The 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE Is Launching In India Sooner Than You Expected

• The 2019 GLE is likely to come with BS6-compliant petrol and diesel engines.
• The SUV has been spied undergoing emission tests in India.
• The new GLE comes with three diesel and two petrol engines in international markets.
• Expect the SUV to be priced around Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore (ex-showroom).

If you remember, we had exclusively spied the 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE while on test in India around this time last month. Mercedes-Benz India has now announced that it has started accepting bookings for the new BS6-compliant GLE with the launch set to happen before the upcoming Auto Expo 2020. We were right about the launch timeline and going by this, we can expect it to be launched in India by the end of this year or at the very start of 2020 in January. The fourth-generation GLE is expected to come with a sticker price of around Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore (ex-showroom). Mercedes-Benz seems to have had a good festive season. It has delivered over 600 cars during Dhanteras, with 250 cars accounting to the Delhi NCR region.

We believe that the black test mule that spied last month was undergoing BS6 emissions testing. The fact that it was carrying Real Driving Emission (RDE) equipment coupled with the ARAI stickers brings us to this conclusion. Heavy camouflage was restricting all the crucial bits such as the engine and trim line badge, but we could make out that it was a standard version of the SUV shod with 19-inch optional wheels.

What’s new apart from the completely novel styling is that the fourth-gen GLE is based on a new platform with a bigger footprint than its predecessor. The 2019 GLE is available with three diesel and two petrol variants in markets abroad. These include the GLE 300 d, GLE 350 d, GLE 400 d, GLE 350 and the GLE 450. The diesel 300 d makes use of a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four that produces 245PS of power while the 350 d and 400 d employ a 3.0-litre inline-six motor good for 272PS and 330PS respectively. As for the petrol, the GLE 350 comes with a 4-cylinder engine good for 255PS and the GLE 450 gets a 3.0-litre turbo V6 with a mild-hybrid system for a combined output of 367PS.

Get latest updates on
the automobile community

Login Now

All engines come paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission and 4MATIC AWD system. We expect Mercedes-Benz to launch the 2019 GLE with BS6-compliant petrol and diesel engines in India. The 2019 GLE also comes with a revamped cabin which is in line with the modern crop of Mercedes cars. The main attraction here will be the twin 12.3-inch screens that act as the instrument console and the interface for the MBUX infotainment system. Other expected features include a panoramic roof, E-Active Body Control, wireless charging, a Burmester sound system, and massaging seats.

Competition for the GLE comes in the form of the Audi Q7, Volvo XC90 and the BMW X5. In other news, the current-gen GLE is sold out in India and Mercedes has managed to deliver 13,000 units of the SUV since its launch. The fact that Mercedes-Benz has sold over 600 cars during the festive season might also be an indication that we could be past the sales slump that has plagued the Indian automotive industry since the beginning of the year.