Matter of luxury

The GLE is a rather big SUV which is packed with features and offers good performance. That’s what the company says. We drive the GLE 300d to find out if that is true

- Rahul Ghosh

The Mercedes-Benz GLE is one of those premium SUVs which has always been well-taken by the Indian audience. Now there is a new one which promises a hell of a lot more. But does it deliver? Let’s find out. The new GLE looks the part to begin with. The variant we have with us is the 300d which is essentially the entry point to the GLE world. Hence it comes with LED headlight with signature LED day time running lights. The front end has this butch appearance which gives this big SUV proper street cred. The three pointed star logo sits proudly atop the front grille which again is a signature item on Mercedes SUVs. The bumper is large and curvaceous in nature and the black airdam adds to the sporty appeal of the SUV. In profile the large 19in alloy wheels and tyres do a splendid job in filling up the wheel wells and then adding to it are the flared wheel arches. The unique forward facing C-pillar design too has been kept in this new generation GLE. At the back the sleek wraparound tail lights fit well with the overall design and then there are scuff plates to complete the design. To put it in perspective, the new GLE features a rather sober design which sure is appealing. Now we come to the dimensions part of the story. The new GLE is 105mm longer than the erstwhile version. It has also gained 80mm in wheelbase length, a fact the company has been aggressively advertising by adding the ‘LWB’ or ‘long wheelbase’ suffix to the GLE. The large dimensions also give the GLE a more imposing look.