Mercedes-Benz GLE 2019 UK first drive

The fourth-generation Mercedes-Benz GLE made quite the impression when we first tested it in the US last year. 

You see, it seemed to offer all the features you’d expect from a large, posh SUV: a swanky, leather-upholstered interior; a smooth, punchy powertrain; a sublime ride and size-defying handling courtesy of its trick new E-Active air suspension system, and a range of clever new driver aids that are yet to appear on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Combined, this saw the GLE 450 scoop four-and-a-half stars. That isn’t a bad innings by any measure.

Now, though, the GLE has touched down in Britain, and it’s the entry-level 300d variant that’s going under the microscope. This means there are a few crucial differences between this car and the one we drove across the pond in late 2018. 

Chiefly, the high-tech, silky smooth EQ-boost 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine has been swapped out for a much less sophisticated (at least on paper) four-cylinder diesel. It also means there’s no air suspension. Well, there shouldn’t be; for some reason our early production test model had Mercedes’ regular Airmatic suspension architecture added back in, despite the fact this won’t be an option for UK GLE 300d customers. Odd.

Anyway, back to that engine. It’s the 2.0-litre unit that features in practically any Mercedes model you’d care to mention, and under the bonnet of the GLE 300d it develops a respectable-enough 242bhp and 369lb ft of torque. A nine-speed automatic transmission deploys all this to all four wheels.

That engine lends what is now quite a large SUV (it’s just under 5m long, and weighs close to 2.2 tonnes) a decent amount of shove. Mercedes claims a 0-62mph time of 7.2sec, which puts it into warm hatch territory in terms of straight line pace. While we’re unable to verify those claims this time around, it certainly didn’t feel like a slouch out on the road.

The only trouble is that it’s not quite as refined as you might hope. There’s a noticeably agrarian edge to its soundtrack under an open throttle, and it begins to feel and sound strained rather early on in the accelerative process. Perhaps the forthcoming GLE 350d, with its two additional cylinders, will better fit the mould of an upmarket SUV in this respect. We’ll have to wait and see.

The nine-speed ‘box can be a touch difficult to get along with at times, too. Step-off is generally smooth provided you don’t have all the delicacy of an elephant, and the manner in which it shuffles between ratios while you’re on the move is slick enough. But it can be overly keen to hold on to gears at times - even when you’re not in Sport mode - meaning you’ll be subjected to that slightly rough-edged diesel soundtrack a bit more often than you might like. It’s prone to being caught out when pulling away from low speeds, too, where there’s a moment’s hesitation, before it shunts its chosen gear in and takes off.