I picked up a 2015 ML back in March and I love the vehicle. At first when I saw the new GLE, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't wait for the new model. I visited my dealer today and had a good look at the new GLE which led me to authoring this thread ....

I'm not overly impressed with the changes to the interior, the new nav screen although bigger seems like an after thought. The speedometer dials don't work for me, too busy. The general flow of the dash isn't as fluid as it is in the ML.

I'm kinda torn on the front, from some angles I like it better than the ML, other angles I think the ML is superior.

The rear however, is where I think they got things perfectly right. I love the new rear lights and the exhaust tips in the bumper. The rear of the vehicle looks generally beefier.

Can anyone advise of the rear bumper assembly and exhaust could be retrofitted from the new GLE to the ML? The surrounding sheet metal appears to be exactly the same.

 

GLE updates are better than ML in every way, in and out. Good luck.

 

Hi Even I have the same wish. To retrofit the New GLE Bumpers and Lights on my 2015 ML350, would love to get any info possible regarding this.

Thank you.

 

All the exterior changes are pretty minor, although I would love to get my hands on those full LED headlights for my wife's ML350. The interior changes are mostly in the center console and the electronics. Overall, the changes are too minor for me to consider trading up for the GLE.

 

I respectfully disagree. While there are SOME things that are an improvement over the ML, the car itself is largely unchanged - and the things that have changed are not necessarily better. For example, I absolutely hate the tacked-on, afterthought iPad instead of an intergrated screen, and I suspect that I am not the only one seeing as MB is moving back to the old dash style w/ integrated screen for most 2017+ cars. Second, using the touch-sensitive trackpad (that only does some things and you still need to use the wheel for others, which is now buried under the trackpad) is generally a lot less intuitive to use and harder to do without taking your eyes off the road. I also don't like the new dials in the gauges - they're much too busy whereas the older ones were more elegant and easier to read. And, the fact that you can no longer get the 3.0L twin-turbo six pot diesel in the US is IMHO a huge oversight. That particular engine that came in the ML350 Bluetec was arguably the best one suited to the ML for a number of reasons.

The ML was always bulbous and the GLE didn't change the overall look much (unlike the GLK -> GLC changes for example), and while I agree that there certainly are some nice finishing touches and slightly modified surfacing in places that IMHO look better (like the front facia and the hood for example), the car is 95% unchaged. It's still the same W166 underneath the skin, and whatever changes they made are more to go with the name change than an actual upgrade. Saying "everything on the GLE is better" is debatable at best... and considering that it's actually the same car underneath and that the most obvious changes in the "user interface" department are not necessarily an improvement, I would have to disagree. When I bought my ML in December, I had a choice between it and the new GLE (they were just starting to arrive). I sat in both, drove both and it took me all of 10 minutes to choose the ML over the GLE. It was actually a pretty easy decision. The GLE may be a tad more modern from the outside, but the interior controls and layout - the most obvious changes - are IMHO a step in the wrong direction. If I wanted something counter-intuitive and with bits that look like they were stuck on as an afterthought, I would have bought a Lexus.

 

The OM642 diesel was gone well before the GLE arrived. The '14 ML350 BTC was the last one that had it. The '15 ML250BTC got the 4 cylinder and the GLE300d has a slightly revised version of the same powerplant. Even w/ it's oil leak issues, I still personally preferred the 6 over the 4, so much so that I went to a gas engine instead. Is the GLE [I]better[I] than the ML? Tough call once you acknowledge that they're essentially the same vehicle. For someone new now coming in, look at both, drive both, and make up your own mind. The pricing discounts on an ML might be the swing vote in favor of an ML. However, some of us who have had an ML for a few years look at the GLE as a welcome change and the remote start is a bonus as well. The gauges, touch pad, and screen are all things that you eventually get used to and don't even notice anymore.

 

The touch pad is a nice toy, but that's about it, it is not very practical. Its something you would show off to your friends a few time and never use again afterward. The location of the touch pad is also somewhat questionable as it doubles as a hand rest for the MMI dial.

 

The OM642 diesel is alive and well in Candian GLE350d cars as well as my 2015 ML350 Bluetec. It is smooth - in Europe MB is using that engine in the S class among other cars - and with 455 ft.lb from 1600 rpm, it is ideally suited for towing. Add to that the 900+ km range per tank of diesel (which is $0.30 cheaper per liter than premium gas), and it's pretty much a no-brainer. 70%+ of all W166 MLs sold here are 350 Bluetecs. The 350 gasser didn't sell at all.

The only reason MB discontinued it in the US is the fact that it would cannibalize sales on the four GLE models up to and including the GLE400. Except for the GLE63, this is the first year where there is ZERO model overlap for Canada and the USA. We don't get the 2.0L I4 diesel, the two 350 gassers, the 400 or the 550e (now *THAT* is a joke - a hybrid 3 tonne SUV with a 8.8 kWh battery that has the range to get you out of your driveway). The GLE350d with the OM642 powerplant is the entry-level ML here (there's no more 350 gasser), followed by the GLE450 AMG, the "old" 550 without the battery fail, and the 63. I don't know who is making the decisions what model to offer in what coutry, but the people that decided on the US lineup should be immediately fired for idiocy and tried for crimes against humanity in the Hague.

The ML -> GLE change (seeing as the platform underneath is essentially unchaged) is IMHO the first time MB has gone backwards and the new models have devolved instead of evolved. I can't help but think that big oil in the USA must be somehow involved - likely through lobbying and in turn government legislation - as they are clearly doing things to continue maximizing their profits and the US' massive dependence on gasoline.

 

I should've clarified that in the US it is still available in the GLS. We even tried to get into a GL just to get that engine again but to no avail. Ended up in a GLE gas. Interesting thing about diesel pricing, this whole winter, it never really rose to the price of premium. Right now, it's down to the same as regular 87 grade gasoline.

 

Right - the GL (or now GLS) also comes withe the OM642. As for diesel prices, for the past ~30 years in Toronto a liter of diesel has more or less always been on par with a liter of regular gas. Right now regular (87 octane) is about $1.05/L, premium 91 is about $1.18/L and 93 or 94 is about $1.30/L, whereas diesel is still steady at $0.85/L. And, considering that the OM642 easily gets 2.5x the mileage from the same 80+ L of fuel as the gas-powered MLs, it is enough to make a noticeable difference. I mean, compared to Europe we (North America) have cheap gas anyway, and we drive MBs to boot (so we're not exactly struggling to make ends meet), but it really makes a difference having to fill up for $120 once a week vs. once a month for $80.

 

I partially agree and some changes are debatable. Things like the LED tailights are nice, however..

 

Very fair assessment and as a GLE owner, I fully respect your view and pretty much agree with all the points you made. It's my wife's car and I barely drive it so whatever makes her happy...

 

I would definitely have gone with the 350d if it was available in the US instead of going for the 400. The 300d is definitely not the right choice for the W166 as it lacks power and refinement imho. I used to have a w212 E350 bluetec and that was probably the best Mercedes I've ever owned. Lots of torque and got me 45mpg on the fwy, in which I dearly miss that engine and wish my GLE had that..

 

Someone in Dubai did the conversion and is asking $27,000 for this:

 

converted from the ML500, all this equipment must have costed 10-20k, i wonder if this owner has the LED reverse lamps same as the current GLE, its fantastic

$27k for this car is a steal, but i wonder how many miles is on this. Big plus is ambients, but the minus is no HK7 system

 

I had the impression that the $27k was for the conversion, not the converted vehicle which makes no financial sense.

 

Ugh... that car is a FAIL in so many ways I wouldn't even know where to begin. To each their own I guess.

 

 

Even seen my project???

https://mbworld.org/forums/new-m-cla...l-gle-amg.html