► 2023’s Mercedes GLE facelift revealed
► More efficient engines and design refresh
► Infotainment and off-road tech expanded
Merc’s GLE SUV, including the GLE Coupe and AMG GLE versions have all been given a onceover for 2023.
Like many of Merc’s updates, the GLE has had only some light visual tweaks. Fresh headlight and grille designs feature, as do new aerodynamic wheels and a fresh colour palette. Inside, some design details have been carried over from the larger, seven-seat GLS like real metal vents (instead of plastic ones) and Merc’s latest touchpad-heavy steering wheel.
The engine range has a thorough going over. Every GLE has 4MATIC all-wheel drive, for starters, and the range kicks off with the GLE 300d: a 2.0-litre four cylinder unit developing 227bhp and capable of around 36mpg. There’s also a straight-six diesel in the GLE 450d developing 362bhp and good for around 32mpg, and a GLE 450: a straight-six petrol making 375bhp and claiming 26.1mpg.
There are also two plug-in hybrids (one petrol, one diesel), which both use 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines and a 31.2kWh battery pack. The 350de and 400e PHEVs claim up to 68 miles of e-range.
If you’re interested in an AMG version, as well as its own revised look and more standard kit, you have the choice of the straight-six GLE 53 (429bhp, 5.0sec 0-62mph, 155mph) or the thumping V8 GLE 63 (603bhp, 3.9sec 0-62mph, 174mph).
As for tech, as well as MBUX getting some handy upgrades, even Merc acknowledges that most GLE drivers only really do light off-roading, so has lowered the cost of the Off-Road Engineering Pack for those that want it. The pack includes 360-degree cameras as well as a ‘transparent bonnet’ function that allows you to see the rocky terrain more clearly on the screen by showing a virtual view of the path ahead.