the ol' bait-and-switch?? I figured they'd be honest since the salesman tried to talk me out of looking at the E-Active suspension (the most costly option) saying it was unnecessary unless you were off-roading with the vehicle. Then he proceeded to steer me towards a 350 which is a less expensive version. Then again the news about the 450 being discontinued came from the GM, not the salesperson.
Either way I really appreciate your responses Ron and Greg. There's another dealership in the area but it's about an hour away. I live in Santa Fe and the one I visited was only a few miles from home. The next one over that's an hour away is in Albuquerque.
Well, their other actions are interesting. But the 450 is a solid model that’s not going anywhere. I have not heard of issues related to the power train, though 450 models have certainly been in shorter supply than the 350s. You could just insist that’s what you want and see how they react. Many here are getting these within 3 months of their order.
Last edited by GregW / Oregon; 11-19-2019 at 11:09 AM.
Well, their other actions are interesting. But the 450 is a solid model that’s not going anywhere. I have not heard of issues related to the power train. You could just insist that’s what you want and see how they react. Many here are getting these within 3 months of their order.
I think bigpern may be on to something. They're probably either trying to make a quick sale on the 350 (the salesman already tried this with the used loaner 450 on the lot) or thought I was too young for an SUV and wanted a sportier AMG line vehicle instead. It's funny cause they made copies of my Driver's license - perhaps I'm reading into it - but Santa Fe caters to a much older crowd.
Anyways I agree with you Greg. I insisted on the 450 and they both agreed to see what corporate has planned and what's available (even though that's likely BS). I think it might be best to order from Albuquerque instead since they're a larger dealership and hopefully won't lie to their customer's faces.
GLE450 with Prem Plus Pk. Tech Plus PK.Driver assistance Pk.Hyacinth Red.22inch Alloys.
Originally Posted by Philamg
Congratulations Paul, it is a great motor, any reason it was registered in Oxford.
Hi Phil, it was registered in Oxford because although i live in Manchester i ordered the car through Auto ebid brokers and the best price came from Inchcape Mercedes who in turn dealt with the order paper work from Oxford . `it was in fact delivered to Leicester Inchcape where i went to pick it up.
Hi Phil, it was registered in Oxford because although i live in Manchester i ordered the car through Auto ebid brokers and the best price came from Inchcape Mercedes who in turn dealt with the order paper work from Oxford . `it was in fact delivered to Leicester Inchcape where i went to pick it up.
That explains it Paul and you had the added bonus of a nice drive home.
All Spanish deliveries arrive at Barcelona’s port (SETRAM premises). The whole journey is: Tuscaloosa (10 Sept) —> Brunswick (GA) (18 Sept) —> Bremerhaven (DE) (10 Oct) —> Koper (SV) (6 Nov) —> Barcelona (ES). The car arrived in Barcelona on 5 December (so the last step was not that fast). I placed my order on 12 April. My dealer is in Asturias.
All Spanish deliveries arrive at Barcelona’s port (SETRAM premises). The whole journey is: Tuscaloosa (10 Sept) —> Brunswick (GA) (18 Sept) —> Bremerhaven (DE) (10 Oct) —> Koper (SV) (6 Nov) —> Barcelona (ES). The car arrived in Barcelona on 5 December (so the last step was not that fast). I placed my order on 12 April. My dealer is in Asturias.
Are you waiting for one in Spain too?
Yes, waiting in Madrid for a 300d. Ordered the first on August and, tired of lies, changed to a different GLE already in transit to Spain. A bit worried for the months this machines have been parked (abandoned?) at Bremen for weeks this spring/summer. On the first pic you send appears like a scratch along back door, can't see well, its dirty?
Enjoy your machine!, everybody says its worth the waiting
Yes, waiting in Madrid for a 300d. Ordered the first on August and, tired of lies, changed to a different GLE already in transit to Spain. A bit worried for the months this machines have been parked (abandoned?) at Bremen for weeks this spring/summer. On the first pic you send appears like a scratch along back door, can't see well, its dirty?
Enjoy your machine!, everybody says its worth the waiting
It’s quite dirty, yes. No scratches on the car, thankfully.
11-13-2019, 12:11 PM
