2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 D

The mid size luxury SUV segment is really hot right now,but there are only 2 cars that lead this segment, the Mercedes GLE and the BMW X5.The past GLE was really a revised ML to get in the trend of Mercedes renaming its cars.The GLE is the younger sibling of the GLS.The front of the GLE is not imposing at all,it just looks expensive and purposeful.The change from the last GLE is clearly visible at the very first sight with new twin LED drl setup and projector headlamps and revised front bumpers.The side is similar to the previous GLE,infact the 2020 GLE is 111 mm longer, a staggering 854 mm wider and an extra 80 mm added to its wheelbase.The 350 d variant has a V6 engine with a displacement of 2987 cc, 256 BHP and a more than enough 620 NM of torque.GLE, as you expect , is a very heavy car, it has a krb weight of 2175 kg so it wont be the most economical car, you can expect it to average around 6 to 12 kmpl.The 0 to 100kmph time is an impressive 6.9 secondsThe interior of the GLE is a great place to be in with comfortable seats and luxurious polished wood and aluminium buttons , you also get to select 64 different interior LED lighting,64!.But the quality of a BMW X5 is better but not by much.The Merc is an easy car to drive but the view out of the rear window is not that great and also the side mirrors are too small.It is in no way as sporty and good to drive as the BMW X5 but does more than most people would like.The GLE also has a mode selector but for some reason you cant select sport mode because it doesnt have it.It also has slippery mode.The thing you notice at first when you enter the GLEs cabin are the huge two 12 inch screens that are operated via touch or the touch pad on the centre console.The glove box is all right sized and the door pockets can easily fit a 1 litre bottle.The middle seats of the GLE are very very comfortable and those extra mms added to the wheelbase make a huge difference between the previous GLE and the new one.There is also an option for the 3rd row of seats but ist is not that good for adults on a long journey, kids will be more than happy in the very back.The boot is also large enough with 690 litres of space.There are buttons that electronically operate the folding of all the seats inside the GLE.Well like any other Merc it doesnt come cheap, the starting price of the GLE is Rs77 lakh and goes all the way upto Rs1.02 Crore.The sunroof makes the interior feel nice and airy too.My final verdict is; if you drive your car yourself and occasionaly like to speed down the curvy roads and have some fun, buy the BMW X5, but if you dont want that and just want to be chauffered in the back seat of your car, buy the GLE.