I bought my wife the new GLE 350

"superdave847" (superdave847) 06/29/2019 at 22:18 • Filed to: Mercedes-Benz, 2020 GLE 350, First New Car, Saint Louis, Ambient Lighting

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Yesterday I went to St. Louis Mercedes Benz to pick up my wife’s new car. She ordered it in March, but the factory in Alabama has had long delays on parts & an electrical issue that set back delivery.

This is my first new car and its only new because of who it is for, but it is exciting (I did buy a brand new 2006 Triumph Speed Four motorcycle).

In general, I like the X5 and the X3 M40i more than the Mercedes GLE, but I do have to admit that the Mercedes interior is remarkable. We choose the carbon fiber trim too, which I think looks great.

I’ll review it once I have more time. I opted for the 350 instead of the 450—mainly because  SUVs do not need to be fast. I do think the electric motor that replaces mechanical parts on the 450 is attractive for long term reliability and maintenance.

Like I said, the interior looks amazing.

fintail > superdave847 06/29/2019 at 22:29

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Congrats, carbon fiber trim will be rare, you can tell it was a special order.

Welcome to the widescreen club - MB interiors are really on point right now. This is the E wagon I picked up in March :

WilliamsSW > superdave847 06/29/2019 at 22:31

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Nice! Will there be an Oppo review? The 350 is now a 4 cylinder turbo isn’t it?

I’d love to convince my wife to go with one of these when the lease on her RX is up. I despise that thing. 

superdave847 > fintail 06/29/2019 at 22:34

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That’s good to know! I noticed you can option it with carbon fiber anymore online.

If it were my call—she would be in the E wagon! That’s a sweet ride.

superdave847 > WilliamsSW 06/29/2019 at 22:37

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There will be a review for sure—I just want to take some better photos.

The 350 is the 2.0 liter turbo 4. I was surprised how fast it was entering the expressway. I think the XC90 proved this is viable in a midsized SUV.

If I find any reason not to buy one, I’ll share on here.

Nibby > superdave847 06/29/2019 at 22:39

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hey it;s me your wife

MrDakka > superdave847 06/29/2019 at 22:43

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Looking forward to the review. How's the giant screen?

fintail > superdave847 06/29/2019 at 22:52

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AMG cars with cf trim aren’t so uncommon, but it is rarely seen on normal cars. Sometimes literature will show cf or a textured metal as an option, but I don’t think I have seen it more than maybe once or twice in this market. It is more often seen in Europe, in my anecdotal observations.

I am indeed pleased with the wagon - sometimes I think I went overboard with it, but driving it makes it worth the price of admission. It’s also a lux trim car, which makes it that much more obscure:

someassemblyrequired > fintail 06/29/2019 at 23:28

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I’m having flashbacks to my Ciera with that dash binnacle.

If you look behind the NAV panel is there “UNLEADED FUEL ONLY” in huge letters?

WilliamsSW > superdave847 06/29/2019 at 23:46

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Good! I love that glass panel - it looks fantastic on the E class, and this one looks just as good.

Right now my wife has it in her head to replace the RX with an RX-L. Ugh. She likes my older Mercedes though, so I have a chance.

Mercedes are pretty reliable these days - I think you’ll (she’ll)  be happy with it.

fintail > someassemblyrequired 06/30/2019 at 00:14

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Funny, there was a Ciera in my family back in the day, too. I forgot about that design, 1985 IIRC.

It’s not quite as jarring from other angles, but still amusing:

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > superdave847 06/30/2019 at 00:46

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Nice I rented a GLC in February for a v action and it made me realize that my wife’s Fit needs to be upgraded. Lol

superdave847 > MrDakka 06/30/2019 at 03:14

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It’s really. That was the selling point versus BMW and Porsche.

superdave847 > fintail 06/30/2019 at 03:16

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That looks like a very nice place to be!

superdave847 > fintail 06/30/2019 at 03:16

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It looks awesome in white 

superdave847 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 06/30/2019 at 03:17

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Ha! I personally think the GLC looks better than the GLE, but we have two car seats now. They are huge.

CompactLuxuryFan > superdave847 06/30/2019 at 03:35

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The GLC refresh can’t come soon enough!

hike > fintail 06/30/2019 at 08:08

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The lux trim cars are underrated. I prefer it to the sport trims. That's a class looking wagon! Love the wood trim in yours. 

Under_Score > superdave847 06/30/2019 at 08:13

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Nice! Now for the important questions: does it have a 360-view camera and/or a foot-activated liftgate?

superdave847 > Under_Score 06/30/2019 at 08:35

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It has the camera, but I’m not sure about the lift gate. There are so many features it’s a bit overwhelming.

imadick > superdave847 06/30/2019 at 12:55

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Is that the hybrid one? If so, how is it? I’m considering a GLC 350.

imadick > imadick 06/30/2019 at 13:20

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Nevermind, it’s not. Their naming scheme confuses me (300, 350, 350e)

superdave847 > imadick 06/30/2019 at 14:02

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I wish it were.

fintail > hike 06/30/2019 at 15:48

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I agree, lux is the way to go. These aren’t sports cars, why pretend? Lux has more supple suspension tuning, and I prefer the hood ornament and traditional grille.

I also like the wheels on my car - I am usually not one for upsized wheels, but these fit perfectly. This one was just sitting on the local lot - I stopped to take a look, and when the salesman said “people hate that” (in reference to the lux grille/ornament), I knew I had some bargaining power, which is not always the case with wagons. That it was a good color combo and nearly the same options I would choose if I special ordered a car helped push it over the top and into m y bank account.

fintail > superdave847 06/30/2019 at 15:50

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Diamond White is perfect for a lux trim wagon - especially now that light blues are gone from the palette. Low maintenance and with kind of the under the radar quiet class the car exudes as a whole.

And indeed, MB has good interior ergonomics and design language these days.  

MercLover > fintail 06/30/2019 at 17:48

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Beautiful and classic 

someassemblyrequired > fintail 06/30/2019 at 23:05

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Hmm , pretty sure in an alternate universe, that’s actually the 2019 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > superdave847 07/01/2019 at 09:13

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I completely understand the motivation to buy your wife something very nice so you can buy yourself just as expensive (or maybe a little more). =)

superdave847 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/01/2019 at 09:25

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Ha ha, you figured it out. And that expensive thing  would be a 911 or M3.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > superdave847 07/01/2019 at 09:35

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Yes... SOON. My personal target date is about 4 years from now. 

I’d buy my wife something nicer, but she has a bit of a habit of sidling up to metal/concrete posts (and our kids destroy everything they’re in for very long). She had a loaded ‘08 Mazda CX-9 AWD Grand Touring, and now has a loaded ‘14 MDX (bought a couple years used). Will drive it a couple more years - we do about 25k per year in her car - and then figure out what’s next. Will be looking at the new CX-9, a newer MDX, the Kia Telluride and the Subaru Ascent (she doesn’t want something as big as a Suburban) . Probably going with captain’s chairs in the middle this time - we’ll see what we end up with!

fintail > someassemblyrequired 07/01/2019 at 09:46

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No wood siding though

superdave847 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 07/01/2019 at 09:52

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That Telluride looks like a beast. I am a fan.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > superdave847 07/01/2019 at 09:57

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That’s probably in first place at the moment . Reviews are great; hopefully it proves reliable. Problem may be with the dealer experience... Need to see if there’s one in town that’s made the pivot from economy car to near-luxury.

Love this green.