While my “450” is in the shop, I have been driving a moderately optioned GLE 350 loaner. I would guess MSRP to be low 70’s. It’s actually a pretty nice car. The engine and transmission mapping is very good...resulting in snappy low speed performance. It doesn’t pull as hard as the 450 after 20-30 mph but has a Sporty feel. Without Air Suspension it’s close to Sport Mode with Air. The Air is softer on traffic calming berms.
There is no way to compare Economy but it doesn’t seem any better than my 450. In fact cruising at 40-60 mine may do a little better.
After 3+ days it has had a couple of electrical issues but not with the the Key Fobs. One day the parking sensors on the driver side lit up 4 different times with nothing even close. Next 2 days back to normal. Yesterday, I parked and locked it for about 45 minutes and returned to find the Hazard lights flashing. There may be updates that haven’t been done yet, the AC drain hose comes to mind.

 

Uh, oh. Hope thats been resolved now that mine is here. That is not a pleasant conversation. I see GregW has an option below...hope that works...

 

Did the Multi Contour seats change from the last generation ML/GLE? I have a 2013 and find them the most comfortable seats for my bad back for long trips. The only complaints I have had are from my larger lineman sided friends who find the side bolsters (even fully widened) to be too tight. The other complaint was from a rather neurotic friend who freaked out when I turned on the massage and forgot to give her a heads up (I have the star button set to massage both seats)...

 

I have the Multi Contour seats and do find the side bolsters to be a little confining. I have not taken a trip yet so who knows!!!! When I went to play golf last week I did have a 30 minute hot relaxing back massage, that left my back loose by the time I got to the golf course!!

 

I noticed that my bolsters seen tighter than I would have normally set them, but I find them very comfortable once I'm sitting for a few minutes

 

I had the opportunity to take an extended test drive today. I would say that the 2020 multi contour seat are the same as the prior generation in basic fit. However the massage options are in a whole different league. Also having the cooling option is great, too.

Some other random thoughts:

The nav response time, and the big screen are also in a whole new league.

Hey Mercedes is actually a viable voice based system. The 2013 option was too painfully slow to be of any use.

Edit:

Also was very impressed with eco-start. Unlike every other eco-start Benz I have driven, you could not feel or hear the 450 restart after a stop. You could hear and feel it shut down at a stop (but AC still stayed on high) and there was seamless motion when I accelerated. Its the first Benz where iI would leave eco-start engaged.

Some how, I expected more from the electric assist straight six. It does get up and go, but its noisy - like the old turbo six. You just don't have to rev it as high. I prefer the 3.0 liter diesel that is in my 2013.

The panorama sunroof seems even bigger in the 2020.

Handling is much better in the 2020. The turning radius is even better than the 2013, and the 2020 holds the road better, and tracks a corner better.

The ride (even with 20 inch wheels vs 19 inch) is noticeably better in the 2020.

This one had the acoustic package, and was much quieter than my 2013.

 

I’m beginning to think I have a Lemon with my GLE 450. My car was in the shop last week for over 4 days and had the 2 recalls done as well all others. The only improvement that I can notice may be an improvement to Lane Keep and Distronic after the 1st Recall. They found no obstruction to the AC lines on the second Recall. I was hoping that water from plugged drains would be found and solve all of my problems.
Almost every MBUX, Infotainment and vehicle functions controlled by a computer have failed at one time or another. I provided the Dealer a long typewritten list of issues and some video or pictures. The list is probably overwhelming with too many things noted. I think most of the issues are interrelated and thought that listing them might help.
My new approach will be to identify one or two issues that can be physically demonstrated and push until fixed. My wife has been adamant that I get rid of the car before there is a serious accident or it breaks down in a remote location. Two weeks ago the car braked hard for no apparent reason and a Semi behind me came very close before I hit the gas and pulled away. A loaded Semi isn’t going to stop nearly as fast as the GLE. I’m hoping that the recalibration of the Radar to the Camera will have fixed that problem.
I love the GLE it’s a wonderful SUV. I would be more optimistic if my issues were widespread. Most of mine seem to be my vehicle only with only a few mentioned by others. The more I drive it the more things go haywire. I’m not comfortable that my Dealer has the expertise and resources to deal with this. Some of the explanations/excuses given are pretty lame. I have always ordered vehicles as soon as they are released but this is the only time that I got burned. A few issues usually happen but nothing serious like this time. Maybe I’ve just been lucky!

 

Well, now you'r scaring the heck out of me. I have had distronic for years. I've had false warnings (beeps in intersections) but never false stopping.

Have you read about any other distronic issues from other 2020 owners?

 

Was your vehicle stored for fixes before delivery? I'm wondering if the earlier delivered ones have more issues. I got mine thurs. and have not driven after getting it home. Husband's is due tues. I will probably take mine for a long ride monday. I did program the garage doors this morning and then treated myself to the seat massage.

 

Nothing on the magnitude of mine. There have been a few mention false alarms where there was unexpected braking. The fact that there was a Safety Recall would indicate that there was an issue. My Distronic worked better at lower speeds than at higher Freeways speeds of 70-80. There were false readings on curves and occasionally for a large truck in an adjacent lane. I thought these were because it saw an object that it thought was a car until my trip through Wyoming. In Wy. on Sagebrush flats it still did some erratic braking, slowed down or just shut off. Once it changed my set speed from 80 to 60 in an area with a speed limit of 75. Occasionally it has read an 80 as a 60 but has never changed anything with Distronic. My experience has been that the longer the trip, the more issues. My Distronic recently got to the point that the turn signal to change lanes quit working. The Calibration of the Camera/Radar might help some but my feeling is that there are Software conflicts building up in the program.

 

No mine was not one of the 30,000 held up or stored, I ordered in late November. I almost ordered E-ABC and if I had I would be very upset like many others still waiting. As it turns out that would have been a blessing. I have a hunch that recent builds are of decent quality. My body and drive train are very well done. It’s the Electronics and could be just a few things causing corrupt code or software conflicts. My Steering wheel controls seem to work better than the console buttons and touchpad.

 

Seems like a lot of people are having major issues with new GLE.
* production availability
* quality control or a lot of problems with first year production vehicle
* high prices and long waits
* electronic and electrical problems
so my question is why would anyone want to get this truck now why not wait until issues are resolved cause it seems like they rushed to put out an inferior product. Mercedes has always been one of the best but maybe they dropped the ball. An example is the fake exhaust tips and fake AC vent on dashboard.
just my thoughts and not meant to be negative nor detract from anyone’s love of their vehicle. Best of luck to all.

 

Got my car within 3 months of ordering, no issues with car and it is fully loaded except E-ABC which isn't available in UK. UK prices and specs are good compared with an X5 and I got a good discount. Not all GLE'S have problems and I feel really sorry for owners like Ron S, in the UK you can reject car if issue not fixed by dealer after 2 attempts, I believe there is a Lemon law in US which is similar.

New X5 has many more problems than GLE, have a look at their forums.

 

Add the Audi Q8 to the list. Our Audi SQ5 was built the 2nd week of the start of a new Gen-built in a new plant in Mexico and has been issue free. The Q8 Forum is riddled with issues. Looks like all 3 German brands rushed to beat each other to market. Even with all my isues I still love the car. I really believe I only have one or two things that are creating software conflicts among the systems.

 

I have had my car back a week after being to the dealer with a long list of mostly random issues that come and go. I was convinced that I had obstruction to my AC drain lines and did a One hour & 30 minute test with no visible condensation. I went back to the dealer and they demonstrated that the lines were clear. It was quick and simple. The carpet was pulled up near the console; unhooked the drain; and poured water through the tube; saw water leaking under the car. The tubes actually drain on top of the transmission and would then leak onto the shield that “Wiggins” posted in another thread. That shield will retain a small amount of condensation. My test while at 40%+ humidity didn’t produce enough water to show. While I have a little “egg on my face” they were polite and I have no doubt that my AC Drain is clear. It’s a large tube and two have a lot of capacity for drainage. Vehicles in hot weather with high humidity would produce more condensation than when I tested.
The other thing I observed is that there were a large number of software updates performed on my GLE. He commented that I had all of the Tech and Safety options so my updates would be more than a base model. My work order said “all updates performed” but did no list them all. I counted 9 lines on the computer screen but I was back a little too much to read them so an update may have taken two lines but I doubt it. The tech clicked on some of them to show me the detail of what they covered. Some like the Recall for the Radar listed a lot more than was on the recall notice. They also unplugged the battery to clear any software conflicts that may have been present.
I won’t be on a longer trip for few weeks so will have to wait to draw any conclusions. There is definitely an improvement to Distronic & ALKA.

 

This morning, when I turned on the radio, I had no sound. I tried changing stations, bands, source, and rotating the two volume knobs, and pushing them down as well, but no joy.
Solution: I had to pull a Windows 3.1 (complete engine and accessory shut down and restart) for it to work.

With software, "It's not a bug, it's a feature!"

 

^^ That's good to hear Ron. Sometimes getting an egg on face is all about learning. Thanks for taking one for the team! =)

 

Well said....close to what I told the Dealer using a different Windows analogy. It’s hard to believe that all of this got past Mercedes after over a year of testing. Every one of my updates listed a fix for some kind of issue. We are definitely unpaid Beta testers.
If I continue to have issues I think I will try removing power at the battery occasionally. That’s the ultimate reset but requires redoing a few preferences. Some like not folding mirrors, honk on locking and hatch height have reset without my help anyway.

 

So looking at the posts here I can't help getting the feeling that pretty much everyone who frequents the forum has issues with their new GLE.

 

Are all 2020 GLEs are defective or are most people who seek out a model specific forum are doing so to find information on or complain about a problem their having?

 

Don't get me wrong, I consider myself lucky as I have had very few niggles so far. I love this vehicle as it is the best one I've had.
I consider my 2001 BMW E38 740i Sport a close second, but for different reasons.

In 2011, I picked up a redesigned 2012 Ford Focus, and several people on a Ford message board had issues (mostly transmission and moonroof) while I had, again, only 1 or 2 niggles. Minor things. It was a great little car for what it was supposed to be, and it was the best on the market at the time for the budget I had.

Keep in mind that most people that buy vehicles never go online to comment about it, and when they do, it usually isn't positive. This is true for most products and services. It is human nature.

 

Yes I get the point what I meant is that we have a few board regulars and pretty much all of them have complained about some sort of issues.
I've been around for a few months now and have seen each one of them post eventual delivery and then problems. That's my observation.

 

None with mine.

 

My guess is that I would win any contest adding up issues experienced. The base vehicle is solid, it’s the Tech that’s glitchy. If I just drove around town I might not even notice a lot of my issues. My car has all of the Tech so it’s probably the worst case for problems. I’m also a person that would notice anything out of the norm with a car and I use the Tech.
I would buy mine again but should have waited 6 months, something I never do.. There is always a risk with a redesign. I am guessing that the supplier and production issues may have diverted management attention and resources. Mercedes is also deeply involved in trying to resolve Diesel emission cheating and bleeding cash from operating losses at the same time. I question the wisdom of building cars that aren’t complete and then storing them. There are a lot of updates so they are rolling out fixes quickly. In hindsight, less Tech and waiting to buy would have been a better strategy but IMO its the best option in its class.

 

I'm driven my 450 for about 2000km - absolutely wonderful! ...with one minor issue - this must be the most low tech part that could possible fail - one of the springs (passenger side) that open the center storage console appears to have snapped!!?? LOL - will get it sorted at some point. Every one of these things I'll owned has had at least one super minor issue - if this is it I won't complain. Will see where we are in a month or 2.