One thing I am noticing when I drive between economy and comfort is that I get better fuel economy when in comfort but the transmission feels smoother in economy and I feel it has more power as well. Anyone else notice this?

 

Yes, it will start from a stop in second gear, and the throttle map has a more aggressive tip in. It will also glide in E mode (on the 350, that means it will coast in neutral), it won’t glide in comfort. That said, I find it gets better MPG on the highway with the CC on in comfort mode. If I have the CC off, I get better MPG in E due to the glide feature.

 

It sounds odd, but I get better fuel economy is Sport mode. Had the same experience with previous BMW. Perhaps it's my driving habits. A buddy of mine has a S580, he was experiencing the same in Sport.

 

Maybe in the 350, but definitely not in my 450. The engine doesn't glide in ECO mode, it shuts off when not on the throttle, and will do so at any speed. The MPG boost on a long trip is absolutely noticeable.

 

I played around with Eco mode in my 450 a few months back. It did glide in Eco mode, but not if CC was enabled. Therefore, I found it to be a bit cumbersome on long rides. I'd rather set CC and forget about driving than potentially save a dollar. Try it without cruise enabled.

 

My engine shuts off at speed in ECO mode whether the cruise is set or not. Its operation is completely invisible. I wouldn't use it if it wasn't.

 

What I've noticed is the shut off is much more prompt and frequent in ECO mode (at speed), and not so in Comfort mode. This is with CC or not.

I've done 1 tankful each of ECO and Comfort, with no CC on my GLE 450 W167. Fuel efficiency is almost same - may be a tad better with ECO (like 0.5mpg more)

 

Mercedes calls that "sailing"...the 350 glides in neutral with the engine idling, but the 450 with 48Volt system "sails" with the engine off. I'm not making this up...it's marketing.

 

I’ve only been using Eco mode since I find the downshifting in Comfort mode too abrupt. I am enjoying my 350, however, I feel that the transmission is not up to par for a vehicle in this price range. I have a 2021, perhaps the newer GLEs will have had the transmission tweaked by MB to provide a more comfortable, less jarring ride.
As far as fuel economy is concerned, I don’t really have an accurate basis of comparison since I always put it in Eco mode. I also own a 2022 GLC. With the GLC, I can simply tap the screen reminder to restore to Eco mode. This appears in the display when I start the car. Does the 2021 GLE have this reminder as well? This way you never forget to put it in Eco mode. Thanks, Happy New Year to all

 

Yes it does. I don't recall how to do it at the moment unfortunately as I always start/run in Eco. I had the vehicle programmed by RJ Automotive to default to the Individual or Sport+ profile. I set the Individual profile to Eco drive and Sport steering. I'm mildly regretting not getting the airmatic suspension package but other than that, loving the vehicle!

 

Yes the 350 GLE does have that feature — it is a toggle switch you turn on in settings.

 

Wow. Made the switch from C to E. What a difference! Soooo much smoother! Thanks for the info on this!