Has anyone found an aftermarket workaround to keep Drive Mode in the last setting? It’s my understanding that the reset to Comfort Mode is necessary to meet the EPA/emission requirements or keep numbers lower. Yes I know it’s simple to flip the switch each time and that there’s a hokey way to save in your settings and try to catch the short onscreen option to return.
What I really want is for the car to stay in Individual Mode or Sport Mode until I want to change it. IMO, it would be a “nice to have” convenience feature.

 

I emailed one possible source and received the following response:

On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 10:39 AM Noah Thatcher <noah@midcityengineering.com> wrote:Unfortunately we don’t have a solution for the 2020 GLE- yet. We just got a 2020 GLE for testing and development and will hopefully be able to offer our full suite of solutions soon.

I have looped in Michael from our sales team. Michael- can you please make a note for Ron that he would like an ECO / Individual mode module when it is ready? Thank you.

Ron- please feel free to reach out to us anytime for an update.

 

I think Page 178 of the user manual tells you how to accomplish what you're looking for ... Request at Start is the key to this ... it works for me.

 

‘We have discussed that before. It’s really no easier than using the Rocker Switch. Also if you hit reverse it won’t show up right away and when it does you only have a second or two to touch it. If you park in C mode it doesn’t come on.... Some may find it useful but it’s not to me.

 

Yes, you're quite right, it's certainly less than ideal.

 

Not only does it not show up right away, it often doesn't show up at all or it only remembers half of the setup.

 

I think Audi has a better system. They leave all the settings alone except the engine mode resets. So if Mercedes did that and your “I” Mode was set to Comfort, nothing would change.

 

I would say it depends. As a long time Audi customer I have a lot of experience with Audi's system. It does have its advantages, but also disadvantages. If you spend some time on Audi forums you'll find that a lot of owners are totally confused by Audi's system. It actually resets more than just the engine. It resets the entire powertrain. Engine, transmission and exhaust for models that have switchable exhausts. Many end up confused because the drive mode still says Dynamic for example, but the car is in this limbo mode with the entire powertrain having been reset to normal mode. Audi does make it easy to toggle the powertrain mode directly via the gear selector, though. One can easily toggle between D (normal) and S (sport), but also despite Audi's system typically offering at least three modes, the powertrain (engine etc.) only has two modes vs Mercedes who offers 3-5 powertrain modes depending on the model. My C63S for example has five powertrain modes. What also bothered me with Audi is that they don't give direct control over the suspension setting. The only way to adjust the suspension is to change the entire drive mode or to constantly fiddle with the individual mode configuration.

So, the MB and BMW systems are less confusing, because they completely reset to the default mode every time and there is never any doubt as to what mode each of the components is in. Personally, I find the BMW M, latest AMG and the latest Audi RS models having the best approach. All of them now make it easy via steering wheel controls to quickly activate the Individual mode. BMW M and the latest Audi RS models go as far as having two Individual modes that can be activated via one or more buttons on the steering wheel. That IMO is the best approach. But I'm also perfectly happy with the approach in my C63S where I can push the drive mode rotary knob on the right to directly activate I* mode, but also quickly and intuitively select any other mode by rotating it. Much like in a Porsche or Ferrari. But in addition I have two more buttons on the left which I can program with my two most used settings to toggle them directly from the steering wheel. For example in my case I have the transmission mode and the exhaust mode mapped to those two buttons as I change them most frequently above and beyond the main drive mode, or I can temporarily map another function to it by simply pressing on the small displays next to the buttons. Regular MB models unfortunately don't get this.

 

I should have said the 2021 SQ8 rather than all Audi’s. At least that’s what they said & it worked twice for me....once after leaving it for 40 minutes. Maybe it would have reset later.
Anyway I like the concept since I’m assuming it’s only the engine that would be the issue with the EPA/Carb tests. Someone spent a lot of time designing the “last settings” menu that could have been made easier by only resetting engine to C.

 

SQ8 works the same as all other non-RS Audis. For that car it essentially remembers the steering and suspension setting and ACC if it has the driver assistance package. Everything else goes back to default. The reset is actually due to emissions certification and noise regulations, so as I said it's more than the engine. In order to get certified and allow for additional modes, the car's powertrain always has to start in the mode it was certified in. So that means the most fuel efficient transmission and engine setting as well as the quietest exhaust mode and engine start/stop active if the manufacturer chooses to certify it with engine start/stop. In exchange, they are allowed to give the cars additional less efficient modes, as long as they can only be activated deliberately by the driver each time the car is started. It's a small price to pay for having additional more fun modes. The alternative would be only one fuel efficient mode, so I take this over the alternative. The prompt to restore the previous mode is something new. I wasn't aware of this at all. I don't have this in my 2019 C63S. AMGs for a while automatically remembered the last mode for 4 hours after stopping the engine, so that was kinda cool and a pretty good compromise I think, but the newest AMGs no longer have this feature. I'm guessing the powers to be put an end to this as well. The prompt I guess is acceptable, because it requires action from the driver to restore the previous mode as opposed to being remembered automatically.

 

Thanks, the Suspension setting is my Primary desire particularly around town...I would be happy if my car suspension just stayed in Sport Mode. That can’t have anything to do with certification. On a road trip it’s no big deal to set and forget. My Mercedes doesn’t reset on shorter stops at times but not always. I intend to pay for a fix if one becomes available. To me it’s a PIA like my Key Fob not working right for a year. It takes a little of the pleasure out of the driving experience.

 

Yes, I suppose they could remember the suspension setting. I didn't realize the GLE had a rocker switch for the suspension setting, so that does look a bit more cumbersome than the usual three-stage suspension button in the center console. I already have my routine when starting the car. In the time it takes for the engine RPM to settle at idle, I press the exhaust and ECO start stop/button to put the former in loud mode and turn off the latter, so if I'd prefer my suspension in Sport immediately it would just be a another quick button press. But my car being a firm riding AMG, I keep it in C around town anyway, and then put it in I* as soon as I enter the highway where I have everything set to S+ settings, except for the suspension in Sport and the transmission in manual mode and to do this as mentioned before I just have to press the drive mode selector knob on the steering wheel which I can do w/o even looking at it. The module you referenced above is pretty much what others have purchased to automatically turn off ECO start/stop and put the car in I* mode after starting the engine. I just haven't found it worth spending that kind of money to save me from a couple of quick button pushes, while I'm waiting for the engine to settle down anyway. It adds some charm as well. Like getting into an airplane cockpit and firing it up. For me it starts with needing two hands to start the engine. The current AMGs have something called Emotion Start, which if you press and hold one of the shift paddles while starting the engine, the exhaust valves open and the engine revs up for a satisfying bark and "emotional" start of the engine. I pretty much never start the car w/o it . Obviously very different from a GLE, so I can see how a more hands-off experience would be desirable for you.