Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class: What’s in a name?

Mercedes-Benz will launch the GLE-Class SUV for the Indian market tomorrow. In the run-up to the event, we have given you all the details of the car.

What is it?
The GLE-Class is, in essence, a facelifted version of the vehicle that is currently known as the ML-Class. It gets the German automaker’s new nomenclature which was announced at the end of last year. The car will be offered in two variants GLE 250 d 4MATIC and the GLE 350 d 4 MATIC.

How do I understand what the new name means?
Under the German automaker’s new naming convention all SUVs will have their names starting with the letters GL, in tribute to the original G-Class their most successful and well-known SUV to date. There is a link at the bottom of this story which explains the complete naming convention.  
Further, every vehicle in their lineup has now been attached to one of their core models- the C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, B-Class as well as the A-Class. Going by that logic, this model has now been attached to the E-Class core model.
The d denotes diesel and replaces the current convention of CDI/BlueTec while the 4MATIC denotes four-wheel drive, the only bit of the name that has been carried over from the current naming system.

What are the engines and gearboxes that will be offered with these cars?
The 250 in the GLE 250 indicates a 2.2-litre four-cylinder mill that produces 204bhp/500Nm while the 350 in the GLE 350 indicates a 3.0-litre V6 engine that produces 258bhp/620Nm. Both engines will be offered with a new 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox.

Will there be more vehicles under this naming system for the Indian market?
Yes. The GLE is expected to be followed next year by the GLS and the GLC. The GLS will be a facelifted version of the current GL-Class SUV. It has been attached to the S-Class core model and will be their largest SUV on sale. The GLC will be entering a new segment in India for Mercedes-Benz as it basically the successor to the GLK which was, till this year, a left-hand drive model only.
The three-pointed star’s other models too will move to this convention and we can expect to see a complete change by the middle of next year.

What about the coupe versions of the GLE and GLC?

A GLE 450 AMG coupe has been imported to India last month and we believe that they will launch  this coupe-SUV by the end of the year. The GLC coupe on the other hand has only been shown in concept form till date and may make its global debut next year.   

Mercedes-Benz new naming convention