Mercedes GLE Coupe SUV (2015-2018) - Interior & comfort
The interior and dashboard are both well built
The interior environment of the Mercedes GLE Coupe will seem immediately familiar if you’ve spent time in a regular GLE or its ML predecessor. It’s essentially the same and is constructed to the same high standards, both cars benefiting from updates and improvements during a recent facelift.
Mercedes GLE Coupe dashboard
The dashboard of the Mercedes GLE Coupe is generally well designed – the function of every button is clear and the layout is easy to get used to. It can’t live up to the high design standards of recent additions elsewhere in the Mercedes range, though. The GLE Coupé is based on the Mercedes ML which was introduced in 2011, so some of the advancements seen in the Mercedes S-Class, which have trickled down to the latest Mercedes C-Class and Mercedes E-Class , haven’t made it to the GLE. It looks fine in isolation and is well finished from quality materials but it appears a little old-fashioned compared to other Mercedes cars.
Mercedes’ COMAND infotainment system is included on all models as standard including full internet capability and 3D mapping. When first used, it can seem a little less slick in operation than the Audi Q7’s MMI system and BMW’s iDrive, but this improves with familiarity. The rotary dial controller doesn’t always fall to hand, though, and many people will never use the touchpad built into the controller – it’s position is clearly optimised for left-hand-drive cars, where drivers are able to use their right hand to make touch gestures.
Equipment
GLE 350d AMG Line models have Mercedes’ Parktronic system, with active parking assist providing easily-followed parking instructions and a reversing camera, as well as 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, keyless entry, DAB digital radio, an AMG bodykit and sports seats plus climate control and the COMAND system. The AMG GLE 43 gets a very similar specification.
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Upgrading to Designo trim brings a 360-degree camera to provide more help with parking, massaging seats upholstered in quilted Nappa leather upholstery with a cooling and heating function up front, a leather-swathed dashboard, heated rear seats and three-zone climate control, as well as a high-powered Harman Kardon stereo.
The AMG GLE 63 gets all the Designo goodies plus a unique design for its 22-inch wheels and an uprated braking and suspension system. Owners of the model are given a complimentary AMG Driving Academy Experience at Mercedes-Benz World in Brooklands, Surrey.
Options
A Premium pack adds the 360-degree camera which can give a realistic top-down view of the car and its immediate surroundings to help with parking, as well as power-adjustable memory seats and a large panoramic glass roof. The Premium Plus package expands this list with a Harman Kardon stereo and keyless entry.
As with any Mercedes, there are myriad colour and finish options to choose from, including various different woods and special leather options. AMG GLE 43 models can be specified with 22-inch alloy wheels – if ride comfort isn’t a concern – as part of a Sport package for £3,500 which also includes an active curve system to help reduce body lean in corners.
For a further £3,500 you can specify a Bang and Olufsen stereo which goes even further beyond the capabilities of the optional Harman Kardon system but is available only if that system is already in place. It uses 14 speakers and amplifiers to produce 1400 watts of total output. Meanwhile, £1,900 brings you a rear-seat entertainment system with DVD player, two eight-inch displays and two sets of wireless headphones.
