Useless & Tacky
MBWorld God!
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 31,279
Likes: 3,917
From: on my way
2012 CLS63
Nor do they want one. How many are leased as opposed to bought? Who keeps cars a long time and who doesn't? Not many care about heritage or the way it used to be.....hell, the cars have changed SO much since my first purchase in 2011!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 3,360
Likes: 1,529
From: Washington DC
No more MB:(
That's correct. Flashy dashboards, fake exhaust tips, and this year's tech is all that matters any more. I remember my first Benz purchase was in 1994, the changes over the last five years are faster and greater than any other time I can recall. The lease model is not much different than the iPhone trade in program. Latest software and interface is what matters the most. No one wants to buy a car that is irrelevant in three or four years.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,391
Likes: 1,040
From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
Way too much *****ing over a very minor point, IMO. Some prefer the balance of adding the vent. The LED lighting serves no useful purpose either....some like it some don’t. Fake exhausts are becoming the norm on a lot of vehicles for practical reasons and cost....some like-some don’t. Criticizing Mercedes on a forum is a waste of time....let’s ***** about gas prices. I liked it when Premium was $.25 a gallon during price wars...bring back the good old days.🤗 Or buy a vehicle that you like better...the good old days are gone and to be honest they weren’t all that good!!!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,391
Likes: 1,040
From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
That's correct. Flashy dashboards, fake exhaust tips, and this year's tech is all that matters any more. I remember my first Benz purchase was in 1994, the changes over the last five years are faster and greater than any other time I can recall. The lease model is not much different than the iPhone trade in program. Latest software and interface is what matters the most. No one wants to buy a car that is irrelevant in three or four years.
Like it or not car manufacturers are switching to Electric and SD cars. The bi$ching will really get bad when we can’t buy a gas powered car. Like it or not, things are changing at an exponential rate from the recent past.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,518
Likes: 1,519
From: Orbiting the planet
This place is a joke.
You don’t have the GLE, a vehicle that we have and purchased bcuz we actually love it. Yet, you joint a group that is based on the ownership of the vehicle and give your inputs! I call that a troll. You dnt have the car and you dnt like it, then go and join the group of a car that you actually own. Blogs like this are meant for education and resources for current owners, that disqualifies you! Any opinion that you may have is completely irrelevant.
Member
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 203
Likes: 103
From: Tucson, Arizona
2004 CLK320 Cab, 2020 GLE350
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 3,360
Likes: 1,529
From: Washington DC
No more MB:(
Originally Posted by E55Greasemonkey
Maybe he doesn't own one because he's realized it's an overpriced piece of crap. Then what?
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,333
Likes: 304
From: Dorset, UK
GLC 450
Definitely overpriced. First of all you have to start at the 450 as the base because pulling 4500+ pounds with that four banger is a joke. Nicely appointed your easily in the 80's. Opting for the V8 will put you at I'm guessing 100K and a 53 will put you at about the same, these two options probably transform the driving experience substantially and bring it to a whole other level and are clearly the way to go. 100K is pretty steep for a mid level Mercedes SUV not made in Germany and IMO certainly not the most attractive SUV. Take the star off the grill and it can easily pass for an Acura or Audi. AND of course you get fake vents to "balance" out the real ones. I think BMW X5 or even X7 gives a better value.
Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 85
Likes: 34
various
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 791
Likes: 412
From: Fredericksburg, VA
2020 Mercedes GLE350 4Matic; 2023 Tesla Model Y
Never given it a thought...doesn’t bother me in the least. In all sincerity, I have more important things to worry about — no offense intended. That said, you have every right to express your opinion. Different opinions are important, even if you don’t want to hear it. After all, if everyone agrees then no one is thinking.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,518
Likes: 1,519
From: Orbiting the planet
This place is a joke.
Let us know when your 167 GLE is 16 years old with 155k miles. Oh, never mind, it'll be in the junkyard long before that! My 16 year old "clunker" will outperform your giant egg and 95% of other cars on the road, by the way. My '08 ML350 with 168k miles rides like a Caddy and will also outperform and outlast your rented GLE, and I'm not in debt. Get educated.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,333
Likes: 304
From: Dorset, UK
GLC 450
Let us know when your 167 GLE is 16 years old with 155k miles. Oh, never mind, it'll be in the junkyard long before that! My 16 year old "clunker" will outperform your giant egg and 95% of other cars on the road, by the way. My '08 ML350 with 168k miles rides like a Caddy and will also outperform and outlast your rented GLE, and I'm not in debt. Get educated.
Out Of Control!!
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 14,714
Likes: 4,606
From: unbegrenzt
2017 GLE350 4MATIC
To avoid reminiscing about 1970s M-B turbodiesels, what about today's alternatives to M-B that don't have fake vents, or fake exhaust tips, and equal or better reliability:
Genesis
Toyota
Ford
Honda
BMW
M-B is in a comparative dark age now; their star is dimming and sinking.
I hope things change for them. They have not earned my business, yet, for the next vehicle.
Genesis
Toyota
Ford
Honda
BMW
M-B is in a comparative dark age now; their star is dimming and sinking.
I hope things change for them. They have not earned my business, yet, for the next vehicle.
MBWorld God!
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 31,279
Likes: 3,917
From: on my way
2012 CLS63
Let us know when your 167 GLE is 16 years old with 155k miles. Oh, never mind, it'll be in the junkyard long before that! My 16 year old "clunker" will outperform your giant egg and 95% of other cars on the road, by the way. My '08 ML350 with 168k miles rides like a Caddy and will also outperform and outlast your rented GLE, and I'm not in debt. Get educated.
Time passes by quickly......and time will tell.
Member
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 203
Likes: 103
From: Tucson, Arizona
2004 CLK320 Cab, 2020 GLE350
A significant percentage of luxury cars, especially MB, are leased because they are expensed on a business. Much easier to write off a lease than a purchase and capital outlay is minimized. On a forum like this, owners are more emotionally attached to their cars and the thought that went in to choosing them. If a car can be considered being paid for with tax dollars, the brand cachet is more important than anything. That’s why the 3-pointed star means so much when pulling up the driveway at the country club than anyone really caring whether an A/C vent is real or fake.
Member
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 159
Likes: 42
From: Oro Valley (Tucson Area) AZ
2021 53 AMG SUV, 2021 GMC Denali, 2015 Bentley Speed convertable
Other side of the coin- the new tax laws for business vehicle allow you to write off the entire cost of the vehicle in the year of purchase if the GWVR is over 6,000 pounds. My GLE AMG43 is at 6490 pounds so I bought the car and was able to take a $90,000 tax deduction in the year of purchase. Thank you new tax laws!!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 3,360
Likes: 1,529
From: Washington DC
No more MB:(
A significant percentage of luxury cars, especially MB, are leased because they are expensed on a business. Much easier to write off a lease than a purchase and capital outlay is minimized. On a forum like this, owners are more emotionally attached to their cars and the thought that went in to choosing them. If a car can be considered being paid for with tax dollars, the brand cachet is more important than anything. That’s why the 3-pointed star means so much when pulling up the driveway at the country club than anyone really caring whether an A/C vent is real or fake.
Yes, in higher end car forums people are more emotional about their cars. We are after all, car guys and gals otherwise we would all be driving much more practical alternatives. As a life long loyal MB customer, I do care about the fake vents and the direction of the brand and could care less about the perception of others. I drive my cars because of the pleasure and experience they provide along with the quality and attention to detail that dropping six figures should entail. At this level, details should be executed properly with no shortcuts or "corrections" to cover up design flaws. Go to the S or SL class forums, there is passion for the brand that goes well beyond what others think and the perception of others. I've stuck with this brand because to me there was no alternative, it really was about "the best or nothing", not brand cachet.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 3,360
Likes: 1,529
From: Washington DC
No more MB:(
To avoid reminiscing about 1970s M-B turbodiesels, what about today's alternatives to M-B that don't have fake vents, or fake exhaust tips, and equal or better reliability:
Genesis
Toyota
Ford
Honda
BMW
M-B is in a comparative dark age now; their star is dimming and sinking.
I hope things change for them. They have not earned my business, yet, for the next vehicle.
Genesis
Toyota
Ford
Honda
BMW
M-B is in a comparative dark age now; their star is dimming and sinking.
I hope things change for them. They have not earned my business, yet, for the next vehicle.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,784
Likes: 1,276
From: Lake Oswego, OR
2020 GLE 450; 2023 BMW M2 Coupe
Fake air vents on dash
I noted this 21 months ago! As a designer it is annoying; there are many ways this could have been handled more authentically. Doesn't keep me up at night, though.https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...ml#post7569538
https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...ml#post7631918
https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...ml#post7737181
Last edited by GregW / Oregon; Jul 12, 2020 at 04:30 PM.
Banned
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 354
Likes: 122
2020 GLE 350
I'm gonna go out of the box here, but what it the designers came up with that area next to the display first and then when it came time to do the vents they chose the square ones to blend in rather than the round ones used previously? I guess the point I am trying to make is that we have no idea what they were thinking so we come up with assumptions which may or may not be true. Some like it, some don't. For me, until this thread got started, I never really gave it any thought. I do however, hope that everyone can remain friendly regardless of your views. Just my two cents.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 3,360
Likes: 1,529
From: Washington DC
No more MB:(
Originally Posted by Philamg
I love the GLE but admit it would be better if the vent wasn't fake, not a big issue in such a great car.
