Revitalised Mercedes-Benz GLE holds its own

Not many driving impressions you have read started out with a topic so seemingly insignificant as air vents. And never mind being the whole story’s point of reference, air vents usually don’t get airtime anywhere in motoring stories. But this not your prototype driving impression and neither am I your conventional car reviewer, so air vents it is.

Air vents are mostly incognito, almost like a car’s brakes. You get so used to them that you don’t even notice them unless they are extremely good or bad. Ditto air vents. In your daily commuting you will use them to blow hot or cold or nothing at all.

You will probably even have difficulty remembering how they look while reading this. But here’s the thing, every now and again you get some seriously cool vents. Like the circular ones with the knob in the middle in most Mercedes-Benz these days which the manufacturer describes as ‘’high-grade turbine look with finely styled air ducts, inspired by the world of aviation’’.

Even if you’ve never seen them, you must admit that just sounds fantastic. But sadly for the German giant, it got things wrong in their all-new GLE range which we spent some time with in the GLE 450 4MATIC recently.

The new model is a huge upgrade from it’s predecessor, which was basically the former ML just given a facelift and rebadged to GLE in 2016. Instead of kitting out this premium SUV with those striking jet engine thingamabobs, the designers whacked hideously characterless vent ducts into the dash between the infotainment screen and climate controls that pokes you in the eye the first time you climb into the car.

The black vents feature silver styling on the directional button in the middle to match the elegant matt silver dash panel, but it does not do the car justice in any way which is a pity, because it’s a damn lekker car.

The GLE 450 offers the refinement you’d come to expect from a Mercedes. It is powered by a very enthusiastic three-litre straight-six petrol engine, it is both luxurious and spacious inside which will allow four adults to travel long distances in comfort while housing all their luggage in a 825-litre boot. And, judging by people’s reaction to it’s exterior it maintains a very attractive presence on the road.

The powerplant delivers 270kW and 500Nm of torque, with a further 16kW/250Nm available via EQ Boost over short periods, which is mated to the smooth 9G tronic automatic gearbox which sends power to all four wheels as the 4MATIC in the car’s title would suggest.

It might not be a rocket off the line even in Sport mode, but where the power is appreciated is during overtaking at 120km/h on the open road. You can easily get so carried by the immense pull delivered at that speed that you tend to forget to slow down again after passing the car in front of you.

Personally I would like the engine to sound a bit more muscular than our test unit did, but the clever Germans have got that base covered. For a mere R9 200 more than the R1 329 400 sticker price, you can opt for the “Sport Engine Sounds” option. That is much cheaper than a serious sound system upgrade and should be music to your ears.

What certainly wasn’t music to our ears, was the amount of wind noise around the windscreen and side mirrors experienced around higher speeds. One response to that complaint is obviously to stick to the national speed limit, but don’t try and tell me you’re going to buy as much power if you’re not intended on utilising it.

Fuel consumption was a bit on the thirsty side as our test unit yielded around 14-litres per 100 km over the course of 700 km of which half was bumper-to-bumper city traffic and the other half open road cruising, so basically pretty much what the manufacturers would call a combined cycle. But then again, you’d expect similar kind of numbers from contemporaries sporting big engines and weighing in around the two-ton mark.

Speaking of contemporaries, it remains to be seen how the GLE will fare sales wise against it’s main competitor, BMW’s X5, which also underwent a reincarnation last year. The two do exactly the same thing.

They are premium large SUVs which can be configured to seven-seaters, they both demand respect and admiration from fellow road users, both are more than capable off road, they offer a spacious, quality ride and give the driver a sense of satisfaction. However, I think while Mercedes people will no doubt be very chuffed with the new GLE, the X5 has more appeal to lure neutrals to BMW. Especially those who’ve got a thing for vent ducts.

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