2016 Mercedes GLE class first drive: The ML is dead, long live the ML - Autoweek
The naming convention used for the GLE will soon apply to all Mercedes SUVs, except the original, 36-year-old G-Class (though the G, for geländewagen , provides the foundation). All will be labeled GL--like the current, full-size GL—with a third letter designating a relationship to a corresponding sedan. Thus, the GLE will be to forthcoming GLC and GLS SUVs as the mid-range E-Class sedan is to the compact C-Class and full-size S-Class. Which brings us back to M-Class 3. 2. Behind its new name, the ’16 GLE represents a mid-span update of the third-gen M-Class introduced for 2012. Its 114. 1-inch wheelbase is identical to the M-Class (longer than the E-Class sedan’s), and so are... The connection is most obvious in the standard GLE’s third roof pillar, which cants forward as it always has on the M-Class. 5-liter V6 makes 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, and it’s the only GLE engine offered without Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive. AMG’s familiar 5. 5-liter turbocharged V8 brings 550 hp, 516 lb-ft to the GLE 63 AMG, or 577 hp, 561 lb-ft to the GLE 63 S. The new engines follow a down-sizing trend. 0-liter twin-turbo V6 in the GLE400 generates 329 hp, 354 lb-ft. Tops among non-Coupe, non-AMG GLEs will be the GLE550 e 4Matic. Source: autoweek.com
