I have an Alabama GLE, Finland GLC, and Stuttgart E. GLE and E have better quality plastics on some parts of the interior, but otherwise I don't think they're all that different in terms of materials or assembly.

The Designo leather in the GLC is the best though.

 

Well... Um... Consumer Reports constantly rate Mercedes at the bottom... So I wouldn't use them as a source to reference.

 

The main problem is, at least according to forum members here, their data is not reliable or trustworthy.

 

I must have the only high quality GLE comparable to my wife’s E. It is a myth that German MB vehicles are higher quality. Do they drive or have the same comfort? Of course not, one is a car and the other is a SUV.

 

Small update: just like some of you guys were saying here, for some people the car I posted pictures of is ok..somebody walked into the dealership, went to the parking lot and was presented with my ex-beauty with all her issues and decided to buy it anyway. So why would Mercedes-Benz bother to do something about these issues, no matter how rare they are, when people just go ahead and buy the cars anyway. It blows my mind to be honest and I am still a Mercedes-Benz fanboy, I've driven Mercedes cars for the last 15 years..
I was searching for an alternative car in Germany, I looked at over 100cars (ads with pictures) and I could see on many of them some of the defects my car had. like bad stitching on the steering wheel, panoramic roof not alligned with the rest of the roof, bad stitching on the seats, on the headrests in the backseat, small problems on the door panels etc..I took 2hours one day during winter vacation to check all these cars out and I saved 37 out of the first 100 cars I looked at that had at least one problem easy noticeable in the pictures. I mean...WTF?!

 

I guess it happens, I mean forum member Frenetic had a problematic GLE 53 which went into CPO inventory rather swiftly after trading in.

 

You are observing the finest work from MBUSI, Vance, Alabama, USA.

Low quality. MB produces low quality products.

 

So..a MB GLC made in Germany has a mich better fit and finish than a more expensive GLE!!! It just blows my mind that MB allows this, for two of my friends and I this meant ordering BMW's instead. Maybe the 2nd facelift will end this nonsense.

 

I don't know, that seems a bit of a stretch to say an audi Q8 feels $50k better in quality vs a GLE. That's well above Cayenne prices. I don't know about their fit and finish but I truly dislike their interiors with the touchscreen climate. I find the Audi infotainment and tech far far far worse. They are also still having issues with their 48v system (alternator failures) so at least Mercedes addressed their 48v issues back in 2022. For their more base engines, the Audi throttle lag is the absolutely worst. You have to drive the car in S mode at all times for it to be satisfactory to drive.

 

It will not. MB is fundamentally a low quality manufacturer. Quality as defined by the Toyota Production System which is de rigueur in the industry.

 

It was a comment regarding only interior quality, leather stitching etc. There is not a single fault in my Audi Q8, leather is amazing all around, stitching is perfect. There was a GLS63 amg at my local AD with the same interior as my Gle and that also had a lot of issues, even though it has a price tag here of around 220.000$. Basically, everything usa made from Mercedes has some QC issues, you cannot say this about MB that are built in Europe. This should not be a problem, USA has amazing manufacturing plants in general.

 

Toyota's claim to fame was their 10 year old tech and primitive engines/drive trains.
This was also true of BMW.
Now that they have new tech they are in the same boat as every other up to date manufacturer.
We'll see how long it takes the least reliable info source (Consumer Reports) to reflect that.

 

His main problem was the V1 MBUX. His new car has the dumbed down MBUX. And tire cribbing/crabbing, which was UHP tires in the cold. Frustrating for him.

My Super Loaded 2020 GLE450 had a BUNCH of problems, seemingly related to sensors and the like.
After I returned the car, the Service Manager took it home until it was fixed to his satisfaction, and it was then placed for sale.
Sold quickly as a CPO, and the new owner is happy.
I miss that car.
My '21 53 has been flawless.

 

That I understand, I mean I was trying to say a dealership can CPO a vehicle despite all the reported issue in his case.

 

Here’s my take. You buy a Mercedes GLE450, and aggressively edit out all of the complex electro-mechanical complexity, and stick to the fundamental car, it will run for ever, with little to no problems. For instance, I would certainly not opt for the E-ABC suspension, if I am buying the car and not leasing it. There’re all kinds of potential and expensive failure points that are lying in there (mechanical, electronic sensors, controllers etc), like ticking time-bombs.

My prior ML320 ran like a swiss-watch till it was donated at 245K, with zero problems during the entire ownership period. Replacing tires, wiper blades, brake pads etc excluded.

For my current GLE450, I stuck to the base car, and opted FOR a variant with no Airmatic or E-ABC, to stack the deck in favor of long-term reliability. The standard double-wishbone and multi-link Mercedes suspension is bullet-proof and that’s what I got. I opted to NOT get the massaging seats or the soft-close doors or any such aspect that adds in complexity that I can live without. And I did add in the things that are not adding electro-mechanical complexity, but adds to the comfort factor, and those were the Burmester sound system, a Panoramic moonroof, the Acoustic package, the premium leather seats etc.

Honda resisted the addition of an Air-suspension for well over a decade, but eventually succumbed and added it to their Acura MDX Type-S (Turbo 3.0L 6-cylinder). Engineering an air suspension to their products would be a stroll in the park for an engineering powerhouse like Honda, but they opted NOT to. They have a reputation to protect, and thus adding anything that complicates the long-term reliability aspect is something they shy away from.

The Euro automakers on the other hand, go crazy with all kinds of electronic doodads, but those become complex and expensive repair nightmares, leading to the values of these products dropping like a proverbial rock, right when the warranty is up. In the Euro makes, if you stay away from complexity, by sticking as close to the standard product as possible, you will have a winner, from a long-term reliability standpoint.

 

Sorry for the late response...missed your post. There might be a tag somewhere under the seat. I found that new arrivals for vehicles had protective plastic covering with an ID sticker, including a PN. After PDI that info would be gone. From what I could learn, some 2021, all 2022, 2023 GLE model seats were no longer available from Lear. Previously the premium Fine Nappa seats were probably made by Lear. My 2020 GLE 450 did not have the Fine Nappa so they were likely from the Johnson Controls subsidiary...but they were flawless so something changed!
After my 2021 GLE 53 seat debacle I did some research by looking at new arrivals at the Dealer and by online search. At the time there were numerous owners with poor assembly, irregular stitching, bunched corners...and some others with MB Tex cracking.
My best guess is that Mercedes (Vance factory) had to prop up (maybe invest in) the company that took over the upholstery business from Johnson Controls. There is no other logical reason that Mercedes would continue to accept poor quality for so long.

 

Lear at least still supplied the fine Nappa seats in 2022 (pic below from my car). I have zero issues with the seats - perfect stitching and wearing well after 40k+ miles. I have a 2025 on order for the wife that arrives EOM March (GLE 450) and I am thinking it will come with JC seats as she did not want the black Nappa interior. I hope they look OK quality-wise. We shall see.

 

When a company gets taken over, I doubt they would make wholesale changes in people, process, equipment, supplier base or technology. Especially when it could have an impact on the existing customer base, which is their entire reason for being.

 

The only problem I have with my GL450 seats, is that it is too wide. Essentially made for people who are seriously overweight (well endowed !). Over time, I have learned to live with that wideness.

I don't have this problem in the seats of my German built E450 All-Terrain Wagon, which is clearly built for trimmer people.

 

AMG seats would work for you. Maybe.

My <100lb wife misses the wider GLE optional contour seats, though. I do too, on long trips, but I need an even tighter seat at the track.

 

I am certain the AMG seats would be better, since during a recent service visit, I sat in a GLE63, and I did not feel the wideness at all. Not stellar seats of the Recaro type, but certainly hugely better than the non-AMG seats that mine came with.

 

I assume that the AT probably came with the multicontour seats which have the adjustable side bolsters?

 

My AT has basic leather seats. No frills like massaging seats or adjustable bolsters etc.

 

G'Day Mate, odd question but could we (ReDriven) use these photos for an upcoming video/buyers guide on the GLE??

 

Hey, Adam! If you are talking to me, the answer is yes, please! I am actually a subscriber of your channel.