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Bruce Newton19 Jun 2015
NEWS

New name, higher prices for Benz ML

But Mercedes-Benz is hoping for a sales bounce from its new-look GLE

The Mercedes-Benz ML-Class large luxury SUV has had a name change and a price rise to mark the introduction of a significant midlife facelift.

On sale in Australia in September, the five-seat ML wagon swaps to GLE badging as part of a new naming policy for the German luxury brand that lines up Benz SUVs with their passenger car equivalents.

Hence the GLE aligns with the E-Class, the smaller GLC – revealed this week in Germany – is paired with the C-class and the larger GL becomes the GLS later this year.

The arrival of the GLE also heralds the arrival of the GLE Coupe, which is Mercedes-Benz’s competitor for the BMW X6. We’ve dealt with the pricing of that separately here and the technical info here.

The line-up of GLEs will be fundamentally identical to the outgoing ML range, apart from the GLE 500e plug-in hybrid which doesn’t get here until December and for which pricing and final specification hasn’t been announced.

The PHEV is by far the most significant aspect of the technical story for the GLE, and you will be able to read a drive review of it and other models in the range next Tuesday.

You can also look out for our first drive review of the GLE Coupe on Tuesday too.

Putting the 500e aside, the most noticeable technical updates to the GLE range include making the new 9G-TRONIC standard for all diesel models for a significant fuel economy boost and the addition of the six-mode Dynamic Select system across the range

Pricing rises as little as $3000 and as much as $7000. All models get some form of equipment boost, but Benz readily admits it doesn’t account for all the price hikes in all cases.

Those rises also push most GLEs past the equivalent model in the top-selling BMW X5 range. Meanwhile, an all-new Audi Q7 also arrives in September, but at this stage only a single 3.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel model is confirmed.

Mercedes-Benz is looking for a sales boost for GLE compared to the waning days of the ML, sales of which are down 24.3 per cent year-on-year to the end of May, according to VFACTS, and less than half X5 sales.

It wants that lift despite the recent introduction of a cheaper version of the larger seven-seat GL 350, the addition of the GLE Coupe and the impending arrival of the smaller GLC in December.

“We now sell a whole range of SUVs,” said Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis. “But we always expect to sell more.

“Do we see people leaving GLE and going straight to Coupe? We don’t think so. There may be some, but if we record 100 sales of the GLE Coupe we don’t expect them to be GLE buyerss.”

Stamoulis played down any potential buyer confusion over the change from ML to GLE, the addition of the GLE Coupe and the similarity of the name to the GL, GLS, GLC and GLA.

“There may be (some confusion), but over time the entire nomenclature will fall into place. When the GLC arrives then it will start to fall into place and people will understand it is related to C-Class and GLE is related to E-Class.”

Model-by-model here are the key cash and spec changes and how they line up on price against the X5 and -- in one case -- the Q7.

The 2.1-litre 150kW GLE 250d turbo-diesel 4MATIC rises $3000 to $86,900 plus on-road costs compared to the old ML 250 BlueTEC.

New gear includes LED headlights with intelligent lighting, keyless go and entry, a power tailgate, the full driver assist system including Distronic Plus. This lot is valued at $8000, but the entry-level model also gets a touch pad for the COMAND sat-nav system, the nine-speed automatic transmission, and DAB Plus digital radio.

The equivalent all-wheel drive BMW X5 xDrive 25d retails for $89,200.

The 190kW V6 GLE 350d 4MATIC rises $3000 to $104,900 compared to its predecessor. A touch pad, nine-speed auto, keyless start and entry and powered tailgate and LED intelligent lighting are new. The X5 xDrive 30d is $100,900. The upcoming Q7 3.0 TDI will be priced at $103,900.

The 245kW turbo-petrol V6 GLE 400 4MATIC is up a significant $6000 to $109,900. But it adds a glass sunroof, keyless start and entry and a powered tailgate, full Harmon Kardon audio and DAB Plus, which Benz values at $6500. It also trades in bi-xenons for LED intelligent lighting. The X5 xDrive 35i is priced at $107,900.

The 4.7-litre V8 320kW turbo-petrol GLE 500 climbs $5000 to 127,900, but adds 21-inch alloy wheels (up one inch) and a 20kW and 100Nm boost to the engine. A Harmon Kardon stereo, heated and vented luxury front seats and Artico dash and door trimming add a claimed $5000 value to the package. The equivalent X5 is the xDrive 50i and it costs $134,900.

The top-of-the-line 430kW 5.5-litre turbo-petrol AMG GLE 63 S climbs $7000 to $189,900 and adds the AMG Drivers Pack, comprising a panoramic sunroof, ‘S’ performance pack and performance exhaust, all of which is valued at $15,000. The recently overhauled BMW X5 M is priced at $185,900.

Unlike the X5 and Q7, most GLE models (not the PHEV or AMG) will be offered with an off-road engineering pack that includes low-range gearing.

  • 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLE  pricing (plus ORCs):

  • GLE 250d 4MATIC — $86,900

  • GLE 350d 4MATIC — $104,900

  • GLE 400 4MATIC — $109,900

  • GLE 500 4MATIC — $127,900

  • GLE 63 S 4MATIC — $189,900

  • GLE 500e 4MATIC — TBA

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