Mercedes-Benz GLE SUV GLE 450d 4Matic AMG Line Prem 5dr 9G-Tronic [7 St] Owner Review

This is the most disappointing car I have owned by far the worst SUV I have driven. I have previously owned Mercedes and Mercedes AMG. and my job takes me around the world. I drive a lot of different cars which are mainly SUVs. I’m comparing this to
- Nissan Extrail + Landcruiser
- Volvo SC90
- X5 BMW
- GMC Yukon
- Chevy - Tahoe
- VW
- Genesis

The good.
1. This is a good looking SUV externally. Big boot, loads of space in the back seats.
2. Economy for a 3L diesel is very impressive
3. Very quiet engine.
4. Infotainment system looks good( not controlling it)
5. 360 cameras and park assist very good.

The bad.
1. This car is undriveable around town unless you turn off the auto cut-off function. The lag in acceleration is just appalling. The car does ambles until it reaches 2000 revs, it ten takes off like a rocket. There is a powerful torque range in this engine, but it sits at completely useless range. You can either drive like grandad, or a racer. There is no inbetween. Out of the cars I have driven over the last year, this is the worst balanced power until I have driven. It is desperate for an electric motor to help it in the low revs. It just feels very badly engineered and programmed and like this engine was designed for a different car.

2. The ride quality on anything other than a motorway, is 1/10. You feel every bump and any even surface or camber, rolls the car around like it sits on mattress springs. Pot holes through the balance off completely.
I have tried every suspension setting from Comfort, sport , economy and individual. There does not feel as though there is any difference to ride. Sport just drops it down to lower gears.

3. The seats are rock hard at the base, and offer no support to the back, so you rock side to side like a pendulum. For a £95k car, there are no air condition seats which you would expect as standard.
4. Interior is smart, but like an entry level. Mercedes. There is no luxury compared to BMW, Landrover or Audi.

5. The rear parking alert noise, sounds exactly like a car horn. This is startling as you look to see where a car is coming from. This is sloppy design.

6. Collision safety system. This is downright dangerous and has nearly caused two accidents where there was no perceived risk at all. If any car approaches a T junction and brakes slightly late, the Mercedes system slams the brakes on. You would be rear shunted if someone was close behind.

7. Steering wheel controls and central console.
The slide buttons on the wheel are difficult to control and don’t scroll well. Central touch console is next to useless. You need a long arm to control the central screen.

8. The climate control button is the furthest away and small. The heating system is confusing with random settings that are noisy. You have to play around with it to get the blower noise down( another small out of reach button)

Summary.
Mercedes make very good cars. This one is not. It’s absolutely dreadful. It feels like they have rushed the concept, and bolted together as many spare parts from available factory stock without bothering to trouble shoot and refine it. The unbalanced engine, and ride the suspension gives, ruins a very expensive car.

It feels like the last of the diesels before everything goes to PHEC or pure electric.

I only have myself to blame as did not fully test this car on the A roads and around town before getting it. Test this SUV carefully before you part with your cash. There are several price matched SUVs that are much better value, and much better cars