Totaled my beautiful 2015 ML250 BlueTec with 106,000 miles on it a few weeks ago hydroplaning in an eastern Colorado heavy wind and light rain. Aside from some bruised ribs for me (from the airbag probably), our Mercedes kept me, my wife and our old dog safe. I had bought it new with retirement in mind and the need to curtail my former car buying habits. Car still was driving great and I had hoped to keep it for many more years. So…fast forward to today. I don’t want to spend the money for a new one and am looking at certified preowned GLE 350s and 450s 4matics with less than 35,000 miles. Am seeing a bunch of 2021’s (evidently coming off 4 year leases). Mostly 350’s at $45,000+ and a few 450’s at $55,000+. Also seeing a number of 2024 350’s with 5,000 or less miles (courtesy cars) some going between $59,000-$62,000 (the 2024 450’s are more than I want to spend). My long time Mercedes salesman said I probably wouldn’t be happy with the 350 vs the 450. I still drive aggressively although I might curtail that too! We take a lot of road trips out west to see grandkids and I want a responsive car. My question for those of you who’ve had or have a GLE 350 or 450, what are your thoughts about the differences. Right now, I’m torn between a 2021 450 (with 19,000 miles and with 2 years of warranty left, including the 1 yr. CPO) or spend a little more money for the 2024 350 and get something newer with less mileage and more warranty left. Appreciate your thoughts.

 

Glad to hear you are ok...the ML250 and the GL300d they offered were in a class of their own in my opinion. Great diesel SUVs. I have had many MB including a GL350 (diesel) and now I have a 2021 GLE 350 that we bought new. Mine is not 4matic as I was going for fuel economy and is used 75% of the time in what most would call city miles. Just hit 30k miles, no issues. Impressions on the 350 are if it did not have such a good transmission it may not be likeable, but I find it fun to drive, economical and mine since its a 21 does not have the 48v system which i like. Some have complained about the V167 build quality but mine is good. My only beef was they did replace the seat lowers under warranty due to MB tex cracking, sunroof adjustments and several software reflashes.

I really like the M256 straight 6 engine but that 48v system is not for me, at least the first couple of years. The 48v battery alone is $2,800 and nobody knows how long this lasts? As long as you are not towing anything you will like the 350, take one for a ride and see what you think.

 

Thanks for that Krusty. I am going to drive a 2021 GLE 350 today. I should have mentioned that on my ill fated trip, it started with me trailering my Harley TriGlide from Chicago to Tucson through Colorado. I had got the trailer last December because my family kept telling me I was getting too old for my cross country solo rides. Together the bike and trailer are about 2,000 lbs. so not huge. The diesel had no issues with it anywhere, mountains or otherwise. I left the trailer in AZ (so it wasn’t in my crash) and will be riding the bike back to Chicago shortly, but it’s possible I’ll use the trailer again one of these days and maybe more frequently as the years go by.

 

I owned a 2020 GLE 350 for the last 4 years and found it zippy enough and a 100% reliable car. Last week I traded it for a GLE450 and while the extra power of the 6 cylinder motor is obvious, it's not really something I needed. They both get about the same gas mileage. You'll get many replies here saying there is no question the 450 is far superior to the 350 but you need to test drive both and decide if the extra cost is worthwhile to you.

 

If you're looking for a long term vehicle, do not settle for the 350 to save $$ on the purchase price, you'll regret it later. Get the 450.

 

Based on what?

 

The OP's post
The 350 will be a capable cruiser, but it won't have any extra in reserve for being aggressive. This is the same reason we sourced a GLS 580 instead of a 450. The 450 would have done the job, but sometimes we just want to have fun. At least as much fun as you can have in a massive vehicle like the GLE/GLS. Secondarily we intend to be the last owners of the vehicle so the extra we spent on the upgrade will be spread over a longer term than most people. We also plan for a maintenance/repair budget which can be costly, but still not as expensive as an outright replacement vehicle.

 

Too bad about the diesel. I wish our overlords in the US would still allow us to buy one. The first few years of the 450 and the 48V system appear to have had a lot of issues. The problem appears to be largely rectified in the 2024 model year and the GLE 350 now has the same 48v system as the 450. The right choice in my mind would be a 2024 lightly used GLE450. There is no substitute for power when needed and I think that 4 banger would be would be even more anemic than normal in the mountains of Colorado.

 

While it looks like there are a lot of 48v issues and you can certainly read about them here I have a hard time condemning all the 48v vehicles over the last three years based on the reports seen here. You do make a good point about the '24 350 also having the 48v ISG which might just make it comparable to the diesel. IMO the I6 is a better engine that's really up to the OP to decide, ideally after a few test drives.

 

Fair enough. Wasn't challenging your statement, was interested in your reasoning. Having owned both, I never found the 350 lacking for power. If you get on it, the 350 is still surprisingly zippy for a 4 cylinder motor. I just consider the 450 more of a good thing.

 

I spent significant time in a 350 loaner in Colorado.
I was surprised at how eager it was.
I posted my observations in another thread:
https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...ml#post8968657

 

As a delighted proprietor of the 2021 GLE 450, I wholeheartedly endorse this exceptional vehicle. Having experienced the performance of a friend's 350 model, even in our region's relatively flat terrain, the remarkable disparity in driving dynamics between the two variants is palpable. Moreover, the 450 demonstrates superior fuel efficiency, further solidifying its appeal.

 

IF you've been driving a diesel 250, then a 350 will be more ??? sprightly. If you dirve on interstate hwys for hours on end and stay closer to 80mph than 75 mph, you should have no problem whatsoever. I had a ML350 Bluetec 2014 model for what it's worth. I would have never owned a diesel ML250 vs a ML350 Bluetec. Soooooo i'm saying you should be comfortable with the 350 imho. Go drive it at 80 mph on the hwy for at least a half hour or so and try passing other cars doing the same speed. I was surprised how well a 350 does when I took one for a drive. Not quite the slug I thought it would be. Just another opinion. Got a S560 for get up and go driving in a straight line for over 1K miles, if I want to, and a '14 XK Jaguar with not much range but has a bit of get up and go on interstate hwys,

 

The estimate from past discussions is $1700-1800 for the battery and labor (battery is $1280ish part #000-982-44-20-64).

 

Thanks all for the helpful input. Much appreciated. I recognize there’s no right or wrong answer, it’s all personal preference. I test drove both a 2024 GLE 350 and 450 yesterday which included a 5 mile stretch on a partially crowded interstate - was still able to reach 80 mph but didn’t want to scare the salesman by going faster. As it was he was probably thinking he’s with an old guy who just totaled his car. Both cars were smooth and luxurious as expected. I found that in the 350 I had to hit the gas pedal pretty hard to really pick up speed and there was some delay, but the 450 was much more responsive (no surprise given the different engines but now I’ve experienced it). I know the 450 wasn’t a 2021 model like I’m looking at but presume the responsiveness is comparable (subject to my test driving the ‘21 of course). Based on my general style of driving, which includes two lane roads where I want easy passing power and that I may be doing some towing (at most about 2,000 lbs) I’m leaning towards the 2021 450, one owner, 19,000 miles, a clean Carfax report and just under two years left of warranty coverage vs a 2024 350 used as a loaner, about 3000 miles and 4 warranty years left. My hesitation is I am concerned about reliability and the high cost of Mercedes repairs so a 3 model year difference can matter (and the ‘21 is closer to needing new tires, brakes, etc). My 2015 ML diesel was very reliable over its 9+ years but recognize that’s entails a bit of luck. I wish I could say I was a calmer driver and the more powerful engine wouldn’t matter to me, but you are who you are. Both cars are CPOs and about the same money, but the 2021 450 has more options included, some of which I would like and some of which are nice but not necessary. I still have some thinking and negotiating to do. I’ll let everyone know what I finally decide. And again, thanks.

 

I sometimes envy the people who can simply use a car as just a means of transportation.

 

Me too…

 

I know most will say the 450 is the way to go but I have been impressed with the 350 for only having a 4 cylinder. I came from a 2017 that had a 6. Was there a difference? for sure, you can tell the 6 has more power, but having driven my wife's old Nissan rogue with a 4 banger, and having to pretty much floor it while going on a steep incline, I was for sure impressed how peppy the 350 was(also handled that steep incline with a lot more power). I don't tow anything and I'm not a super fast driver. I only go 80-85mph tops when I'm passing someone, but I try to stay doing a reasonable speed 70-75ish is the norm on the highway. My choice was down between the 2024 350 I got now and a 2023 450. I went with the 350 just because it had more of the options I wanted (fully loaded), I liked the color a million times more (Alpine Gray with the 350 vs Twilight blue on the 450). The 350 had running boards and the 450 I was looking at did not (not an issue for me, but it for sure helps my 4 year old climb into the car) and the 350 had 4,000 less miles (my 350 only had 1,021 miles when I got it), and it was a year newer. When I drove the 350, I thought I would be disappointed with the 4 cylinder, but I was actually surprised with it. It's more than fine for my driving needs. Would the extra power in the 6 be nice? sure, but honestly, I don't think I ever came close to utilizing that extra power in my 2017 350. At the end of the day, I LOVE my car, much more than I loved my 2017 350.

 

I bet there are many more people out there with the 350, that wished they bought the 450, than folks with a 450, that wished they bought a 350. Just good enough it not something I want to settle for in a 70K plus automobile.

 

What surprised me on my back to back month-long comparisons, was that I got the same City mileage with the 450 as the 350, but plus 2-3mpg with the 450 on the road.

Add the usual summer situation of tourists chugging along on 2 lane roads with limited passing opportunities, the extra 10 - 15mph on hand with the 450, gives it the upper hand for me. I like to minimize my time exposed to oncoming traffic. Take those passing opportunities when they come....

Avoid 2020 167s.

 

As having a 2020 GLE-450 with no problems other than rocks and windshields I can vouch for having 47,000 trouble free miles. BTW it will accelerate to 120 without slowing down. More than that I figure was jail time. Cruise also works at 120.

 

If you are concerned with reliability get the 2 yr extended CPO warranty as I did when I bought my 2020 GLS. And you can check pricing with the dealers mentioned on the forums for extended warranties, as you have 30 days from CPO purchase to add an extended warranty.

 

The 167 350s are helped by the 9 speed transmission and for 24 the ISG. The extra low ranges give you a lot of applied torque from a stop. For most people this is just fine, some of us want a bit .... more.