Mercedes-Benz GLE review

Prices start at just over £75,000 for a GLE 300d in Merc’s ‘Urban Edition’ trim. If you want that with the extra plug-in hybrid gubbins, the 350de is £77,360. The GLE 450d you really want is £79,000 in the same trim, but the 400e with less social stigma attached to it costs from £79,360. The GLE 450 tops the non-AMG list with prices starting at £80,000. That isn’t a huge spread, all things considered.

What's a decent UK spec?

You like bodykits, don’t you? And enormous wheels? And dubious fake exhaust pipes? Yes, of course you like all of those. It’s why you’re this deep into a Mercedes review. And that’s good, because each and every GLE coming to the UK will have the set.

Every GLE on our shores gets the ‘AMG Line exterior’, even those entry-level Urban Editions.

Standard features include 21in alloys, adaptive LED headlights, a 360-degree parking camera, keyless entry and start, tinted windows, a Burmester surround sound system, air suspension with adaptive damping, ambient lighting, the dual-widescreen set-up, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a horde of active safety gear… we could go on. Basically, if it should be on an £80k car, it is.

AMG Line Premium trim is £5k more than base-spec, and adds a panoramic sunroof, different wheels (still 21s), aluminium running boards, the seven-seat option (if your choice of powertrain allows) and a head-up display.

AMG Line Premium Plus isn’t available on the 300d, but elsewhere it’s another £5k more than the Premium trim. Now we’re in the really plush region of 22s, soft-close doors, puddle lights, fancier seats, a heated steering wheel, a heated armrest to thaw your elbow in the depths of winter and - get this - temperature controlled cupholders.

Want all of that but in a less practical shape? Mercedes also does a GLE Coupe. For more money, of course. Remember there’s also the AMG GLE 53, 53 Hybrid and 63 S on the menu, with prices starting at a mere £94,190, £94,360 and £143,595 respectively.

Which one should I go for?

Not often we recommend diesel these days, but the 450d is the pick of the bunch: it’s the powertrain that suits the GLE best and it’s also the most economical. Standard spec has more than enough on it to keep you in a permanent state of indulgence.

If you’re getting one of these as a company car then by all means go for the 400e, but remember you won’t be able to have seven seats, and surely that defeats the point of owning something of this size and shape?