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The larger luxury SUV war is hotting up with a redesigned Mercedes-Benz GLE waiting in the wings.
THE FOURTH Mercedes-Benz GLE is in the pipeline for a late 2017 or early 2018 world premiere, and here’s the proof.
Snapped in Southern Europe last month, the W167 series luxury SUV is losing weight and some of the boxy dumpiness of today’s 2011-era vehicle (that started life as the M-Class until 2015’s facelift), as it prepares to battle the upcoming second-gen Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60, as well as the Mk4 BMW X5 also due in Australia from next year.
So along with a longer wheelbase and wider tracks to liberate more cabin room (as well as space between it and the smaller GLC), the palpably better-proportioned newcomer will ditch the somewhat dated dash and overly plasticky interior of the five-year old current version, for a far-classier overall presentation boasting the high-quality overtones of the latest E-Class. Or, at least, that’s our hope.
A GLE Coupe will make a return later on as well, to give the BMW X6 and soon-to-be-revealed Audi Q6 and Range Rover Sport Coupe some very heated competition, while at the other end of the spectrum we can also look forward to an all-new seven-seater Mercedes GLS offshoot. This truly is an extended family of posh crossovers.
Prices won’t stray too far beyond the circa-$90,000 to $190,000 asked for today’s W166 GLE wagon, despite the big increase in active driver-assist safety and other technologies mooted for the Mercedes SUV.
Have spy pics of your own? We’d love to see them. Just email them to wheels@bauertrader.com.au
