The Mercedes-Benz ML-Class is getting a makeover, rechristened the GLE it will be launched tomorrow – October 14th. On the face of it, the grille and the headlamps have both been tweaked, with two parallel lines punctuated by the three-pointed star on the grille, sitting pretty between those mean LED eyes. The tail lamps too get a little bit of sprucing up, nicely rounding off the visuals. The interior too will get some choice updates including a new, bigger touchscreen.
Coming in two models, GLE 250 d and the GLE 350 d will be powered by a 2.2-litre and 3.0-litre diesel mills respectively, and this will be the first model in India to carry Mercedes-Benz’s new badging which now reads ‘d’ for diesel engines instead of the standard ‘CDI’ of yore. The 2.2-litre in-line four will produce 204 PS and 500 Nm of peak power and torque while the 3.0-litre V6 makes 258 PS and 620 Nm of peak torque. Both cars will come equipped with a snazzy new 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic gearbox, and Mercedes’ singular 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system.
As is usually the case with Mercedes-Benz in India, only the diesel powertrain option will be brought to our shores (which why there was no mention of a petrol engine), and it will be assembled in the recently expanded Chakan facility to keep costs down. With this in mind, expect the cars to be priced from Rs 55 lakh and 65 lakh ex-showroom. We’ll confirm all of this and give you the full lowdown tomorrow, so watch this space.
