flexstar

Curious to know how the owners of the new GLE 350 like their new SUV choice? Your comments will be appreciated. Thank you!

Amnonvekill

Just love my new car.

robert c

When replaced I will not get another one. A 2020.
Robert

Lanzz

I really loved mine - tons of space, incredible interior and great performance - especially considering the 4cyl engine. I just traded it for an E Wagon, only because the GLE was actually a bit too big for just two of us. We found ourselves driving our E sedan a lot more often, so we figured an E wagon might be a better compromise. I had the GLE for 14 months and drove it 23K miles - mostly back and forth to NY for family obligations when flying was not an option. It is a great long distance cruiser - I could drive 14 hours with only a few stops for fuel and bathroom breaks and arrive in reasonable condition. I can't say anything bad about my GLE - all good - best of luck with your future GLE.

Kleen_GLE

Before I stepped foot inside a Mercedes dealership, I've test drove a Volvo xc90, Range Rover Sport and an Audi Q8. Coming from a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the xc90 was lacking power and told myself I would never get a 4 banger, also the infotainment system and technology behind it was just not impressive. The Audi's new MMI technology was really impressive and was by far my favorite. I had a hard time deciding between the q8 or q7. The Range Rover Sport was nice but the reliability was something that was a big concern. Just out of no where, I decided to stop by my local Mercedes dealership and test drove one of their GLE350s that they had on the lot. At the time I didn't know much about the GLEs or anything about the MBUX system but it below me away. During the entire test drive I thought it was a 6 cylinder but after talking to the sales guy and going over the vehicle that's when I found out it was just a 4 cylinder engine. I've had the car for a month and I'm still getting used to it and if you spec if out with the right options/packages it can be an amazing car.

user 7208224

I like my 2020 GLE350 but I like our Lexus RX450h more. When shopping for the GLE I looked at the X5, Q7, and XC90. Traded a 2018 GMC Yukon Denali for the GLE. I didn't care for the XC90. Could have gone with the X5 or Q7, but got a loaded GLE350 for under $10k (USD) and my trade. So, I went with that.

Lucky 777

I like it much more than I thought I would. After 18 months of ownership, I'm happy with the car.

makris0000

My GLE 350 is a little over 6 months old and so far it has been great. So far the only option I regret not getting is the AR package because I really wanted to have the full screen navi on the driver dash. Below are some of my pros and cons that I have noticed so far:

Pros:

• Comfortable ride (20 inch AMG/night wheels on Michelin tires).
• Road noise is minimal (I do not have the acoustic comfort package).
• MBUX is easy to use and looks nice.
• Exterior styling is subjectively amazing! I get a lot of complements and people ask if she's an AMG (which I am honest about).
• Seats - I have the AMG interior package with the MB-Tex/DINAMICA seats and they are fairly comfortable. Not as great as I thought they would be but they get the job done and they do not crack like MB Tex seats do. Also I did not have the opportunity to sit in them before ordering because no one had those seats in my area (this is under pro because id give it a 6.5-7/10).
• The flat bottom AMG steering wheel is comfortable for driving with one hand.
• Interior fits a lot of stuff, especially with the seats folded down.
• Goes through puddles like a champ and the engine does not get hydro locked.
• Lighting package lights up the road very well and the auto high beams are cool. My prior E class only had the standard LED lights and although they were bright, they did not illuminate the road that great.
• Pano roof lets in lots of light. It seems like it is double the size of my prior E class's pano roof.
• Engine - At first I was skeptical on a 4 cylinder engine in such a big SUV. I drove a few 2020 GLE 350s when they first came out and I thought they felt slow. Not sure if they changed anything for 2021 but my GLE feels peppier and the pickup is not bad for an SUV this size.

Cons:

• Gas mileage isn't that great for a 4 cylinder engine. I sometimes have a heavy foot but I should at least be getting 19/20MPG in the city.
• Just started noticing a lag in either power/transmission when making a turn and going between 2nd, 3rd or 4th gear.
• Not a huge fan of the front seats moving forward/up when the back seats are folded down.
• Navi takes a while to activate when starting the GLE (anywhere from 20 seconds to 2 minutes after starting the car).
• When I ordered the lighting package I wanted the active corning lights, but after the car was built they did not come with them and are apparently not available in the USA.
• Mercedes Me Connect needs to get smarter and have more features (I.e. adjust the interior temp when doing a remote start, be able to use the remote parking pilot that was introduced in the E class back in 2017 are just a few).
• As I mentioned above, the navi screen in the drivers dash should be full screen and not just a tiny square if you don't have the AR package.

Lucky 777

Interesting observations. I sometimes get on the gas a little more than I should because it still amazes me how a 4 cylinder can be this much fun. I still average 26-28 mpg around home and 30'ish on a road trip.

Treihing

Love my 2021 GLE. Not an issue but a bit of wind noise at speeds over 40moh.

I understand that people that bought the 2020 model have experienced quite a few issues, which is typical for the first year of a redesign.

xrayted

We've had our 2020 GLE350 for two years now with 20K miles and overall we are very pleased with the car.

The Good:
- Fantastic long haul cruiser! We took a 2000 mile summer vacation road trip and the ride was silky smooth and very comfortable. My wife and kids independently commented on how comfortable the passenger seats were. Like how you can slide the middle row seats back a bit to get more room. Pano sunroof lets in tons of light. Cabin was quiet. 4 cylinder engine with decent power out on the highway for quick pick up and overtaking. Ionizer and air freshener kept the car sickness to a minimum. Ventilated seats and seat massage was much loved.
- Great highway mileage - we averaged 26.7 mpg on the summer road trip.
- Love the AR package. Very helpful to have the overlay on the video image to help navigate.
- 4-cylinder engine performs well in day-to-day use in city driving and plenty of power out on the highway.
- Ample USB-C connections and a regular plug in the middle row.
- Good trunk space.

Things that could be improved:
- Initial build quality - at time of delivery the navigation didn't load and ultimately determined that the radio head unit failed. I posted about this in another thread if you want more details. Bottom line - the car wasn't ready for delivery and should have never left the factory or the dealership in that condition. Ultimately the dealer fixed the problem, and thankfully all is good now. But I was disappointed that no one said "hey wait a minute, we gotta fix this before the customer takes it!"
- In the first year, at high speeds, we had this intermittent weird whistling noise coming from the dashboard region. Dealership said it was a known issue with air around the heater unit, but no solution. In the past year the noise seems to have abated (knock on wood).
- Paint coming off the lettering on the Engine Start/Stop button. Shouldn't be happening on something we need to press daily!
- Randomly get "Currently Unavailable Camera View Restricted" message. No idea why or what's causes it. Will ask the dealer next time we bring it in for servicing.
- No hard button option to toggle On/Off Lane Keeping Assist. This is a real world safety issue, in my opinion. While highway driving, came through road work area with sudden lane shifts where the old painted lines hadn't been completely removed. LKA forced me into what it thought was the lane but in fact it was pushing me into the car next to me. Fumbling around the MBUX, I was able to turn off LKA, but not before I had to suddenly correct the via over steering. Really need a quickly accessible On/Off button!

CMFUSA

I moved from a 2020 GLE350 (120k manufacturer number) to a 2021 GLE350 (400k manufacturer number) two weeks ago, here are my thoughts:

- The difference (i.e. the Learning Curve) in Alabama is noticeable. Overall, the car is a lot better and most of the features are now working.
- Exterior build quality is still sub-par to the cars build in Germany, especially panels and gap dimensions, interior build quality is pretty high.
- I miss my panoramic roof, but on the other hand, the AR is quite cool.
- I get almost 24 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway (Florida) and I am quite happy with that.
- The windshield wipers still skip (unbelievable for a $70k car in 2021) and the start-stop is still annoying (I decided to permanently switch it off)
- I know there are different views on this, but I went from the 19 inch to the 21 inch wheels/tires (staggered) and I find the ride amazing at 32/34 psi cold and a light load.
- The 4 cylinder inline does a good job, not much to "listen" to, but ample power to move the car in most situations. If you push it, however, it will start to gulp down the gas.

So all in all, I am very happy with the car as of now. It's a very comfortable ride and so far does not disappoint.

Mj1pate

I’ll be at the same decision point soon. The RX450h seems like a great option as both a city commuter and highway cruiser. What do you find as the Lexus most notable advantages over the GLE?
thanks…

user 7208224

I need to point out that our Lexus is a 2017 and I make my observations based on that. In my case, I feel that the seats are more comfortable (I have the multicontour seats in the GLE and leather in both). The ride in my 450h is smoother than the GLE and my wife reminds me of that quite frequently. I also feel that the storage capacity behind the rear seats is larger and more useable in the RX. I also like the higher NAV screen in the RX and that screen can be divided to the users wishes. We generally keep it 2/3rd NAV and 1/3rd audio displays. I wish the MBUX screen on the GLE could do that!!!! I did not like the grill or the floating roof line at first, but they grew on me after a while, and I now like both (the floating roof line depends on the vehicle color though). The dealership makes a big difference also, my Lexus dealership treats me like royalty!!!!!! I really like the Toyota hybrid drive. It is a pleasure to drive. I feel that there is a difference between the RX350 and the RX450h. Try them both.