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I am close purchasing a 2023 GLE 450. There are some variations I can pick from. The main purpose for this car is for long distance drive and road trip and my goal is to have super smooth ride quality. There are some must packages I am getting:
I am close purchasing a 2023 GLE 450. There are some variations I can pick from. The main purpose for this car is for long distance drive and road trip and my goal is to have super smooth ride quality. There are some must packages I am getting:
1. AMG Exterior (need to sacrifice this if I get air suspension)
2. Premium Package
2. Driver Assistance
3. Panorama Roof
There are some other good options I can potentially get and unfortunately i can probably only get 1-2 of them given the choices the dealer has.
HUD
Acoustic comfort package
Airmatic Suspension (need to sacrifice this if I get air suspension, but if it boosts the comfort level, i am OK with it)
If you have to pick one, how would you rank them for my driving purpose?
Thanks!!!
Why sacrifice? If not in a hurry, why not build your own? I believe 2024 allocations are soon available if not already. Delivery time ranges from 6 - 9 months.
- The 450 is very comfortable in its basic form. Airmatic suspension will make it more so.
- The 450 is also very quiet. Acoustic package may not be necessary in my opinion.
- HUD is cool. Do you need it?
Last edited by djgiovanni; 04-19-2023 at 02:43 PM.
I can only speak about the HUD as I do not have the other two options; I had this in my X5 and I loved it. The display is larger in MB and even better. You never need to take your eyes off the road to look at instrument cluster. Good luck whatever you decide.
I am getting a lot of discount for 2023 GLE450 only and I believe the GLE450 Airmatic option and AMG Exterior do not coexist?
Unfortunately, some salesmen will feed you a line of bull in order to sell you a car off the lot. I just created a build on mbusa.com for a '23 GLE450 with all the options you want. There was no compatability issues. From what I have been reading, on here, the 450s are tough to find. Shop around and get what you want. Any dealership will service it; it doesn't have to be the one you purchased it from.
Unfortunately, some salesmen will feed you a line of bull in order to sell you a car off the lot. I just created a build on mbusa.com for a '23 GLE450 with all the options you want. There was no compatability issues. From what I have been reading, on here, the 450s are tough to find. Shop around and get what you want. Any dealership will service it; it doesn't have to be the one you purchased it from.
You can't order a 2023 model anymore. The salesman may be telling the buyer that he can't find an existing in stock 2023 GLE 450 with both the AirMatic suspension and AMG Exterior option.
There are several 2023 GLE 450s with the AMG Exterior and AirMatic showing up on the MBUSA web page.
I am close purchasing a 2023 GLE 450. There are some variations I can pick from. The main purpose for this car is for long distance drive and road trip and my goal is to have super smooth ride quality. There are some must packages I am getting:
There are some other good options I can potentially get and unfortunately i can probably only get 1-2 of them given the choices the dealer has.
HUD
Acoustic comfort package
Airmatic Suspension
If you have to pick one, how would you rank them for my driving purpose?
Thanks!!!
I had the HUD on my previous GLE350, but did not order it on my new 2023 350. As excited as I was to have it when I first got it, I found that it was not practical, because my polarized sunglasses prevented my ability to view the information that was being projected since it filters out the reflection. It was only visible in the evening/nights, so when it was time to build my new 350, I saved the $'s.
I have read that you can order different axis on polarized sunglasses and that some brands work, but I had invested quite a bit on my prescription lenses and didn't want to order new lenses. Just something to keep in mind when prioritizing options.
I had the HUD on my previous GLE350, but did not order it on my new 2023 350. As excited as I was to have it when I first got it, I found that it was not practical, because my polarized sunglasses prevented my ability to view the information that was being projected since it filters out the reflection. It was only visible in the evening/nights, so when it was time to build my new 350, I saved the $'s.
I have read that you can order different axis on polarized sunglasses and that some brands work, but I had invested quite a bit on my prescription lenses and didn't want to order new lenses. Just something to keep in mind when prioritizing options.
Polarized sunglasses is a definite issue, and one that isn't always mentioned during the order process. Thanks for mentioning it.
I ended up getting new glasses, since I really value the HUD. Now I don't have to remember which car holds the sunglasses.🙂 (I was pre-warned, too.)
I didn't realize how.much easier drive it is in traffic, until I spent 300 miles in a non HUD loaner. To me, it's 'clearly' a safety improvement.
The earlier picture of the BMW HUD by @TonyF61 looks exactly like the MB one. I don't know if they have as many display options - there are a lot. Right now I'm displaying the power delivery to each wheel. And the NAV, but not the Distronic.
edit: Oops it looks like TonyF61's picture IS the MB one. No wonder they look the same....🥴
Polarized sunglasses is a definite issue, and one that isn't always mentioned during the order process. Thanks for mentioning it.
I ended up getting new glasses, since I really value the HUD. Now I don't have to remember which car holds the sunglasses.🙂 (I was pre-warned, too.)
I didn't realize how.much easier drive it is in traffic, until I spent 300 miles in a non HUD loaner. To me, it's 'clearly' a safety improvement.
The earlier picture of the BMW HUD by @TonyF61 looks exactly like the MB one. I don't know if they have as many display options - there are a lot. Right now I'm displaying the power delivery to each wheel. And the NAV, but not the Distronic.
HUD still shows with polarized sunglasses, it's much more faint (my HUD is set to brightest) and looks light blue w/ my 3 different branded polarized sunglasses. Still legible and useful in my opinion. It is definitely important to try it out with and without to see if it's a worthy option for anyone's use case.
Ah i see. I think the problem is that there is only limited options we have now. Need to prioritize them
What is the price difference between this and if you built a 2024?
If I had to rank these options:
Airmatic Suspension - The added comfort
HUD - The added safety of keeping your eyes focused on the road
Acoustic comfort package - I don't know how many decibels this reduces exterior noise, from what I recall it's around 2 to 6 db in real-world use when I had researched it. There are other benefits of laminated glass, like the prevention of smash and grabs, and reduced infrared heat gain. Here's a video of someone trying to break laminated glass:
.......The main purpose for this car is for long distance drive and road trip and my goal is to have super smooth ride quality.
.........
There are some other good options I can potentially get and unfortunately i can probably only get 1-2 of them given the choices the dealer has.
HUD
Acoustic comfort package
Airmatic Suspension
If you have to pick one, how would you rank them for my driving purpose?....
I had all those together in a '20 450. I liked them all.
Get the suspension for sure. #2 - Acoustic, #3 HUD.
Actually I'd put Massage Seats ahead of suspension - the Seat Kinetics are a partial equivalent of a brief walk, and I go 3 hours instead of 2 without s break.
Where is that if you don't mind me asking?
Dealerships are just now starting to sell at MSRP. 7 - 10% discount is huge for a current model year and summer is not even here yet!
I bought my '22 GLE450 in the summer of 2022 and had to fight tooth and nail to get it at MSRP at a time when Mercedes-Benz was marking them up $10k above MSRP since there were no 450s to be had.
Where is that if you don't mind me asking?
Dealerships are just now starting to sell at MSRP. 7 - 10% discount is huge for a current model year and summer is not even here yet!
I bought my '22 GLE450 in the summer of 2022 and had to fight tooth and nail to get it at MSRP at a time when Mercedes-Benz was marking them up $10k above MSRP since there were no 450s to be had.
With the GLE, they are competing with a facelifted 2024 so a discount seems like it should be expected in current economic conditions. Also around the time you bought your GLE, Mercedes was in the middle of adding EV production to the Alabama plant which probably also reduced inventory on the ICE GLE at that time, in addition to supply chain issues.
Where is that if you don't mind me asking?
Dealerships are just now starting to sell at MSRP. 7 - 10% discount is huge for a current model year and summer is not even here yet!
I bought my '22 GLE450 in the summer of 2022 and had to fight tooth and nail to get it at MSRP at a time when Mercedes-Benz was marking them up $10k above MSRP since there were no 450s to be had.
7-10% discount? are you sure?
If so, i will cancel my order for 2024 model, and buy a 2023.