Brains On Wheels
Take A Close Look At The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 4MATIC
By Randi Payton // Decisive Media Network
The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 4MATIC reminds me of what my mother used to say, “Boy you’re too smart for your own good.” The new Mercedes GLE450 is so smart that all you need to do is sit back in the massage seat while it automatically adjusts to the best driving position.
The Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 4MATIC that I drove for a week includes a long list of performance, intelligent, and convenient technologies that will figure out your driving style, audio preferences and automatically adapt to your style.
Built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Mercedes GLE series went on sale this Spring with a multitude of driver-assistance features including adaptive cruise control that updates you on traffic conditions.
The brains behind the GLE is the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system. The MBUX uses artificial intelligence to adapt to frequently used demands, like monitoring your radio channels and offering you suggestions. It's quite innovative when a motor vehicle can detect your driving style, radio station preferences, and read your vitals from a smartwatch. That’s not all, it can then adjust the many light colors and scents inside the vehicle to change your mood.
There’s no need for you to touch the controls. The system will follow your demands by reading your body gestures or that of the passengers.
The 2020 Mercedes-Benz mid-sized SUV series comes in two trim levels. The base GLE 350, which starts around $53,700, is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder that generates 255 horsepower. It replaces the 302 horsepower V6 from the outgoing GLE.
The Mercedes GLE450 4MATIC I drove starts at $61,150 MSRP and ended up at $85,120 when a host of optional equipment was added, including driver assistance, parking assist, comfort, air suspension, 64 color ambient lighting and other premium items.
The 2020 Mercedes GLE450 4MATIC is a mild hybrid that generates 362 horses from a 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine and a 48-volt battery that adds 21 horsepower for acceleration and other functions. The small electric motor improves performance and saves fuel by assisting the gasoline engine during start and stop, air conditioning, water pump, and more. The hybrid function is like the eTorque electric motor found in some Jeep vehicles.
The 48-volt electric motor also powers the GLE450's E-Active Body Control system, which allows flat cornering on curves when the drive mode is switched to Curve. The system combines the air suspension and hydraulic dampers so each wheel can operate independently, thereby preventing the vehicle from lending when taking on sharp curves.
