The 2020 Mercedes GLE starts at $56,200

"LJ909" (lj909) 06/12/2019 at 12:07 • Filed to: Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes Benz GLE

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All new for 2020, the GLE has been redesigned offering more power and technology to those shopping in this lucrative segment that includes competitors the X5, Range Rover, Q7 etc. Here’s the pricing.

There are 5 GLE models to choose from spread across 2 standard trims and 3 AMG trims:

GLE350 starts at $56,200 and comes with 255 horse 2.0 liter turbo 4

GLE 450 starts at $61,150 and is powered by a new 3 liter 362 horse I6 with an electric motor for boost called EQ Boost.

AMG GLE43 starts at $68,150 and is powered by a twinturbo 3.0 V6 with 385 horses.

AMG GLE63 starts at $103,050 and is powered by 5.5 liter twin turbo 550 horse V8.

And the top of the GLE hill is AMG GLE63 S which starts at $110,,200 and gets the same twin turbo V8, but its been tuned to produce 27 more horses for 577.

GLE350 : Like I mentioned before, it starts at $56,200. There are 11 exterior colors. 2 of these, a white and black are no charge. 7 of the colors are $720 metallic colors. And the remaining 2 colors are a designo metallic colors of red or white each for. Red is $1,080 and white is $1,515. I choose one of the metallic black colors for $750.

There are 8 wheel options:

2 19’ wheels of which one is a standard wheel. The other is of a Black design and is $500.

3 20’ designs. One is for $750 and is a 5 spoke design; the next is a 20’ AMG design but requires the addition of the $3,200 AMG line with Night Package; and the last is another AMG wheel but requires the addition of a $2,900 AMG exterior appearance package.

And finally there are 3 21’ options consisting of a $1,750 5 spoke design, a $1,000 AMG multispoke design that requires the $2,900 AMG exterior package, and another AMG multi spoke design with black accents for $1,000 that requires the $3,200 AMG Night package. I added this last one as it seemed to work with the vehicle more The 21’ wheels fill the wheel wells and make the car look more...complete.

There are 4 main options for the exterior:

The aforementioned AMG Line exterior package for $2,900 gets you AMG front and rear fascia with a diamond look grill, large air intakes, fender flares and a rear bumper silver chrome insert along with the 20’ wheel choice.

AMG Night package (the one I choose) for $3,200 is pretty much the AMG exterior package except that extra $300 gets you gloss black exterior accents.

A Pano roof for $1,000 and illuminated running boards for $650 round out the exterior options. I choose the pano roof.

The new interior of the GLE is where it really shines through. The main feature of it are twin 12’ screens that almost makeup the entirety of the dash. These can be configured as you see fit and control mostly everything, freeing up the dash from being cluttered with too many buttons. The only physical buttons seem to be for the climate controls.

One thing that I have pointed out before is how cheap these companies are, while charging you for everything. So far up to this point with the options I have selected so far, the price on the GLE350 is $56,200. And you still don’ t get real leather . The standard seating for the GLE are 4 different shades of leatherette seating. There is leather available, but its going to cost you:

There are 5 leather seating colors/choices. 3 of them are $1,620. All 3, if selected, require for some weird reason an additional $350 for front passenger seat memory. The other 2 leather choices are both $2,990 Nappa leather choices. These are trickier.

The first one, a Black Nappa leather, requires that you add the AMG line interior package (more on that in a moment) for another $400. The second option, a 2 tone gray/black Nappa leather, require that you either add Nappa leather to the upper dash and door, or the fake ass leatherette on the same areas for $700 each. It also requires you add heated 2nd row seats for $580. Not wanting all that. I just added the Black Nappa leather, which also added the AMG interior package.

There are 4 different choices of dash inlays. A standard Gray Linden wood, Aluminum and 2 $160 woods: a natural grain Gray Oak and a natural grain Brown Walnut. Surprisingly , you can select from all of these. I thought they would conflict with the AMG interior package but they don’ t. I just selected Aluminium .

There are only 2 option packages for the interior. The main one I selected, the AMG interior package, gets you sporty touches like a flat bottomed steering wheel, brushed aluminum pedals , sport seats and AMG floor mats for $400.

The big news though for the GLE is its 3rd row option for 2020. Wanting it though requires that you get it in a $2,100 3rd row package. In its description, they say they are suitable for average sized adults but ideal for children. That should tell you everything you need to know about the room back there. You also get powered 2nd row seats for passenger adjustment as well as 3rd row access. It also gets you 2 USB ports for the 3rd row. I added this as well.

There are 5 stand alone options that round out the interior options:

A $250 heated steering wheel

$600 wood/leather steering wheel.

The aforementioned upper dash and door trim in either leather or leatherette for $700 each.

And something called an acoustic comfort package. Simply put, its similar to Buick’ s Quiet Tuning and gets you thicker glass and extra insulation for $1,100. I added this one.

There are plenty of entertainment and convenience options allowing you to make the interior of the GLE even more technologically advanced and luxurious.

Premium Package $1,850:includes the Buremester Surround Sound System, accessory attachments on the back of each front seat that allow things like coat hangers, tablets, folding tables etc to be attached , 64 color LED ambient interior lighting and illuminated door sills, wireless charging pad, 6 months of Sirus/XM sat radio and a 115 volt household type power outlet.

Warmth & Comfort package $1,050: rapid heating front seats and heated front armrests and upper door panels.

MBUX Technology Package $1,600: MBUX Augmented Video for the Navi system. Its impressive and described as “ MB Navigation can help make it easier to make turns and find your exact destination upon arrival. Using live imagery from a forward-facing camera on the central display, the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) can superimpose useful information such as street names, house numbers and guiding arrows on a real-time view of the approaching environment” , a head up display and gesture controls.

Energizing Package Plus $2,100: Comes with something called Energizing Comfort which coordinates climate control, ambient lighting, audio, cabin fragrance and seat massaging , ventilation and heating into programs called Refresh, Vitality or Joy. This seems to pretty much turn the interior of the car into some kind of relaxation place or spa. This package also includes ventilated front multi contour massaging seats. The honestly seems just too extra and over the top.

Air Balance package $350: an air purification and interior fragrance system.

Many of the features in these option packages can be selected individually if you didn’ t want them bundled in the packages. I selected 4 zone climate control for $860, power 2nd row window shades for $580, ventilated front seats for $450, the augmented nav system for $300, and soft close doors for $550 I wanted to add the Burmester 3D surround sound system for $5,400, but that required the removal of the AMG Night line exterior package and the addition of the $1,850 premium package, so I left it alone.

Under the performance & safety options, there are 5 option(s).

Driver Plus Package $2,250: A big suite of driver aids like active steering assist, speed limit assist, blind spot assist etc. 14 assistance features in all.

Advanced Lighting Package $900: LED headlights with curve illumination, and an ultra range highbeam.

Airmatic Suspension Package $1,710: Airmatic suspension and an Adaptive dampening system. I would avoid this if you plan to keep the vehicle for years.

A $575 class III trailer hitch and a $400 surround view system round out the options. I choose the lighting package and the surround view system. I would’ ve liked the driver aid package but it required too many additions and removals, requiring different leather colors and that over the top Energizing package.

All in, with the options I selected, a base GLE350 will set you back $73,100. I’ m sure you could get it close to $80k if you tried hard enough.

GLE450 : This is the new model powered by Mercedes’ new 3.0 liter I6. Everything option wise is the same except for 2 main differences:

For some reason on this model, the AMG Night package is $350 and I couldn’t find out why.

Also the GLE450 gets an option package called E-Active Body Control. For $8,100 it comes with the Airmatic adjustable suspension, E Active Body control which adjusts the suspension based on road conditions and under guards for the undercarriage. I added this as well.

With the same options selected as the GLE350, including the Active Body Control, a GLE450 will set you back exactly $88,000. Eye watering for sure.

GLE43 AMG : Powered by a 3.0 liter twin turbo V6, the GLE43 is where the AMG trims start. Its Base, but it isn’t.

Exterior colors are the same as the other non AMG trims. There are 4 wheel choices. One standard 20’ wheel, and 3 $1,000 21’ wheels. I choose one with black accents.

The AMG Night Package on this trim is $650, cheaper than the other trims. The AMG trim also sees the availability of a $500 illuminated star and a $250 chrome accessory package and $650 brushed Aluminum running boards.

Interior wise there are way more color choices. Can you believe though at this price that leatherette is still the standard seat covering. There are 4 color choices to choose from. There are 5 leather choices. Al l are $1,620 and require no additional options. There last 4 leather options are all Nappa leather. 2 of these are designo leathers and no cost.The last 2 Nappa leathers are both $2990. Interior dash inlays are also more plentiful. There are 3 woods, each $160, 1 Black lacquer trim for $160, a standard Aluminium trim and a carbon fiber trim for $1,750. I choose this. Doing this however required adding on an additional $2,290 Premium 2 Package or $5,180 Premium 3 package. I added the Premium 3 package.

The GLE43 get a few more interior options as well. There is only one interior package. A $2,290 Premium 2 Package bundles led headlights with highbeam assist, ambient interior lighting, illuminated door sills, heated and cooled front cupholders, rear window sunshades and a rear center armrest pass through together.

There are quite a few more individual options for the interior as well. There are 2 different rear entertainment systems and I couldn’t see what the differences were. One was $1,750 and the other is $1,950. There is $850 heated rear seats and a $4,550 Bang & Olufsen sound system. For some reason there is also only 3 zone climate control instead of the 4 offered on the other trims.

Active park assist for $970 sees its availability on the GLE43. It also gets the option of something called Active Curve System Essentially electronically controlled variable front and rear stabilizer bars that help ride comfort and body roll during cornering. This is a $2,910 option. All in, you’re looking at a $90,000 GLE43.

And with the same options selected, albeit some differences, like a performance exhaust system, the top of the GLE hill, the GLE63 and 63 S are both 6 figures loaded. With the GLE63 S topping nearly $130k fully loaded.

So there you have it. Whether you’re and upper middle class soccer mom that needs room for her kids and their friends, the older empty nesters who want something with more room than their SL, or the older gentleman who wnts the space and utility of an SUV with the performance of a sports car, the GLE has something to everyone. Just be prepared for sticker shock depending on how you option it.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 12:41

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Every year Mercedes gives me yet another reason not to buy another Merc edes. 

ihm96 > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 12:57

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Honestly the leather thing is so overblown. If nobody told you it wasn’t real you wouldn’t know and it really works better in a car. it doesn’t get nearly as hot in the summer, or wear as fast, and it doesn’t transfer clothes dye easily like a lot of leathers do. All the luxury manufacturers do this, you only get the true fancy leather if you pay extra

Also the 43 is not being produced as far as I’m aware in the new bodystyle, but there will be a 53 next year and there’s a 580 coming this year with a V8 and eq boost. 

LJ909 > ihm96 06/12/2019 at 13:07

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Trust me I know. And I used to have some customers who could tell the difference. It has a flatness to it and the quality varies by manufacturer. BMW’s is the worst IMO. Haven’ t really encountered Mercedes. And while living with it in daily life, especially if you have kids may work, it comes down to a value issue for some people. You spend 60,70k on a vehicle and it has imitation leather? Things like that will make you think about how far your dollar is going.

The 43 is under the build and price on their site so I guess its coming, but it will probably be a bit for the AMG models .

Saracen > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 13:13

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GLE43 should be the GLE53.

But since it isn’t, and despite how much I love AMG styling, the GLE450 is the one to get.  

WilliamsSW > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 14:22

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Mercedes MB Tex is easily the best quality non-leather out there. It’s quite difficult to tell the difference from leather unless you know. In fact, I constantly saw W212 E350s for sale that claimed to have leather - but didn’t ( stitching is different).

Go walk a Mercedes dealer lot - 80% of the cars on it * don’t* have leather. MB Tex actually wears better too - you can find it in 40-50 year old cars (!) , still looking good.

I don’t like BMW fake leather personally though.

feather-throttle-not-hair > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 14:23

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SUV’s are so expensive.

You can buy a lot of sports car for $ 60K, Really nice versions of the M ustang and Camaro, BMW M2 Competition, Z4, Supra....

Also buys a really really nice 3-series.

Or a C ivic and a track car. You could get that for 60 grand as well.

LJ909 > Saracen 06/12/2019 at 14:35

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It makes no sense though, that, from what I’ ve seen, that dealers are stocking GLE450's in AMG pricing territory. My hometown Mercedes dealer has them in the 70's, and Fletcher Jones has 2. One for just over 88k and another one for just over 92k.

LJ909 > WilliamsSW 06/12/2019 at 14:40

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Yea I have never really encountered MB Tex. But Im sure its easy to find on lost’ s since they stock volume models like the A and C Class.

BMW leatherette or whatever they call it is insultingly bad. When my mom had her 3 Series, aside from how cramped the backseat was and the weird placement of the battery, the seat quality was the 3rd thing she didnt care for about the car.

LJ909 > feather-throttle-not-hair 06/12/2019 at 14:46

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You can get the Shelby,SRT,ZLI etc for the price of this thing. You would have to really want a luxe suv to drop 60,70,80k on a SUV.

Saracen > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 15:06

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Well, it makes sense.  Loading the up with options gives them the fattest profit margins.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > feather-throttle-not-hair 06/12/2019 at 15:08

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I only sort of get your point.

The base GLE is only $3k more than a base E Sedan. So, more, but not insanely so when you’re talking $ 53k vs $56k.

Also, nobody cross-shops a GLE and any of the sports cars you mentioned. Nobody who loves cars and is looking for a sports car would ever buy a big behemouth like this instead, but even fewer people in the market for a luxury SUV are gonna say “Wow, I didn’t realize I could get a loaded Mustang for that money!”

WilliamsSW > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 15:16

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Not just the A and C classes. Virtually any SUV other than the G class, and even the E class that has the base engine will have MB Tex.

I’ve never seen an E300 with leather, and the vast majority of GLS 450s have MB TEX too. Even E43s usually have it.

LJ909 > WilliamsSW 06/12/2019 at 15:48

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That’ s just insane to me that you spend that much and don’ t get real leather but I guess that’ s the nature of the big car business.

WilliamsSW > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 16:07

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I hear you, and although the main attraction of my E550 was the engine, the one other thing you get with it is standard leather, and I admit that I liked that.

But Mercedes has been putting MB Tex in cars since the 1960s, and it’s pretty good stuff - sturdier and lower maintenance than leather really.

I recently saw a new E450 wagon that was pushing $80k with MB Tex, and Fintail’s new E450 wagon has it too.

Of course it also appeals to vegans and animal rights activists, though that’s a small subset of people.  

feather-throttle-not-hair > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 06/12/2019 at 18:07

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No, i don’t really have much of a point other than “It’s astounding (to me) that what other people value in a vehicle could be so different from what I value in a vehicle ”

superdave847 > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 19:36

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Nice write up.

The biggest news on this SUV is how delayed the factory is in Alabama. I ordered one for my wife the first week of March. It was supposed to be built in April. It’s production date is still on hold. My salesman said there are thousands on hold because of parts being delayed.

LJ909 > superdave847 06/12/2019 at 20:16

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Thank you. But wow that is strange and unexpected from a company like Mercedes. Its even more strange considering that dealers already have inventory of the 20' GLE. But it would make sense because from what I’ve seen, dealers only have a handful in stock. Like 6 350's and 1 or 2 450's.

superdave847 > LJ909 06/12/2019 at 20:24

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It’s a big mistake given that BMW has a new X5 and Audi just did the new Q7 &  Q8. All of which are great offerings for the segment. But, luckily for MBZ, my wife is loyal.

LJ909 > superdave847 06/12/2019 at 20:43

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Right. Especially with how lucrative that market is right now. She could easily be in a competitor right now if she wasn’t loyal.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > feather-throttle-not-hair 06/12/2019 at 23:25

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I’m surprised you’re surprised but fair enough