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Mod Note: BHPian abhilashgp's Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d Ownership Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Mercedes has showcased the new GLE in india. It will get 3 engine options -300d 400d and 450.
The variants consist of exclusive and elite.
Picture Source- unknown

Damn now dealers are leaking pics! The car was showcased to dealers this Thursday in Pune. I got info about it being LWB but was hesitant to mention here as it was a closed door event. However the cat is out of the bag now! Excellent move by Mercedes again, this time the LWB version is coming to us before China!

However what is surprising is that inspite of it being LWB there is no third row of seats.

Where does it say that it is LWB? I might be missing on something obvious :p

Check the 3rd picture (attachments) - Under the highlights of the GLE : It says based on long wheel base concept.

Mercedes Benz India is really upping the ante in the luxury SUV segment. After the LWB E class I think this is a really clever move by Mercedes. They are giving the luxury SUV buyers who are mostly chauffeur driven a chance to stretch out in the back of their SUV.

If they are not providing 3rd row seats then I think they must give the option of individual fully reclinable and massaging captains chairs in the middle to maximise the comfort quotient.

One question though. If they don't launch a LWB GLS here(don't know if its sold anywhere) then this GLE LWB can give that flagship SUV a run for its money as far as back seat comfort and space is concerned.

I think the E-Class LWB proved that it won't cannibalise any S-Class sales, and created a segment of its own. Now, the same formula comes to the GLE LWB, which the money-no-object GLS probably shouldn't worry about. Those who want an S-Class buy the S-Class only.

GLE400d with 330 horses & 700 Nm should be the pick of the lot.

agree: Case in point: I just closed a deal for the last GLS 350d production from MBIL this weekend, I was waiting to see if the GLE LWB comes with 3rd row and this was the deal breaker/maker.

I personally would have gone for the GLE if the car was being used by me primarily but after due consideration I decided not to.This car is going to be used by my family and aunt who do Bombay-Pune few times a month. The last row is a priority as they often travel with office team members or extended family members for day trips and factory visits.

While the GLE maybe tech loaded, for an older person that is going to be chauffeured all the time, these aspects don't matter as much. The GLS will be replacing our previous gen Endeavour which I always hated hence even though the GLS is dated compared to the new GLE, it is way way more advanced than our Endy!

Moreover, the price I got it at is potentially lower than the GLE300d launch price which misses things like air suspension and a v6 motor amongst others.

Although it's not usual of me to ask it, but could you please share the price you booked it for? Usually i won't ask, but since you've mentioned that you got it for probably lesser than the new GLE LWB, i'm super curious.

Mercedes really pulled the rabbit out of the hat for this one! And that too for the second time after the E class LWB!

Mercedes already has a comfortable lead against it's German counterparts and now it will go from leading to dominating the luxury segment! This shows that Mercedes really cares about the India market and they will be rewarded accordingly!

Watch and learn Audi!

Edit:

I went through the leaked information again. The wording seems like the they are just alluding to the longer wheelbase as compared to the previous gen. Also, the vehicle doesn't seem any longer in the image! Are you sure they are implying that they are releasing a LWB version just for India?

I think so too. The standard wheelbase of the new model is 2995 mm, which is longer than the previous gen's 2915 mm. Difficult to tell if it's LWB from the photo. We'll only know for sure only once we see the spec sheet. And as Sahil mentioned, there is no LWB model currently on sale anywhere else in the world.

An LWB would be great for sales though, especially considering the new X5 is quite a strong competitor in the segment (not sure about sales) and has been met with rave reviews abroad.

Sadly, no E-Active Body Control for India so we won't get a chance to see any lowrider action stupid:

I think the mention of LWB is not to be read as a long wheelbase variant for India like the E class. It just means that the new version is based on a longer wheelbase compared to earlier. AFAIK there is no long wheelbase variant for this car. Corrections welcome :)

I think this coming from you validates a lot. Also the LWD versions will have a different internal designation. The normal E Class with the W204. The Indian/Chinese one is the V204.

Finally !!!

Its more than a year this all new GLE was revealed (Paris Motor Show, Sept. 2018) and shall now make it to our shores by early 2020.

Not many know that Mercedes had 'Quality Issues' with this all new GLE and had delayed deliveries of about 40,000 GLE's earlier this year.

Source

The LWB E-Class is not V204 but V213 :thumbs up

I stand corrected, was counting logically from W201 onwards!

The funny thing with the new GLE is that, compared to the earlier W166, the current one is V167 by default, to indicate its LWB as standard and there is no W167. Unlike the sedans, where we have a W205, V205, W222, V222 and so. But the GLE is a bigger Mammoth now, the only downside I felt was the steering which does not actually make the driver feel that the car is big. It might look like a positive, but at highway speeds it was too light and lifeless.