The delay on the fuel flap (and the reason you have to use the button) is because the tank is pressurised and not vented like a normal tank. It needs to vent before you can open the cap. This reduces hydrocarbons evaporating from your fuel which reduces emissions and your fuel keeps its quality longer. Also the wood is actually real veneer
X5 does the delay fuel door thing too; totally fine. Also, many people don't carry charging cables with a PHEV (no reason to seek out charge on the road, other than novelty); main savings is charging overnight at home, short city driving. Understanding the typical owner usage patterns would help in the reviews.
No point. I no longer see that Mercedes and Audi are competing with BMW. Nowadays, BMW cars are superior in almost everything, and that's quite boring indeed.
My E class hybrid saloon with the same engine/electric drivetrain also suffers from the added weight, especially in comfort mode. In any bend you are always aware of the mass behind you, and the air suspension struggles to cope with bumps. It's only really at home on smooth motorways. The rear tyres also cost a small fortune and don't last long. I recently drove a non plug in hybrid E class and it was much better, even without air suspension. Having said that , if you stick my hybrid in sport+ it transforms the whole car and the engine really does sound good for a four cylinder.
I just replaced my GLE 350DE after 60k miles of use, totally loved it despite the size. The size was an odd issue for me as its bulk was mainly the flared arches and general design, looks great but in tight city spaces and narrow roads cumbersome. I only changed it as they dropped the diesel hybrid, which is an amazing engine combination - powerful and 45 mpg average economy. The petrol replacement at low 20 mpg makes little sense for me, especially as the electric motor range averaged 40 miles in summer and 25 in winter. The comfort was amazing, although the air suspension rolled too much for some passengers at times. I have now taken delivery of the new GLC 300DE, similar spec as the GLE, bit smaller, much tighter to drive and with an 80 mile average electric range and 72 mpg (so far) overall average, jumping from the GLE to the GLC no real compromise in comfort, bit less space in the back and a much better interior than the GLE.
I would say the GLC is sharper, less roll through corners, not quite as bump absorbing as the GLE but a much tighter engaging drive. I understand from a contact that although european GLE sales have dropped through the floor, replaced by the GLC in many cases, US sales remain high as it suits that market better, plus it is built in Alabama.
i've been the second owner of my grandpa's '22 GLE350. got about 3-4k miles on it myself and i'm glad to see the facelift's still pretty much as good as it used to be, although im not a fan of the new steering wheel touch controls and such. however, its good that they fixed stuff like the gas/brake tuning because thats one of the biggest downside of the pre-facelift imo
We spent awhile looking at EV and Hybrid. We chose hybrid as having option for petrol for long trips just made sense. It’s 100% the way to go to have the flexibility. Decided hybrid and narrowed to X5 and GLE hybrid. They are the clear top IMO as you really need 50-60 miles EV to make it make sense. Went MB as we couldn’t find a BMW spec we liked as choices are slim ATM. I disagree most won’t charge it as the car comes with a standard charger and only takes 3 hours. No fast charger install needed. Super easy and convenient to simply plug in at night vs. going to a gas station. We have averaged 58 miles in our GLE 450e in EV so if your daily commute is around 60 miles you can’t go wrong with it. $2.50 EV vs. $15 in gas where we are per day. We are saving around $300/mo in fuel differential but more Importantly is just the convenience of simple plug in at night but still having gas engine for longer commutes.
@@mypdf Yep, been on 100% electric since 2021 and it's been great. People overestimate their mileage and don't realise you can charge at home for 9p per kWh.
I went X545e. Since late 2020 about 2/3 of my miles are electric (only because of the 1 per month road trip lately). Still often go months without refilling the tank.
I wonder if the motor will wear quicker since you would only use it when you need more power; it wouldn't be heated up so you are essentially running a cold started engine at high loads.
Wouldn't most hybrids start the ICE when the ICE is cold? The hybrid I drove always ran the ICE at first start when the car's been switched off for a while..
I drive a 2018 Mercedes and I’m honestly glad no problems with fake leather, no plastics, no fake exhausts…. Just the overall quality is better. Manufacturing is going down hill
when driven in petrol only mode during the test, does it charge while driving or is the petrol burned for "range only"? because if it charges, the range should reflect the additional charge too.
you cant drive it in "petrol only" mode.. unless you use sport which then uses lower gears and the car is fueling more to respond a lot quicker which means it sucks fuel. When the battery does run dry, the car runs in hyrbid (like prius) where the electric motor kicks in a slow rolling speeds and then the petrol kicks. it does charge the battery enough to roll around in "hybrid" at town driving but if you cruise on the motorway then it does charge the battery. Not sure about the gle but my c350e managed around 30-40mpg on a decent trip.
Clicked for the X5 review and ended up on a Carwow road trip via a link-RU-vid was already my destination! Next time, let's skip the scenic detour. It's better to let us visit the site organically, rather than tricking us into it. Love the content, though, and was just about to give it a thumbs up!
They do have different interior trim options, at least here in the US, including wood, that's the 400e so I'm sure that's a base model with the amg appearance package, and you can upgrade to Nappa leather on all trims here in the US. Considering the 450e myself, a friend has one it seems MB did a very conservative estimate on the ev only range they average 15 miles more ev range than the estimated range, they charge 3 times a week and run it in hybrid mode on weekends when they go to their cabin in the woods.
I’ve never had an issue with the touch sensitive steering wheel controls. They work well and i’ve never accidentally hit them while turning the wheel. The facelift GLE/GLS are fantastic. MUCH more solid than the pre facelift
This is one tank like of an SUV. I saw a photo of this vehicle in an article where it saved a mother and her child from a huge falling tree accident during a freak thunderstorm the other day. The vehicle actually took the whole brute force of the impact directly on its roof, and the survivors got to crawl out from the rear shattered window with only minor injuries. What a tough SUV!👍
Hey Mat...!!! I am planning to buy XUV700 over Scorpio N. I know its not available in Europe. Can u please have a look at it and say whether my decision is right??
BMW has some advantages over Mercedes with having features such as Digital Key, the available high-end Bowers & Wilkins audio system and a special cornering lamp in each LED headlamp housing. You can get a fully loaded M60i with a V8 for an equally equipped AMG GLE 53 with less power. Both are very nice and Mercedes has some cool features over the BMW as well. I think the GLE 53 needs more power but apparently Mercedes just announced a hybrid AMG GLE 53 that will be at dealers at the end of 2025. Lol
Its unfortunate that they don't change the appearance at all. You pay some good money to buy a brand new one and everyone thinks you have the one from 2015.
Former owner of 2 X5s and most recently a Cayenne, I test drove all of the latest SUVs in the segment back to back and ended up buying my first Mercedes - the AMG GLE 53. For me, it was the best blend of looks, performance, and quality for the price. The interior is much nicer than the new X5, it has more options, and it was less than a new Cayenne with the same performance. I was actually prepared to hate it, but I knew as soon as I drove it that it made sense for me. The turbo 6 with mild hybrid tech is also great for gas mileage!
I’ve driven a 53 and an X5 M60i many times, and I also like the GLE. The steering and handling is way better in the AMG, and it sounds better, making it more fun to drive. The interior is better like you said, and it’s way more spacious in the second row.
@@heinman6250 agree. I was SHOCKED at the leg room in the back. More than in the X5 or in my Cayenne. The AMG exhaust is very nice - probably the best sound you can get from a 6 cyl. Maybe not quite as sharp in the steering as the Porsche but better than the X5. I was honestly very shocked. I had looked at non AMG GLE models in 2018 and wasn’t impressed. This time, comparing X5 4.0 and 5.0 with the Cayenne Platinum and AMG 53 GLE, I really like the Mercedes best. And the MB UX and interior screens are fantastic!
@@hassyg4083 compared to latest X5, it’s considerably better. On par with Cayenne but different as I went from Porsche to this. Interior layout is superior. MBUX is wayyy better than BMW as well
"... five annoying things about this car". I've counted a lot more IRRITATING things about this car considering its price tag. I think Merc is taking us for fools.
Mercedes tech here, very surprised at how many features here I've never seen before since they're not offered in the usa. Didnt even know a plug-in w167 was even a thing lol
it is getting ridiculous how we got used to lower quality for more money these days...no buttons, plastic, fake leather, fake wood, exposed cup holders for 90k good job Mercedes!
I bought a new 350de hybrid in 2021….the diesel engine is very economical and I’m getting about 50miles on full electric….would recommend! Certainly better than my 2015 Range Rover sport v6 diesel I had previously…
Until you drive it. Feels like driving a truck. Preferred Sorrento or even GLB in terms of driving experience. Definitely not worth £85k or whatever they're selling it for
U literally have the sq7 for "sportiness and large" and merc SUVs especially are probs the worst looking SUVs of any brand, they do good coupes, sedans and wagons, but their SUVs look horrendous and mishappen
I strongly disagree with the Mat, I have been using same steering wheel in my 2021 e class and it's easy to use, never accidentally pressed or touched the capacitive buttons. 5/5 better looking than the normal avangarde steering wheel design
Disappointing that merc still can’t be bothered to integrate the screens in the dash properly. The blue lighting looks awful, stringfellows toilet comes to mind
What are you on about? The screens are integrated into the dash, which most brands aren’t doing at all. And the ambient lighting color can be adjusted to whatever you prefer.
People like nice looking exhausts! I don't understand why reviewers nag about it. Car makers don't care about a single guy who's job is to point out these, they care about the 10s of thousands of customers who care about the aesthetics of their car exhausts.
Not using cars fast charging facility if you have one on longer trips is madness to me, as it is fast enough to make actual difference even on coffee breaks. Have Volvo V60 and XC90, both T8 or plug-in hybrids, and it's quite frustrating when half an hour gives you only something like 6km of range. Otherwise like them a lot.
Let me see nothing much has changed it’s still a modern Mercedes which means it will fall apart & become an endless money pit after about 3-5 years. At least here in Australia. Gone are the days when Mercedes Benz actually stood for quality and engineering like no other cars. Quality has taken a quite a big hit. They are just like any other car these days cutting costs.
You are on point. Plus you can get so much more going with Asian SUVs. They are much cheaper and much much more reliable than this. We got 22 Pathfinder Platinum. $30k cheaper than 2.4L turbo model. Plus it comes with 3rd row seat, reclining captain middle chairs, reliable vq35 V6, ZF9 tranny, 6k lbs towing and most importantly no junky air suspension. Super comfortable on straight and going thru mountains.
@@richardlabejanot really. It is the mercedes with almost the least plastic. If you get leather seats the doors are fully made of leather, all buttons metal, real wood vinyr etc. Where do you see a lot of cheap plastic?
I've never accidentally pressed one of the buttons on the new merc wheel whilst driving, but i also cannot ever do what i want to do first time like I could in a BMW. There's almost no distinction between buttons and you end up always doing something you didn't want to do which is infuriating.
