There is obviously a market for it. I see a lot of them. You have the size and look of the 450 or 580 at a much lower price. I don’t consider that cost cutting. I see it as smart marketing. Taking away rear side window shades is cost cutting.

 

And so is putting a lower-end AWD system in the GLE350, versus, putting a far better AWD system in the GLE450 and above.

The GLE350 essentially has an open center differential (like the original ML320 from decades back) that splits power 50/50, and then uses the vehicle's brakes to shift power around. That's serious cost-cutting versus the FAR better systems in the upper tier GLEs.

Are the GLE350 buyers even an informed clientele on what they are really getting, and what is being denied to them ? I doubt it.

 

And open differential with brake assist is pretty sophisticated in the MB application. It's virtually unbeatable off-road, and makes obstacles that challenge diff-locked cars struggle or quit.
It's a different technique for traction, although it's not currently used for torque vectoring on 350"s. (I don't think any 167 has torque vectoring yet, but soon....)

You'd have to be doing something odd to discern any difference.

You can spend $10k if an electric differential is a Thing for you.

Or get an AMG with an AWD system that provides noticable front grip at the track. Another $20k.

I think you're working on the premise that GLE 350 buyers are stupid. Some might say they're wise. It's a matter perspective.
Understanding the advantages/disadvantages of various systems might reduce your prejudice.

A 450 horse engine costs more than a 260 horse engine. A performance AWD system costs more than a basic one. I think we know that.
Paying more for more things costs more. I think we know that too.

 

You guys are WAY over my head. I would say that most buyers could care less about what type of AWD system is in their GLE. Unfortunately, I can’t get a breakdown of how many 350s are sold. I didn’t know the AWD systems are different. I wanted the 450e. Otherwise, I would have probably bought the 350. I paid several thousand more to save a few dollars in gas. It’s fun not using any gas.

 

Yeah, I don't think most people are affected by which AWD system they have. They're all pretty advanced.

 

I had a 450 and once the tires wore past 50% more than once it scared me driving in the rain. I do not understand the differences on paper of the drive systems but I know the 63 I replaced it with has never made me feel as though I was not in total control and stuck securely to the road.

 

The 63 you replaced it with, has the exact same AWD as the 450 you had before. Blame the tires for the predicament you faced, rather than the AWD system. The technical term for this is "Captain obvious" !

Remember, the ONLY connection that your car has, to the road you are driving on, is the 4 small patches of rubber that your tires provide. Not even the most sophisticated AWD system can help, if your tires are compromised. The tires you had on the 450, were ultra-****ty to start with (Mercedes seems to put really poor standard tires, including the Cooper tires that my GLE450 came with) and once it wore past the 50% mark, it was pretty much beyond the point of salvage.

The following is from the Mercedes Presskit for the V167 GLE, pertaining to the AWD systems:With the four-cylinder engine in the new GLE 350, 4MATIC all-wheel drive is realized with a transfer case which transmits the drive torque to the axles in a fixed ratio of 50:50 percent. Spinning wheels are addressed by braking intervention at the relevant wheel.

A transfer case with an electronically controlled multi-disc clutch is used for the other engines, including the GLE 450. This allows a variable transfer of drive torque from 0-100% (torque on demand) between the axles.
How many people are even aware of the above difference, when they are shopping for a 350 or a 580 or a 63S etc ? I suspect very few.

 

The 50/50 AWD system referenced above, is the same as the one employed in older non-STI Manual Transmission Subarus, from a couple of decades back, where the Center diff is an Open differential. This is totally different from the Torsen (Torque-sensing) differentials employed in Manual Audis, or Helical-based Center Differentials, which are FAR more sophisticated and dynamic.

When you really do need your AWD system, which is when you have lost traction, Open Differentials (often pejoratively referred to as "peg legs") transfer Torque to the spinning wheel that has lost traction (the exact opposite of what you need)......not away from the spinning wheels, to the wheels that do have traction. They solve this using another el-cheapo method, which is using the car's brakes to do the transfer, away from the spinning wheel (in typical conditions this should work, but in severe conditions, you are going to have brakes overheating). Despite that, at no time is any wheel getting more than the default 50% Torque.

Unlike the much more dynamic "torque on demand" system employed in the higher-end GLEs, which can transfer 100% to either axle, depending on road conditions, using electronically controlled and hydraulically actuated multi-disc transfer clutches.

PS: I have no idea why Mercedes Benz decided to put this 50/50 system into the GLE350, when they already have a high-end system that they are putting into the non-4-cylinder equipped models. Cost cutting, maybe ?

 

Your comparison of Subaru and Audi all-wheel drive systems is off base and misleading.
Your description of Torsen and the STI systems is inaccurate, as is your description of the GLE 350 "System."

Subaru and Audi are trying to make their front wheel drive platforms act like rear-wheel drive. Mercedes starts with a rear wheel drive. Conceptually and technically they are different.
In practice, The Mercedes GLE 350 system doesn't work like a simple 50/50 split, open diff like the Subaru. It transfers all power to the wheel(s) with traction. It works.

Manufacturers tend to build in understeer, which is the primary way the Subaru and Audi systems work. The 350 is more understeery than the more powerful MB lines with rear bias, which can require a more skilled driver.

You are correct that the AMG Fourmatic Plus is a performance system.
The 450 and 580 are not. Nor is the Audi Torsen or the current Subaru STI.
No, none of the MB differentials transfer "100% Torque on Demand" without brake intervention. The same brake intervention that the 350 uses.
Please do some research.

 

Perhaps the "drive" system is identical. Not the suspension or active roll stabilization. I believe there is more to it than just the tires. There are other posts in the forum regarding the GLE handling in wet conditions. I was just stating my experience. The 450 rode great and was very nice but being on the east coast poor wet handling was disconcerting enough for me to replace it.

If the MOE Primacy tires were the issue I wonder why my old Accord I inherited never experienced this issue while delivering over 70k miles on a set.

 

It is due to the tires. Nothing else. What you experienced has nothing whatsoever to do with the AWD system.

A front-wheel-drive car with dedicated winter tires, will do FAR better in snow and ice, than the best AWD car with sub-par all-season tires.

You put great tires on a car (say, the Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4), and it will grip the road well, and evacuate the water underneath well, and prevent hydroplaning. You put "Continental CrossContact LX Sport" that MB equips as standard equipment on many of their cars, and that will hydroplane like crazy, and show poor grip, even when it is new. Just the nature of the beast.

 

I agree with @Roweraay that tires can more important than traction systems in slippery conditions.

I'll add that Conti's used to be my least favorite tire brand, and I was disappointed when my 53 showed up with the Continental Cross Contact LX's.

Subsequently, I was surprised that I like them as much as I do. Especially their resistance to aquaplaning.

Looking at Tire generations, Continental has introduced several new tire lines in the past few years that leapfrog their previous offerings and other manufacturers as well. Especially in the MO-1 designation.

I wouldn't rule them out.