Mercedes-Benz revealed the updated GLE on 31 March 2026, together with the GLE Coupe and the GLS. It is a thorough revision of the mid-size SUV rather than a new generation: the body carries over, while the engines, the electronics and the interior are new. Production for Europe starts at the Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama in September 2026, and the car reaches US showrooms as a 2027 model.
The engine range stays combustion-based and gains a 48-volt starter-generator across the board. In the United States it opens with the four-cylinder GLE 350 4MATIC at 255 hp, moves to the 375 hp inline-six GLE 450 4MATIC, and tops out on the combustion side with the 530 hp V8 in the GLE 580 4MATIC. Europe also gets two diesels, the 313 PS GLE 350d and the 367 PS GLE 450d. Mercedes-AMG contributes the 603 hp GLE 63 S.
The plug-in hybrids change the most. The four-cylinder plug-in hybrid is gone, replaced by the GLE 500e 4MATIC, which combines the 3.0-litre inline-six with an electric motor for 429 hp and more than 100 km of electric-only WLTP range. Above it sits the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53e HYBRID, rated at 577 hp combined and quoted at 4.4 seconds to 60 mph.
Inside, the GLE adopts the MBUX Superscreen, three displays sitting under one pane of glass across the dashboard, running MB.OS with Google services and over-the-air updates. Level 2+ driver assistance is available in Europe. Outside, the changes are a redesigned grille that can be illuminated, new headlights with optional Digital Light projection, and a reworked front bumper. Pricing has not been announced.
