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I know there are million threads on this but looking for some recent model (2026) advice. My wife recently had a minor fender bender with her 2013 GL450 which when the repair shop started looking around it became a total loss. Too bad because she loved that car.
Fast forward to today we went looking at a new GLE. Found what she wants - Selenite grey with black mbtex and the grey wood trim. And has to be AMG trim package. She drove a GLE350 and liked it, even though it doesnt pull like her old v8. MSRP was $76,810 so not heavily optioned. She doesnt care about the Driver Assistance Pkg (I like that but I have a similar package on my 25 Toyota Forerunner). Dealer is offering $3500 off and additional $2000 off if we use MB financing. It has the Night package and 5 spoke wheels but we both prefer the multispoke wheels with the selenite but not a deal breaker. But dealer also found a GLE450 for $79,550 - same colors and multispoke wheels and 450 comes with the AMG appearance. Am I crazy not to get the 450 for $2700 more? Again she thought the 350 power was adequate.
Last edited by bancroftdg; May 13, 2026 at 12:43 PM.
I know there are million threads on this but looking for some recent model (2026) advice. My wife recently had a minor fender bender with her 2013 GL450 which when the repair shop started looking around it became a total loss. Too bad because she loved that car.
Fast forward to today we went looking at a new GLE. Found what she wants - Selenite grey with black mbtex and the grey wood trim. And has to be AMG trim package. She drove a GLE350 and liked it, even though it does pull like her old v8. MSRP was $76,810 so not heavily optioned. She doesnt care about the Driver Assistance Pkg (I like that but I have a similar package on my 25 Toyota Forerunner). Dealer is offering $3500 off and additional $2000 off if we use MB financing. It has the Night package and 5 spoke wheels but we both prefer the multispoke wheels with the selenite but not a deal breaker. But dealer also found a GLE450 for $79,550 - same colors and multispoke wheels and 450 comes with the AMG appearance. Am I crazy not to get the 450 for $2700 more? Again she thought the 350 power was adequate.
Get the 450, yes 350 might be adequate but the 450 will be smoother and will pull effortless on the highway when you are trying to pass or ever need to quickly accelerate out of a dangerous situation.
The 350 is not buzzy, it runs fine. I had a 2020 350 and traded it in only because I wanted more options. The 2024 450 I have now is a much nicer car in terms of comfort and convenience options and I would have bought it if it was a 350.
The GLE is not an elephant but still not light so the 450 makes more sense maybe just maybe it will be fine in a sedan but the 4 banger even in the X254 GLC 300 I driven it lacks pulling power above a certain speed and it felt like it was struggling. This is despite the X254 GLC is lighter (according to google it is almost 800 lbs lighter) than the V167 GLE.
I had a 2020 350 as a loaner for a month while my 450 was being returned, and put over a thousand miles on it, driving all around Colorado at 5,000 to 12,000 ft elevation, during the high traffic season of Aspen watching.
I was surprised at how capable it was (after I got rid of the 87 octane that was in it - HUGE improvement).
This was before the ISG, so less responsive than newer versions.
In normal driving, once I "calibrated" my right foot to the turbo lag, it moved the car pretty well.
The only time I really ran out of power was in passing maneuvers on winding two lanes, where it ran out of steam at 75mph. My 450 gave me about 15 more mph to complete passes.
That's pretty irresponsible driving, so after a couple of treacherous moves, I became Normal and stayed in line. Following the annual Aspen Lookie Loo's.
(My AMG53 takes that same passing completion speed up to 105, for comparison.)
A surprise - I got @28-30mpg, where I'd get 30-32 with the 450.
Depending on your intended useage, it's probably plenty of motor, especially with the newer ISG.
I had a 2020 350 as a loaner for a month while my 450 was being returned, and put over a thousand miles on it, driving all around Colorado at 5,000 to 12,000 ft elevation, during the high traffic season of Aspen watching.
I was surprised at how capable it was (after I got rid of the 87 octane that was in it - HUGE improvement).
This was before the ISG, so less responsive than newer versions.
In normal driving, once I "calibrated" my right foot to the turbo lag, it moved the car pretty well.
The only time I really ran out of power was in passing maneuvers on winding two lanes, where it ran out of steam at 75mph. My 450 gave me about 15 more mph to complete passes.
That's pretty irresponsible driving, so after a couple of treacherous moves, I became Normal and stayed in line. Following the annual Aspen Lookie Loo's.
(My AMG53 takes that same passing completion speed up to 105, for comparison.)
A surprise - I got @28-30mpg, where I'd get 30-32 with the 450.
Depending on your intended useage, it's probably plenty of motor, especially with the newer ISG.
What... People put 87 octane in the loaners? Ugh that is annoying. I put 91 regardless if the car was mine.
What... People put 87 octane in the loaners? Ugh that is annoying. I put 91 regardless if the car was mine.
I do as well, but that's not typically the way I receive a loaner.
The most noticeable was an AMG C43, which felt like a Subaru. Luckily it only had 3/4 tank so I ran it down to a quarter, filled with 91, and it was like night and day. Understatement.
My dealer is a 200 mile round trip, so I get to know the cars a bit.
I do as well, but that's not typically the way I receive a loaner.
The most noticeable was an AMG C43, which felt like a Subaru. Luckily it only had 3/4 tank so I ran it down to a quarter, filled with 91, and it was like night and day. Understatement.
My dealer is a 200 mile round trip, so I get to know the cars a bit.
Got it but it might just be bad gas or bad gas station or lower tier 91, no? Or maybe it wasn't top tier or the refinery, i mean I can put 91 esso and 91 shell and it drives different.
Get the GLE450. Better engine, smoother and quieter. More performance and it is delivered better. The GLE has enough power for DD but it’s the loud noise and lack of refinement that turns me off from a 4 pot.
'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
No replacement for displacement... I moved my wife from a 350 to a 450 (E not GLE)... car was in for warranty work and they gave her a brand new 350 GLE... she's not a car gal, but the only thing I heard her say was "this doesn't have my engine does it?"
No Sweetheart, it does not have your engine... your car will be ready by the weekend.
Update: so on Saturday I went to the dealer to try a 450 and a 350. I will caveat this and say that the 450 was not the color/spec that I would be interested in buying whereas the 350 was. Which to make this story even longer was part of the problem - I couldn't find a grey/black/grey 450 with a sticker $80K or under within a 150 miles of me. The dealer was searching to trade for one. Any way, the 450 was very nice. I loved how it pulled on a long uphill on-ramp. Nice power, not push you in the back of your seat power but nice. On the highway it was smooth and quiet and passed cars with ease. Now the 350 - I had expected I would have to put my feet on the ground ala Fred Flintstone to help it up the on-ramp based on what I've read. But I was pleasantly surprised by how well it did. It did work harder than the I6 but moved the SUV just fine. On the highway it was quiet and had ample power to pass. Maybe its because my daily driver is a 25 Toyota 4Runner and I'm used a 4 banger turbo and I dont have a heavy foot.
So long story short I bought the GLE350 and will pick it up Tuesday.. MSRP was $76,810. They knocked off $6K ($4K plus another $2K if I financed with MFS). Doc fee was $400, Mass tax was $4450, registration fees were $470 ( it will be less since I'm transferring plates) so OTD $76,130. I'm sure I will hear the ELW and Maintenance pitch on Tuesday but right now inclined to do neither of them. Wife drives about 9K per year and we have found that most problems begin around 85K+ miles so an ELW doesnt really make sense. But I may revisit that in the future.
Thanks to everyone who chimed in. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum.
Last edited by bancroftdg; May 17, 2026 at 04:16 PM.
Update: so on Saturday I went to the dealer to try a 450 and a 350. I will caveat this and say that the 450 was not the color/spec that I would be interested in buying whereas the 350 was. Which to make this story even longer was part of the problem - I couldn't find a grey/black/grey 450 with a sticker $80K or under within a 150 miles of me. The dealer was searching to trade for one. Any way, the 450 was very nice. I loved how it pulled on a long uphill on-ramp. Nice power, not push you in the back of your seat power but nice. On the highway it was smooth and quiet and passed cars with ease. Now the 350 - I had expected I would have to put my feet on the ground ala Fred Flintstone to help it up the on-ramp based on what I've read. But I was pleasantly surprised by how well it did. It did work harder than the I6 but moved the SUV just fine. On the highway it was quiet and had ample power to pass. Maybe its because my daily driver is a 25 Toyota 4Runner and I'm used a 4 banger turbo and I dont have a heavy foot.
So long story short I bought the GLE350 and will pick it up Tuesday.. MSRP was $76,810. They knocked off $6K ($4K plus another $2K if I financed with MFS). Doc fee was $400, Mass tax was $4450, registration fees were $470 ( it will be less since I'm transferring plates) so OTD $76,130. I'm sure I will hear the ELW and Maintenance pitch on Tuesday but right now inclined to do neither of them. Wife drives about 9K per year and we have found that most problems begin around 85K+ miles so an ELW doesnt really make sense. But I may revisit that in the future.
Thanks to everyone who chimed in. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum.
Never , ever put 87 octane in a Mercedes Benz engine. Don't even buy a Mercedes if you intend to cheat at the gas pump. Consider that before for you consider buying one. I can see a quarter tank in case of emergency But not on a regular basis. Also "Lead foots" should consider the cost of replacing Motor and Transmission Mounts. Last time I had to replace then on a 6 cyl SVU it was $3K+. I learned to drive it like a Luxury SVU after that.
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