Are physical buttons sticking around in the 2027 GLE?
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Are physical buttons sticking around in the 2027 GLE?
Like seemingly every brand, Mercedes has been replacing its interior buttons with giant screens. I personally hate this. In addition to that it's simply cheaper for the car company to replace all the buttons (and sensors and wiring harnesses) with a big screen, it's harder for the driver to use and more distracting. I am possibly in the market for a GLE, and it's my understanding that MY 26 (currently for sale) is the last model year before the MY 2027 refresh.
It's expected Mercedes will roll out the giant screen concept across all models, with the GLE having the interior the current E class has. But I've been doing my research and if the spy photos of the 2027 GLE are to be believed, it looks like they are keeping the buttons/current interior design? That's what it looks like if the leaks are to be believed. I haven't found any discussion about this so I figured I'd ask on here. Here the spy shots:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...lass-spy-shots
It's expected Mercedes will roll out the giant screen concept across all models, with the GLE having the interior the current E class has. But I've been doing my research and if the spy photos of the 2027 GLE are to be believed, it looks like they are keeping the buttons/current interior design? That's what it looks like if the leaks are to be believed. I haven't found any discussion about this so I figured I'd ask on here. Here the spy shots:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...lass-spy-shots
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Like seemingly every brand, Mercedes has been replacing its interior buttons with giant screens. I personally hate this. In addition to that it's simply cheaper for the car company to replace all the buttons (and sensors and wiring harnesses) with a big screen, it's harder for the driver to use and more distracting. I am possibly in the market for a GLE, and it's my understanding that MY 26 (currently for sale) is the last model year before the MY 2027 refresh.
It's expected Mercedes will roll out the giant screen concept across all models, with the GLE having the interior the current E class has. But I've been doing my research and if the spy photos of the 2027 GLE are to be believed, it looks like they are keeping the buttons/current interior design? That's what it looks like if the leaks are to be believed. I haven't found any discussion about this so I figured I'd ask on here. Here the spy shots:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...lass-spy-shots
It's expected Mercedes will roll out the giant screen concept across all models, with the GLE having the interior the current E class has. But I've been doing my research and if the spy photos of the 2027 GLE are to be believed, it looks like they are keeping the buttons/current interior design? That's what it looks like if the leaks are to be believed. I haven't found any discussion about this so I figured I'd ask on here. Here the spy shots:
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...lass-spy-shots
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2021 GLE450
In this case being a second facelift rather than an all-new model will likely work to the consumer's advantage. They could still use the infuriating capacitive controls on the steering wheel, unfortunately. I recently read somewhere that the volume wheel will be returning on some MB models, but I can't recall the details.
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GLE 580
In this case being a second facelift rather than an all-new model will likely work to the consumer's advantage. They could still use the infuriating capacitive controls on the steering wheel, unfortunately. I recently read somewhere that the volume wheel will be returning on some MB models, but I can't recall the details.
Last edited by wildta; Aug 21, 2025 at 08:29 AM.
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Maybe they are watching the recent class action filed against VW for their capacitive steering wheel buttons potential for causing car crashes... I hope VW loses so that all manufacturers return to using more physical buttons for the commonly used functions within the cars, at least until level 3 driving becomes prevalent.
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GLE
In this case being a second facelift rather than an all-new model will likely work to the consumer's advantage. They could still use the infuriating capacitive controls on the steering wheel, unfortunately. I recently read somewhere that the volume wheel will be returning on some MB models, but I can't recall the details.
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2026 C class prototype example here has the volume wheel back. T model shown, but hopefully consistent across the siblings.
https://youtu.be/HN49cLd5IfU?si=BUrAgwgb3oFxe11X
https://youtu.be/HN49cLd5IfU?si=BUrAgwgb3oFxe11X
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2025 GLE450
In this case being a second facelift rather than an all-new model will likely work to the consumer's advantage. They could still use the infuriating capacitive controls on the steering wheel, unfortunately. I recently read somewhere that the volume wheel will be returning on some MB models, but I can't recall the details.
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Only a few MB models left have that I guess, mainly due to the fact it still has some of the older design language given it is a facelift and not a whole new gen. It is this V167 GLE and the X167 GLS in particular as well as a class like cla C118 facelift.
