SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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Son of M: 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350d 4Matic

Usually more intelligent than you

Posted: 8 April 2016

Pics supplied

The numbers
Base price: R 1 037 553 including CO2 tax
Engine: 2987 cc, all-aluminium, DOHC 72-degree V6, 24 valve turbodiesel
Power: 190 kW at 3800 rpm
Torque: 620 Nm between 1600 and 2400 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 7.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 225 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 9.7 l/100 km
Tank: 93 litres
Load space: 690 - 2010 litres (max.)
Warranty and maintenance: 6 years / 100 000 km

Whatever happened to the old M-Class Mercedes? First there was a naming wrangle with BMW because the Bavarians reckoned they owned the M-plus-digits combination. M-B was obliged to back down. The company then used ML as a class name for a while, but decided recently to align its mid-size SUV with the new GL- nomenclature and call it GLE. That’s G for Geländewagen, L as a linking letter and E as the sedan upon which the new car is based.

Eight models available here include five SUVs and three sexy-looking coupés that are somewhere between SUV and sedan in looks. We haven’t experienced one yet, but overseas writers complain of limited headroom for back seat passengers and less boot space. Not that the coupé’s 650 litres, behind back seat and under parcel shelf, is deficient. It’s 70 litres bigger than that of BMW’s X6.

Sexy also costs  – about R93 000 more - when comparing a GLE 350d SUV with its coupé equivalent; but if you’ve got it, flaunt it, right?

SUV engine choices include a 250-rated 2.1-litre diesel, the 3.0-litre 350d, turbopetrols 400 and 500, and a pair of brutal AMG V8s.  Coupés offer just the 350 diesel and a pair of AMGs with V6 and V8 power. Plain GLEs use M-B’s 9G-Tronic transmission, while AMG variants are fitted with the AMG Speedshift-Plus 7G-Tronic.

As we have said before, G-Tronics are smooth, quick, hold onto the most suitable gear for prevailing conditions, even when running against compression, and usually think more intelligently than you do. If, on the other hand, you feel driven to drive manually you’re free to do so. Just select “M” and use the paddles.

It’s unlikely that many GLEs, AMGs particularly, will ever be taken off-road but 350d is the most likely candidate, so here are some details. Ground clearance with standard steel springs is 200 mm. That’s more than many competitors offer, so one could confidently use the standard 4Matic awd with its 50:50, front-to-rear, torque split for basic adventuring.

Its Four-wheel Electronic Traction System (4-ETS) simulates diff. locks on the front and rear differentials by aggressively braking one or more spinning wheels. Users confirm that it's good in snow and for pretty severe off-road use, although really testing trails demand special kit. That’s where optional Airmatic suspension with adaptive damping comes in.  Fitted to our test car, it costs R25 900 and adds “Off Road,” “Lift” and “DSR” (downhill speed regulator) buttons to the four mode selectors already in place. Those are “Comfort,” “Sport,” “Snow (or Slippery)” and “Individual” and all mean just what it says on the buttons.

Airmatic offers choices between normal ride height, a 20 mm-lower loading position and full bundu-bashing lift with 255 mm total clearance. Unlike some cheaper systems, full extension is still decently comfortable. We recall an opposition product, a few years ago, that shook our innards to jelly while on maximum height, even while travelling at gentle track speeds. 

If that sounds odd, consider this: If your suspension is racked all the way up to the top, you have no squish room left, so it’s like driving a wooden box with wooden wheels and no springs. Because this is a Mercedes, some lift was evidently sacrificed in order to retain comfort.

Practical issues: The hatch lid opens with a push on the key fob button, because Easy Pack Tailgate is standard, to reveal a flat loading deck (the coupé has a sill) at mid-thigh level. A light, four lashing rings, a 12-volt socket, a bag hook and a couple of small parcel nooks make the neatly rectangular space user-friendly. Acknowledging its off-roading capability, a spacesaver spare is stored under the base board where it shares with the cargo net, warning triangle and first aid kit.

The 60:40-split rear seatbacks offer recline facility and fold almost flat if needed. For a completely level floor, lift a seat cushion from the rear, tilt it forward so it stands upright and then fold the seatback into the cavity. Thanks to the SUV’s extended roofline configuration head space is plentiful for six-footers, as is knee room, although foot space under a fully lowered driver’s chair is marginal. A set of aircon repeater vents and controls looks after temperature, fan speed and direction.

Black Artico front seats are electrically adjustable and provide firm support. There is more than sufficient storage and basic auxiliary music connectors are provided although a “universal” adaptor kit is optional. Somewhat disappointing, after driving the GLC 250 a week earlier, is that this car’s dash is still cluttered and old fashioned. We had hoped that the new range would be “all new.”

Test unit from MBSA press fleet



What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

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