The all-new Mercedes Benz GLE is so far the best out of its 3 generations. With the perfect mix of luxury, style and comfort, it is the cheapest yet best performing SUV you can get in its segment. Although, it lacks something. For an SUV that expensive, you might not get something you may get in the other vehicles in its segment. You might lack something which even a normal ₹10 lakh has right now, the sport mode.

Before getting into the interior and its performance, let’s talk about its all-new exterior. Compared to its previous generation, the new GLE has a lot of changes in the exterior. Starting from its body to the headlights and taillights, everything has changed. The old headlights and taillights have been replaced with Mercedes Benz’s new signature headlights and its new signature taillights, which can also be seen in a bunch of their new models like the Mercedes Benz GLS, E-class, GLA, and a bunch of their AMG vehicles. The body size has grown by a few inches. The overall body has become more aerodynamic than the previous generation. This particular generation has 2 main models; the GLE 300d and the GLE 400d. There’s no big difference in the interior between the 300d and the 400d. The main difference is in the performance and a bit in the exterior. The GLE 400d comes with a 3.0L V6 engine, the same engine as the GLE AMG coupe, whereas the GLE 300d comes with a 2.0L V4 engine, producing 243 Kw @ 3,600 rpm and 180Kw @ 4,200 rpm respectively. The 400d also gets an AMG package for the exterior, giving it a sporty look.

Moving on to the interior, the GLE gets leather seats for all five passengers. The huge display upfront joined together with the driver’s display, like the ones in the Mercedes Benz G-class (G63 AMG), definitely makes you feel you have one of those premium cars not all the people can afford. Talking about people affording, this is the cheapest car in its segment, with the BMW X5 and the Audi Q7, yet gives almost the same features compared to its rivals. In Fact, this generation model is far cheaper than its previous generation. But for such a steal you cannot expect a few things you see in its rivals or its previous generation; it doesn’t get a sports mode, it doesn’t have air suspension (not even as an option) and it comes with an inline 4 cylinder engine, unlike the X5, Q7 and its previous generation with an inline 6 cylinder engine.

Coming back to the interior, the central console has a few new touches. The glossy black hand-rest kind of part is now leather and the wheel which is used to control the infotainment screen is now replaced with a touchpad. And of course, this vehicle comes with Mercedes Benz’s latest tech upgrade, the MBUX (Mercedes Benz User Experience), and this is a voice command system for the customers to concentrate on the road and let the things happen inside the car with just their voice. BMW had already had this kind of technology for a while now.

And that’s pretty much it about the changes in the interior and the exterior. There’s a complete do-over in the exterior but the interior has some minor changes.

If you are looking for a budget-friendly premium SUV, then the GLE is the perfect choice for you.