2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class Review - Automobile
That means Mercedes wants to avoid rocking the boat and distancing any of those buyers with an update -- even as it renames its popular SUV from ML to GLE -- so there are no sweeping changes to Mercedes’ luxury-and-comfort-based strategy. Increased pressure from governments and customers for fuel efficiency is driving automakers to turn to more complex automatic transmissions, turbocharging, and hybrid systems, and Mercedes-Benz is on board with the trend. New for this year is the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE550e plug-in hybrid, while the turbocharged V-6-powered GLE400 will get a nine-speed automatic transmission next year to replace the current seven-speed unit. With these new models in the lineup, including the turbodiesel GLE300d and the volume-driving GLE350, the GLE is more efficient across the board than the M-Class it replaces. The sound of silence Cruising through the tree-dotted grandeur of the Austrian mountain country in the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE550e, all we can hear is the rush of the wind cutting through the misty silence. At speeds up to 81 mph, the GLE550e’s plug-in hybrid system can operate exclusively on electric power from its 114-hp electric motor and 8. 7-kwh lithium-ion battery pack. Source: www.automobilemag.com
