[FastF30]

Originally Posted by amphiprion

heh, I've always liked the GLE rear side windows, they're unique, slims up the rear quarter and distinctive of the M class. Also great for rearward visbility. But yeah, you're right it does look like it's wearing a backpack. =)

The design looks so 90's to me anyways... I personally don't like it at all... reminds me of the lexus back then also... and the interior looks like they tried way to hard trying to make it look cool... looks more Japanese flamboyance than luxury...

[Gabreigns]

The 3rd row in the GLE. Sorry for the potato quality.

[FastF30]

The Big question is how much space is there with the 3rd row up...

[Gabreigns]

2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE 2019 BMW X5 2018 Audi Q7
Engine 3.0-Liter Inline-Six 3.0-Liter Inline-Six 3.0-Liter V6
Horsepower 362 335 333
Torque 369 330 325
Transmission 9-Speed Automatic 8-Speed Automatic 8-Speed Automatic
All-Wheel Drive Standard Standard Standard

Under the hood, the GLE sports a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine augmented with a mild-hybrid electric motor. This is for the GLE 450 4Matic trim. It's the only GLE trim Mercedes released information for. It produces 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque with the electric motor adding 21 hp and 184 lb-ft. It's paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission.
2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE 2019 BMW X5 2018 Audi Q7
Length 194.3 Inches 194.3 Inches 199.6 Inches
Wheelbase 117.9 Inches 117.1 Inches 117.9 Inches
Cargo Room 2nd row 29.1 Cubic Feet 33.9 Cubic Feet 14.8 Cubic Feet 3rd-row standard
Cargo Room 2nd row folded 72.6 Cubic Feet 72.3 Cubic Feet 71.6 Cubic Feet

The GLE is more powerful than its competitors. The X5 xDrive 40i has a turbocharged inline-six engine making 335 hp and 335 lb-ft. The Q7 makes slightly less power from its supercharged V6 – 330 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. All-wheel drive is standard across all three.

[CBx540i]

I think the gle will find plenty of buyers. . . I won't be one of them. I think the gle is derivative of their last 2 generations, but did some cosmetic things to simplify and modernize. Also, think they did some cool things with engineering e.g. 20hp electric boost, etc. I think the G05 (I've ordered one), has a far more sporty, extroverted design inside and out. I suspect the BMW ride will reflect the same. Competition is a very good thing for consumers. Partially because of MB, we're getting a much better BMW competitor.

[X519]

Originally Posted by CBx540i

I think the gle will find plenty of buyers. . . I won't be one of them. I think the gle is derivative of their last 2 generations, but did some cosmetic things to simplify and modernize. Also, think they did some cool things with engineering e.g. 20hp electric boost, etc. I think the G05 (I've ordered one), has a far more sporty, extroverted design inside and out. I suspect the BMW ride will reflect the same. Competition is a very good thing for consumers. Partially because of MB, we're getting a much better BMW competitor.

Agree. Ditto with the impact of the 2018 Audi Q7. Although I am not fond of either the Audi or the Benz, Consumer Reports loved the 2018 Q7, loving the ride quality and suspension technology - it is their highest ranked mid-size luxury SUV.

Ditto with power/torque levels, massaging/ventilated seats, MMI interface etc., I think it may have forced BMW to really up the ante on the 2019 X5 all round- much to my delight !

[FastF30]

Originally Posted by X519

Consumer Reports loved the 2018 Q7

I took a hard look at that Q7... way to long...it's too big for me... looks way too generic.. The X5 fit's my taste... but my wife is stuck on MB's... and I'm sure it will be less than the X5 for a lease and that will only further my wife's decision... but we'll see...

I'm a car guy... my F30 is at the dealer right now for an oil change and I miss it way more than ever thought I would... I have been driving an X5 for the past 2 weeks... I know they won't ride the same but the new G05 will still try to be a sedan... in other words.. I find the current X5 a sporty ride for around town... but on highway trips I'm leaning toward my current SUV (Santa fe) ... both wife and I said the X5 was too sensitive and caused a lot of corrections on the highway .. the Santa fe felt more stable and planted like it was on rails... so I will be definitely be checking them all out... even the Genesis brand.... now my F30 on the highway I absolutely love... just feels solid no matter how fast you go...

[LemonOne]

GLE looks so good.
Touch choice nonetheless.

[tonymac1]

Those Gle taillights look so Kia-ish.....

[Jvciuccio]

Originally Posted by FastF30

I took a hard look at that Q7... way to long...it's too big for me... looks way too generic.. The X5 fit's my taste... but my wife is stuck on MB's... and I'm sure it will be less than the X5 for a lease and that will only further my wife's decision... but we'll see...

I'm a car guy... my F30 is at the dealer right now for an oil change and I miss it way more than ever thought I would... I have been driving an X5 for the past 2 weeks... I know they won't ride the same but the new G05 will still try to be a sedan... in other words.. I find the current X5 a sporty ride for around town... but on highway trips I'm leaning toward my current SUV (Santa fe) ... both wife and I said the X5 was too sensitive and caused a lot of corrections on the highway .. the Santa fe felt more stable and planted like it was on rails... so I will be definitely be checking them all out... even the Genesis brand.... now my F30 on the highway I absolutely love... just feels solid no matter how fast you go...

Trade in your run flat tires for non run flat Continentals, you'll think it's a new car!!! I promise it's worth the cost to eliminate all the harshness over road seams or sewer lids.

[Sedoy]

Yes, that's a new generation of Mercedes air suspension. It does few really cool tricks:

• Bounce itself out of terrain
• Can be raised to provide 11" of ground clearance
• In "Free Mode” allows the driver to raise or lower wheels individually
• Eliminates conventional anti-roll bars
• Adapts to road surface conditions

I don't think BMW offers anything even close similar to this suspension for their SUVs.

Originally Posted by akhter

Are you sure that's the air suspension?

Jokes aside this is seriously cool (but useless for most of target customers).

If anything I hope it makes bmw up their suspension game.

[Patrik]

Gah, can’t stand Merc’s front bumpers on pretty much all their new cars, including this one. Looks great exteriorwise apart from that!

Interiorwise, Bimmer wins hands down. I just find Merc’s interiors so tacky

[VTENGR]

I've always like Merc's exterior styling, but the interior is what's driving me to look elsewhere. I just really hate what they've done with the dash/infotainment system.

[ScreamingChicken]

I think the Merc has more of a jelly bean look and the x5 more of a classic rear drive look.

Hoping to get the x5 in the next year or so. We passed on the F15 after a test drive and went with Durango instead.

[Influence]

Originally Posted by FastF30

I'm a car guy... my F30 is at the dealer right now for an oil change and I miss it way more than ever thought I would... I have been driving an X5 for the past 2 weeks... I know they won't ride the same but the new G05 will still try to be a sedan... in other words.. I find the current X5 a sporty ride for around town... but on highway trips I'm leaning toward my current SUV (Santa fe) ... both wife and I said the X5 was too sensitive and caused a lot of corrections on the highway .. the Santa fe felt more stable and planted like it was on rails... so I will be definitely be checking them all out... even the Genesis brand.... now my F30 on the highway I absolutely love... just feels solid no matter how fast you go...

You make a very legitimate point about the F15, it tracks HORRIBLY on the highway. I have the same issue with mine ('16 3.5 MSport with the Dynamic Handling Package). The truck doesn't track straight on highways, requiring frequent correction. It makes for tiring long drives. I had my dealership add a touch of extra front toe-in, which helped a bit, but I think the problem stems from the overly light steering on center. Apparently the active steering helped this but it has its own issues.

Changing from the base 19" RFTs and rims to bigger 22" Non-RFT Pirelli Scorpion Assimetrico's helped as well - 295s up front and 335s in the rear. I think the extra meat toned down the "touchiness" of the steering some, but it still wanders a bit on the highways.

I'm really hoping they fix this on the G05 as it is one of my only complaints with my F15.

[mkoesel]

I found it interesting the entry GLE350 now has a turbocharged 4 cylinder (the old model had an aging naturally aspirated V6). It has 255hp which is similar to BMW's B48. Audi similarly offers the Q7 with their turbocharged 4 cylinder making about the same amount of power.

These large SUVs aren't ideally suited for small displacement gasoline engines, but there seems to be some market for them nevertheless. It will be interesting to see if BMW finds it necessary to add a four cylinder X5 to compete. They previously had the 40e PHEV model which made over 300hp and was quite adequate by most accounts. However, its replacement will be the 45e which uses a B58 for the combustion engine part of the drivetrain instead of a B48.

[Germanauto]

Big improvement for the GLE but I can already see cost cutting within the cabin. I was just at the Merc dealer and aside from S-class and AMGs, all their cars are below BMW in quality especially those with shitty MB-Tex.

Anyhow. The ML/GLE has always been an Asian mom or senior citizen car. I'll stick with the youthful driver's car of the segment.

[cfm56d7b]

MB GLE exterior styling is a convergence of so many conflicting visual themes. The interior styling tries to aggregate features from closest competitors but in a rushed, less than thoughtful manner. Unlikely to be added to my shopping list.

[bjcarls]

People complain about the BMW rear end....the MB looks like an Acura.


I want to steal the MB LCD cluster, flat bottom steering wheel, and a slightly softer front* end. Everything else, the BMW looks better.

[desertfox73]

Two very different styles, for sure. Having owned both BMW and Merc, I prefer the new generation of Merc styling over BMW. BMW has way too many creases and randomness going on for my liking. The shoulder crease on the X5 is a perfect example...it's like someone started drawing it from the rear, got bumped when they were at the rear doorhandles, and then just decided to keep going.

Anyway, where the difference is really stark is relative to power and off-road capability. Maybe not an issue for some, but getting additional clearance for me is a big deal, and the Merc new air suspension looks amazing. I'll give it a year to work out the bugs, but it looks really promising.

And if I haven't alienated myself from the group already, I'll just go ahead and say I can't wait for the AMG GLE Coupe!

[M3GymNut]

I'll take the X5, but those kidney grills are just too much in my opinion. Don't know if they'll ever grown on me.

[raysspl]

The new GLE w/ AMG package looks great. Also curious to know how much legroom the 3rd row has