Bryce1023

I generally don’t buy my vehicles with a great deal of options. Simply speaking I really enjoy getting a new car, however, the prices can get ridiculous when loaded with options that I would never use. I don’t need a trailer hitch, running boards, real leather seats, 21 inch wheels, etc. This brings the price of the GLE 350 and the X5 closer together. I really don’t care about a couple of thousand dollar difference. I do like the idea that the BMW includes maintenance in the purchase price. Currently in my area BMW dealers have large inventories on the 2024 x5 and building inventories on the 2025. I would expect an incentive on the 2024 MY shortly if there isn’t one already.
For some reason my wife, who is not a car person, finds the GLE more attractive, I kind of agree. A 2024 or 2025 GLE would look almost identical to my current 2021 . Having owned many MB and several BMW I’ve been fortunate enough to have enjoyed all of them.

W205C43PFL

Problem with MB is that, it usually comes with packages and if you want something you might need to buy an entire package, there is less standalone options. Not to mention that recently they introduced those trim lines like pinnacle, exclusive, etc. which often bundles things you don't need in things you need for a higher price.

The reason why they did this apparently is for dealerships to sell it more easily when a lease is returned but otherwise it could be unfair to those who are buying with cash.

SW20S

Mercedes paint has lots of orange peel, it just in general isn't as nice as Lexus or BMW or Audi. The paint quality is one of the main things I am disappointed in from MB and I miss from my Lexuses.

graffixnyc

I just had PPF installed on my 2024 GLE front end. The guy was telling me how now a days paint on cars isn't as strong. He told me about some way they measure the paint hardness or something like that. He said on his old camaro it was like 200-300 and on my MB it was like an 80. He said 100 is even low. (I forget what he said they measure but the higher the number the better) He said with it being so thin that you have to be careful even buffing it out so you don't remove paint.

mikapen

Everything's water-based now. Apples and oranges.

Did he have comparison hardness ratings with other brands?

SW20S

I have a brand new GLE350 as a loaner, I really like it. BUT, don't get the 4 cyl, it really holds it back. Spring for the I6...

W205C43PFL

Is it the pre-facelift? If so, the facelift will help due to the 48V stuff standard on the facelift 350, the 450 as you already know has the 6 and the 48V.

That said, I agree the 6 is the way to go still.

If money isn't an issue, the GLE 580 with the 8 is not a bad idea as well.

SW20S

Its a 2024 with 1,200 miles on it. Its okay, but the powertrain just really lets it down. The 6 is the way to go.

I'm surprised by how much I really like this, it rides and drives great and it doesn't even have the air suspension. I priced out a GLE580 the way I would want it, $107k...thats a lot for a GLE lol

W205C43PFL

Totally agree the 6 is the way to go, even in the X254 GLC 300 (which should be lighter than a V167 GLE 350) of both having the mild hybrid system, I test drove, if I am trying to pass at 75-80 mph, the vehicle doesn't pull anymore at that speed or it pulls very slowly, it is trying a lot.

That said, if you don't have to overtake often or live in my area where there are lots of trucks on the highway, it might not be a big deal but the smoothness of the 6 is impeccable.

SW20S

Yeah in the GLC the powertrain feels okay, but in something like the GLE it needs tie 6

mikapen

I had a 21 GLE350 loaner for a full month, while my 20 450 was in the shop. I put 1200 miles on it, all at elevations 5,000' to 13,000'.

I was surprised at how well the four pot moved the car, and I found it more than acceptable in most cases.

The most noticable difference was passing, where it ran out of steam (or rather ran into too much air) at 80-85mph.
The 450 runs out of steam at 95, which makes passing on a two-lane more comfortable, with more margin of safety.

I'm now in a 53, if that tells anything. Adds another 10mph to those numbers.

SW20S

It moves the car fine, it just feels coarse and unrefined doing it

djgiovanni

Correct

mikapen

I agree in part - it's certainly less smooth than any six.
But compared to other 4-cylinder offerings in the sector, I think it does pretty well.

I'm in a Q5 rental right now. I've owned a Macan and a Tiguan, and they're all, well, four cylinders.

(This rental '23 Q5, even in the top trim level, is one of the most primitive cars I've driven this decade. At 60 mph. It's so noisy you almost can't hear the radio. You definitely can't hear its engine over the cacophony of the rest of the car. Not tires.)

The six is worth the money, although I haven't driven a new 350 with the ISG.

stktyz33

I haven't tried a GLE 350 with the ISG but I drove a MY2024 C300W4, which, in my understanding, has the same mechanical bundle (engine + ISG + transmission) as 350s. With C class' weight, I expected it to be closer to my 450, was I wrong here, it wasn't even close.

I drive "light footed" in city driving, I.e., if I roll 30-35MPH, I expect a slight throttle push to react fast and get me to that 40-50MPH range, which my 450s accomplishes easy. The C class didn't move much on low RPMs when asked, even with 48V power delivery showing the full bar, which was suppose to compensate the turbo lag. Additionally, it had about 2 seconds delay downshifting when you push it hard while rolling, it's < 0.5s on the 450 in similar conditions.

It's possible the C class is just tuned poorly, so I keep an open mind.

SW20S

Thats like saying its the least terrible lol. In general, I just don't think a 4 cyl belongs in a Mercedes, certainly not a mid market one like the GLE. Driving it today it just requires so much RPM to deliver the power you want, and sounds so nasty doing it, turbo lag etc.

The 6 is a no brainer...

Agreed, even with the ISG there is still a lot of lag.

Frenetic

Anything coming out of that Alabama plant is pure trash that I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. Rubbish upon rubbish. There are pictures of new cars coming out of that factory with mismatched exhaust. The only way that should happen is if you’re utterly and completely incompetent.

SW20S

My wife drove the GLE350 today, and she commented on how incredibly slow it was...so no I4 people lol