No. The M254 2.0 4-banger is descended from a lineage of failed MB 4-bangers. Bad genes.

The M256 is an all-new 3.0 inline 6-cylinder. The base engine (5 Cs) seems solid so far but there have been reports of disintegrating wiring. And then there is the hybrid issue.

 

😅

 

Thanks everyone. I just made the commitment. The X5 really looked very good, and from a bells and whistles basis I think is a more attractive vehicle. So why did I just put a deposit on a 2026 GLE450? A few reasons actually.

1. We live in Western Canada and do a few ski trips into the mountains. The 2015 ML has been rock solid with the 4Matic and just a tank for performance. Our 2001 ML was the same. I am sure the xDrive from BMW is very capable but at the end of the day it is tuned for performance as the first driver. I had to remember that I was buying a vehicle to handle the conditions, and a SUV is not meant to be a sports car. My wife is the one driving this most of the time so getting what I felt was the best option for her was the key. Watching a YouTube video ( ) for the difference between Audi, BMW, and Mercedes helped with this. Talking to a fellow at the office who has driven both brands in the winter weather here, the Mercedes came out on top with him too.

2. The GLE is also much better on the eyes inside and out. As a friend said to me a couple of weeks ago, just remember that if you marry the ugly one you will be seeing it every day and wondering what it would have been like with the beautiful one.

3. The wife being the primary drive was another reason. This is a minor consideration but still played a part. A learning curve for her would be lower in the GLE.

4. The deal making experience with Mercedes was just way easier. I know the vehicle and the brand. With the BMW dealers it felt like I was being hosed. Configure a price online that shows all the costs (included the appropriate taxes and delivery costs) and the dealers were slapping on $10K. Guess they can because people are willing to pay it. I was not. The local Mercedes dealer made it easy, were super fair about the price, and in the conversations and offers before getting to a deal they were clear that the additional fees they charged did not include dealer admin and delivery fees. They said that was all part of the vehicle with the Freight/PDI being the only thing they had to charge additionally.

Going Plug-In Hybrid was a consideration with the BMW (given the inline 6) but not for me on the GLE. Call me a snob as I just like the bigger displacement options. I am also of the opinion that in 3 years the Solid State batteries will arrive and be an actual game changer over the current options. 10 years out (which I can see my being when I go to sell the GLE) the market will be completely different.

Now I have to find winter tires to fit it. Manufacturers are likely switching over to all-season builds now so options are likely limited. Ug.

 

So we have had the GLE for a few weeks now and even having done a longer drive weekend trip. It is a nice vehicle but I will say that I think it is not a significant improvement over my my 2015 ML. From my wife's perspective, she doesn't understand why we made the change and she would have preferred staying with the ML.

Space is nicer and certainly the screens are better. I have to take into account that the build of the ML was a higher level than the GLE, but after taking into account inflation (from car specific and not general) I paid more for the new GLE than I did for the ML (both I got a comparable discount after inflation). The ML had/has a better ride comfort (both have AirMatic) with the ML feeling more relaxed on basic road imperfections vs the GLE feeling more like a pickup truck. The seats is another area that was surprising with the ML being more supportive (to be fair the ML had the Designo package, but the GLE costs more after inflation). Fuel efficiency was not a surprise as the Diesel ML was amazing on this front and perhaps the GLE will get better after break-in, but I knew it would never beat the ML.

The new GLE though has huge room in the second row with close to the same room in the storage area. I had wondered why the rear storage was listed online of so much smaller than the ML. Now having the GLE I think I can put this to the fact that the ML seats could be moved from a reclined position to upright which the GLE is only in the reclined angle. This though is an area where I wish Mercedes had maintained the ability to fold the second row flat like the ML (it simply makes for more usable space), or made the second row distance adjustable like when the 3rd row option is selected (no need for power seats but that would be a nice option). Doing so would have opened up so much more space in the storage area for those long distance trips. Those with young children would certainly love that extra space.

Advanced driving is nice, but it still feels sort of underwhelming. We hear a lot about how advanced the Mercedes autonomous driver capabilities are but I would say that after having driven it for 6 hours on the highway I would save the money. Nice enough, but it feels like something that should just come with the vehicle at this price point.

Navigation and heads up display are a HUGE step up. So much so that the main driver console is almost pointless. Sort of makes you wish there were more options for the main console, or you could customize them yourself. I also like the option of Apple CarPlay, but will say that solar the MBUX satisfies about 95% of my needs. Something funny to me is that Hey Mercedes can be inadvertently trigger just about as easily as Hey Siri (nice to know as I thought Apple was just falling so far behind but perhaps they are not). One addition I would do to the heads up display though is to add the turn signal lights indicator (certain seating positions with steering wheel tilts cause the indicators to be hidden).

The MB app is a nice start, but it needs to have a regular user input in usability. I will stumble on details of the vehicle one day but then can't find it again the next. The fact that you can't access the 360 cameras like in a lesser equipped BMW X5 is also perplexing. To charge $27/month after the first year just basically to remote start the vehicle, remote lock it, or be told that it has or has not been locked, is not worth it to me and I won't take the subscription. MB, take the time to invest in a better App experience with features that make it worth the money. Currently I would only be willing to spend $5/month (basically a Starbucks Tea Latte).

Driving on the highway, regardless of the more truck like bounce, is very nice in the GLE as the 4Matic does nicely and the cabin is very nice. When I first heard of the heated armrests I thought they were a complete waste of money, but having had them now I can understand why they exist. The Burmester in the GLE sounds better than in my 2015 C400, and that includes for the Sirius XM (still a little tinny and hollow but significantly better than before and to the point where I might actually subscribe at the $5/month promo that they sent me).

Perhaps the thing here is that I am realizing just how good the W166 ML was, and still is. My daughter and her husband got it from us for a steel and it is good to know that it is still in the family. I hope the GLE is as solid 10 years from now.

 

Thanks for the info! I drive a 2013 ML350 Bluetec. Currently sitting at 375 000 km and it runs very well. It is currently at the body shop since I was sideswiped by an old lady last week, 5k in damages...

I was debating keeping my ML or upgrading to the new GLE450 (maybe even the 450e) since I do 30-35 000 km per year... Thanks for your review. I'll definitely think twice about "upgrading" to the V167.

 

I agree with all your points. Ours is my wife's daily and our trip car. It works very well for both and has been rock solid for 6 1/2 years.

 

In my experience, the 167 (our '20 GLE45- and '21 AMG53) is three steps ahead of the 166 (our 2014 ML 350 Bluetec) , which in itself was a step behind the 164 (our 2010 ML350 Bluetec).
The chassis is noticeably stiffer, providing a better platform for the suspension to work from. Which allows for a more supple and compliant ride and much better handling. Overall, the car is quieter as well. And roomier.
The 166 went "all Luxo" compared to the 164, and the focus on ride quality made the car kind of awkward in handling.

We had ordered a 2015 GLE350 Bluetec but after it was built, it went to Baltimore, sat there for three months and disappeared (probably the end of MB diesels). So we bought a CPO '15 Cayenne Diesel for it's fun factor, plus very stable and supple ride. We turned it in after Dieselgate because we feared that the "upgrade" they were offering would kill the car, although in actuality the new "tune" was better all around.
So we bought a CPO '14 Bluetec (we towed a 27' RV, plus the diesel just moves the car more easily than the 3.5 NA gas engine, PLUS 30-32mpg. I'd call it's ride "lazy" at best.
The warranty ran out and we bought a '20 CPO GLE450 (w/ E-ABC) with 8,000 miles. Stellar car, huge improvement over the '14 in just about every way including interior room. But it was a COVID car and spent three of the first four months in the shop, so it was bought back and we ordered the '21 AMG53.

Long story short, I can't think of a way that a 166 GLE350 is as good as a 167 GLE.

 

Thanks for chiming in good sir!

I'm curious, what kind of fuel economy are you getting with the 450? From what I've read on other forums, the 450 is just as good, if not better, than the 350 on gas.

 

I normally average in the high 20s on the highway. (My best is 29mpg at 70 mph over a couple hundred miles). Overall average is 26 mpg combined.

 

I regularly got 30 - 32 highway with the 450 and 28-30 with a 350 loaner over a thousand miles, equivalent driving.

FWIW my AMG53 gets 22-25.

 

Think you mean 2016 GLE, the 2015 was still an ML.

Assuming that you had the 166 with AirMatic as a comparison. I did not experience the 164 but did have a 163. I did not have them back to back so cannot give my thoughts to it.

Personal preferences are just that, personal. Thanks for sharing.

 

Impressive and I am hoping to get 29 on the highway.

The ML (diesel) was more consistently around 32-33 mpg for me. All of this does depend on terrain too. I managed to get that sort of average even with serious Rocky Mountain passes on the 2015 ML.

A recent trip (not going through major passes but still dealing with some climbs) with the 2026 GLE got close to 26 MPG, but with it still having been below the 1000 mile break-in period I am hopeful that there might be some improvement yet.

 

I'm still confused about the switchover from ML to GLE.🫤

It was my 2014 166 steel sprung ML that I disliked the most.
My first air suspended car was the 2020 EABC 450.
So most of my comparisons and preferences, air versus steel, were based on test drives and loaners.

I tend to keep my cars a long time, and I was cautious about the air suspension, once the warranties expired. (7 years.)

Now that I've been convinced (MB shop and an Indy) that the Fidelity Platinum Service Policy covers the suspension, parts, I got serious about air suspensions.
Now I plan on keeping my 53 for an even longer time.

Have you decided on what you're getting yet?

 

Oh, the steel sprung ML was terrible IMHO. I had a 2008 MDX that I compared agains the steel sprung suspension and told the sales guy that the older MDX ran circles around that suspension. The AirMatic was a completely different animal.

I too was somewhat concerned about the air suspension in 2015 (though I had been researching for a few years before). My thoughts were that the S class was working out the wrinkles, and then I added on the extended warranty. My experience with the W166 air suspension though was so good that I was not going to get the GLE without it. I did replace the rear suspension at 100K Miles but the cost was a little more than traditional struts and I figured I would have been on my second set by then (I will continue to fool myself on that if anyone tells me otherwise).

I have decided and just before Christmas we bought a GLE450, with AirMatic.

 

It can be... but the 450 is so much fun to drive in sport mode, I rarely exceed combined mileage above 25 mpg. If I could keep my foot out of it, I'm sure it would be much better!

 

Regarding steel springs on MLs, my 164 with steel handled really well. The 166 was a flop.

I never really saw the use for air springs, since my best handling cars were BMW and Porsche from the 80s and earlier. Still don't.

In test driving more than a dozen cars before ordering the AMG53, both my wife and I put the air suspended GLEs at the bottom of the MB options. (Ranked - ARC, E-ABC, steel, air, in 2020). She as a passenger and me as a driver.
Without the AMG ARC, or Porsche's PDCC (similar) I still prefer steel over air.

My standard for anything is "no wasted motion."
Which to me means when I turn the wheel the car instantly responds. When I step on the brakes or loud pedal, I want the car to "acknowledge" immediately. Not lean, take a set, then t u r n....

I'm kinda analog when it comes to cars. (And stereo.)
But I really like the ARC, which makes this 5,200# beast drive a lot smaller, especially at the track. Definitely Not Analog.

 

I've had a few loaners with air suspension and found it to be a little too floaty for my tastes. Nothing wrong with it, just personal preference.

 

I guess I've been lucky with my GLE 350 4Matic. I believe I drive it normally and the only replacement I've has so far is the battery under the drivers seat. I always keep in mind I moving around a 5K+ vehicle with a turbo charge 4 cylinder engine.