kingbond

Friends

I am ready to go in for GLE and really confused about 350 or 450. I have a small fear that I will end up feeling starved for power in 350. I test drove both but I did not feel 450 way better than 350 - but the test drive was a short 10 minutes. i am sure there are folks here who may help me here. In general, i am a family guy but do like peppy acceleration especially in 0 - 40 (more than 0 - 60). Any ideas or suggestions?

mb2be

What are you currently driving? That will decide. The GLE350 replaced my wife's RX350. She's happy but at some point she said she would love even more if it gave her a bit more power. Lol. I daily a 40i (similar to 450). I drive hers once in a while. It's a bit slow when you need a fast going but overall, IMO it's a fine engine.

kingbond

Hi Mb2Be

Thanks for your prompt response. A few more data points. I have a Performance Tesla M3 and a Porsche Cayenne Base 2011. I should not be comparing this with Tesla (unfair) but the Porsche base is fantastic and has 0-60 of 7 seconds or so. In terms of my personal preference, I like a little bit of G force and normally go fast at traffic lights. I also like power handy on highways (not that I need it, but generally like it). At the same time, I need to see value for 8K (for the 450K)...that is why I am a little confused. After spending 75K, don't want to make a mistake of ending up half satisfied if I find 350 underpowered. I should also state that sales guys across 4 different dealerships have been discouraging me from 450. (may be because they don't have a lot of them) saying that they sell 1 450 for every 12 350s they sell. Hope that helps to answer my question better. I live in Dallas, TX

djer

Assuming your Cayenne has the V6 base, the 4-cylinder GLE350 will "feel" unrefined for you (keyword: "feel" - very subjective). Power wise, like you said it's a similar 7-seconds car so it will pull just about the same, if not better with the additional torque on the GLE350. I personally don't have any beef with 4-cylinders in a huge SUV since I'm not racing GTS' off every red light anyway, and my other daily is a VW Golf diesel as a data point.

What's your driving style like i.e. do you go on a lot of mountainous road trips? If so, the GLE450 may be more suitable for you.

Lunarman

I don’t like the 350 throttle response. A 4 cylinder turbo doesn’t do it for me. That said, it is perfect for my wife and many other people who don’t know the difference and just want a fancy car. If you are used to a 6 cylinder, you will be disappointed IMO.

CincyMBGuy

I typically say the 350 is enough for most but you sound like the 1 in 10 who is going to be dissatisfied with the underwhelming power of the GLE 350.

To that final comment, of course they sell them 12 to 1, MB only makes a fraction of the 450s vs the 350. At this moment, my dealership has 21 allocations or incoming GLE 350s and only 3 allocations for GLE 450s.

kingbond

Thanks for the help. I don't go to mountains (there are are none here anyways!(,,,and driving style - yes, it is a run away first from traffic signal and experience a lit big of the G forces - personally I like it...not that I need it. The point you made is what sales folks were telling me that though this is a V4, performance wise it would pull pretty much like my cayenne. one thing i should write is that when I drove the 350, with my driving style (aggressive gas pedaling), it was a little noisy because of the high RPMs I was forcing, I guess. thanks for helping

mb2be

I haven't driven the Porsche so I can't comment. But RX350 is V6 and about 7s too. GLE350 feels a lot quicker and more responsive. So OP definitely needs to test drive more to decide.

MBguy013

Stop brain bashing yourself and go with the 450! If you want performance, the 450 is the answer and you will be dissatisfied with the 350 for the times you want to push it.

hutch300

I have no interest in a 350. The 450 is nonnegotiable for me. We are not talking huge power here... the 450 would be the choice.

TonyF61

I test drove the 350, because no 450s were available. I was very disappointed in the acceleration. When I asked the salesman to switch from Comfort mode to Sport, he responded it already was in Sport. That did it for me - I was done. At the time I had a BMW X5, 6 cylinder and there was no way, after the test drive that I was going to get a 350. Unfortunately, they had no 450s for me to test drive, but I ordered one anyway.

It finally arrived this past January, after waiting 4 months for it. At first, I was a little disappointed in the performance, compared to the BMW. However, I soon realized that the power is there, it is just a much smoother acceleration than the BMW. No whiplash when stepping on the accelerator.

Unfortunately, I cracked my windshield after 2 weeks, and had to bring it in for replacement. I was given a 350 as a loaner. Totally different ride. It did give the whiplash when giving gas, and a much louder rider. I asked the dealer about it and was told that being it only has a single turbo, it kicks in much sooner giving it that sense of power and louder ride.

IMO, if you want the "luxury" ride and the power, then get the 450. It only takes one instance of missing the power, and you will regret not getting it forever.

One last thing to keep in mind, 4 Matic is standard on 450, while I believe it is optional on 350.

Best of luck to you!

TexAg91

Your reply contains the answer…. You want the 450, so get it and don’t look back.

mb2be

To sum it up... GLE male drivers will vote for 450 and GLE male buyers will vote for 350.

mikapen

That's silly! even though you meant to say "female," you haven't been with many Soccer Dads, or competed in the Ladies Class.

The 350 is actually pretty spunky, but the turbo lag is - laggy. My wife has adjusted in her GLC, and she's much better at getting off the line with that car than I am.
The EQ Boost is the difference, but most folks with big turbos can get the hang of it. I do after a day behind the wheel.
Technique.

The OP wants a launch. The 350 will LAUNCH if you really want that. But slow throttle response from stop.

mb2be

I didn't. Lol. Since you mentioned GLC, from what I read, GLC 2.0 is better than GLE 2.0. Not sure if that's true.

Jzegel

Is the car for putting around town with the occasional roadtrip stint? Would you, regardless of engine, deactivate the engine start stop every time? Then the 350 is perfect. It's smooth enough and pulls nicely in lower speeds. Negatives? The MPG isn't too much better than the 450 and it's start stop is more abrasive since it's not a mild hybrid like the 450 is where you won't notice the engine switching on or off (A/C still blows cold and everything).

Are you planning on taking more roadtrips (for passing - IF you are a more aggressive driver)? Appreciate having a smoother engine with seamless start/stop? Towing? Would you feel any tinge of regret not getting the inline 6 and the 5K isn't the biggest deal to you? Then you want the 450.

Just some questions to ask yourself. I'm in Plano - Dealers will sell you the most readily available thing (which is the standard 350). MB Plano even tried to tell me that Airmatic made the ride worse (oh guess what they didn't have any GLE's with it). I had a great experience with Isaiah from Park Place Arlington - he may be able to help you out.

kingbond

whoa! thanks everyone....I am impressed with this forum and yes - you all gave me good perspective. I will take the weekend to digest and take a decision but when bring in the $ into the equation - for 7800 bucks, I am getting AWD and 3L liter engine which is my insurance for potential (even minor) dissatisfaction. To those who asked me for some questions, I work from home and my trips are typical outings and errands. I do access highways many many times (though may not be long drives). I do go to Austin as much as I can say with greater frequency but nothing more than that. i am tilting towards 450 :-). A very big thanks to the forum for your views and experiences of those who drove both 350 and 450.

chassis

450, because it has an engine with a nice number of cylinders in the ideal configuration - 6 cylinders inline. Caveat emptor on the 48V system; read this site thoroughly. If you plan to dump the car at or before warranty expiration you should be fine. Long term cost effective reliability is unproven with the 48V system.

The 350 is a buzzy 4 banger descended from a problematic predecessor engine known for a host of major problems, the most noteworthy of late is piston cracking with less than 100k miles.

Ron.s

Instrumented tests put the 450 at 5.3 seconds. I had a 350 loaner one day and while it was nice it doesn’t compare to the 450. Then there is the GLE 53💪

E55Greasemonkey

Nobody has mentioned the difference between the 4matic and 2wd versions of the GLE350. In 2wd, the power is adequate, with the extra driveline drag of 4matic it's lethargic.

Also, if you are buying vs.leasing, the 350 will likely be more reliable in the long run, while the 450 with it's complicated and thus far problematic 48v system will be more expensive to maintain once out of warranty. 48v battery replacement will be several thousand dollars, and any failure of the 48v ISG (integrated starter-alternator) for example will be anyone's guess as to repair cost, but it won't be cheap.

GregW / Oregon

The 450 is so much more refined and in keeping with what a car in that class should be. The percentage cost difference is not that great. Fast, smooth, seamless stop/start, decent economy.. I would also suggest Airmatic.

shotgun_banjo

Most of the folks I meet with GLE350s tell me they did not test drive the 450 just because there is no available vehicle to test. Most of them regrets buying the 350 when they drive my 450. The accurate description is "heaven and earth" with regards to acceleration and smoothness. For most people the 350 will work fine but to those who are car nuts like most of us here it won't do it. When I got my vehicle I never even test drove a 450 just a 350 as my expectations was if I dont get the same power and smoothness like what I can get from a NA ML350 gas then it won't cut it. If someone is loading the GLE even with more than 3 people and some junk they should get the 450 and not even think about the 350 at all.

MercOne1

Ok ok. I can weigh in here.

We have the 2020 gle350. I like driving it because it’s effortless. Quick enough for casual driving. It’s my wife’s car but I still think it’s a great car and the best for what it’s meant for in terms of utility and ease of drivability.

My car is a 2021 Cayenne S with 434 hp. Totally unnecessary power but I like it.

Before the cayenne I had a 2020 glc43, which I liked but was too small for young kids.

I also had on order a 2021 Gle53 but I didn’t want the risk of a 48v battery failure in north Wisconsin 200 miles from a Mercedes dealer. I didn’t accept delivery and went Cayenne S instead.

In summary, love the gle350 and love the cayenne s. It’s subjective so you decide.

EXTRAOLD

The 350 felt ok. I had read a lot of reviews and decided to wait on factory ordered 450 for lots of the same reasons that others in the forum pointed out.

shotgun_banjo

True. If the point of the vehicle is to be used as a thing to transport you from point A to B and with luxury the 350 is the perfect truck. The 450 becomes the right tool when you are loading it up to the gills and do a lot of highway, mountain driving in full load or even towing.