New 4x4 Advice: GLE

[JBell]

Ah you mean the new service, yes true!

Yes, I didn't phrase it right when I read it back

 

[Altamar]

Well the daily update continues...went to the local MB dealer today. I thought only one way to find out, so I drove in this order:

- 66 Reg GLE 350d
- 70 Reg GLE 300d
- 69 Reg GLE 400d

I don't need to finish the story, you know what happened....



...but for those who like a story finished...looks like I am now looking for a new shape 6 cylinder.

So, just to throw another option into the mix....

Haven't they recently launched a diesel/electric PHEV version? If I was buying a GLE I think I would want to try it out as it might be the best of both worlds. EV mode for around town on short journeys and diesel power (with an electric boost) for longer runs.

 

[ThinkPad]

So, just to throw another option into the mix....

Haven't they recently launched a diesel/electric PHEV version? If I was buying a GLE I think I would want to try it out as it might be the best of both worlds. EV mode for around town on short journeys and diesel power (with an electric boost) for longer runs.

I like your thinking. The one major thing stopping me from buying the 350d new shape immediately is the reluctance to spend that much money on what is going to be a redundant technology (diesel) in the future. I had looked at the 300de that is out there, but cheapest I can see if £65k for a used white one on the MB site. For those following this thread, you will know that it can be any colour as long as it is black, so white is a no-no...also £65k appears ridiculous for a GLE. I am wavering again about the purchase and feel back to square one...

Lastest thinking is spend 20-25k on an older model and see how that goes for the next year or so...hopefully COVID etc will be out the way and we will then be back to normal...

Perhaps something like this should keep me going...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009153767460

 

[Altamar]

^
Or you could buy a brand new one through 'drive the deal' for £52042 (or £58k for the bells and whistles premium plus)

Now, if you wouldn't mind buying one in grey please so that I can buy it from you in three years time

 

[ThinkPad]

^
Or you could buy a brand new one through 'drive the deal' for £52042 (or £58k for the bells and whistles premium plus)

Now, if you wouldn't mind buying one in grey please so that I can buy it from you in three years time

Interesting...is that the 300de 5 seat? I did have a look at Merc online showroom after my last post. Best can get is 65k new for the 5 seat premium which is in stock ready to go. Perhaps factory order will be a better deal...I will check tomorrow but this is an interesting development...if you can give me a guaranteed purchase in 3 years at 35k I will agree a deal with you and order grey! I would order premium to get the memory and 360 cam etc. Will that work for you?

 

[Mr Filipov]

Just going to throw a spanner in the works. How about a BMW X5 M50d? They can be had for just over £30 with sensible miles and 2016 onward. Plenty of shove and believe the air suspension is standard.

 

[grayb]

Does the hybrid battery still take up a chunk of boot space?

 

[JBell]

Does the hybrid battery still take up a chunk of boot space?

By "chunk" you mean most

 

[Altamar]

Interesting...is that the 300de 5 seat? I did have a look at Merc online showroom after my last post. Best can get is 65k new for the 5 seat premium which is in stock ready to go. Perhaps factory order will be a better deal...I will check tomorrow but this is an interesting development...if you can give me a guaranteed purchase in 3 years at 35k I will agree a deal with you and order grey! I would order premium to get the memory and 360 cam etc. Will that work for you?

That is for the 350de AMG. I might be wrong but I don't think they offer 7 seats in the hybrid because of the batteries being in the space where the extra seats would be. £58k appears to get you the premium plus, and I think the premium was about £55k.

I hope the 'drive the deal' info is helpful to you and that you get the car you want.

If the last six months has taught us nothing else, none of us knows what the future holds so I don't think it is possible for me to give you any guarantee I will buy it off you in three years time as there are just too many variables. But a grey one in the right spec with full service history, 35k on the clock and in excellent condition will always sell - and I would be happy to receive a message from you when the time comes to see if I have changed the E Class yet.

 

[Altamar]

That is for the 350de AMG. I might be wrong but I don't think they offer 7 seats in the hybrid because of the batteries being in the space where the extra seats would be. £58k appears to get you the premium plus, and I think the premium was about £55k.

But check carefully as I think the hybrid is the 2 litre diesel plus electric motor, not the V6 which you have said you prefer?

 

[grayb]

On a tangential topic, we drove behind a new shape GLE350d yesterday. Possibly the most over-tyred vehicle I have seen (apart from the more leary versions of the BMW X5)... I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that it had 295s on the back.

 

[Timeandleisure]

On a tangential topic, we drove behind a new shape GLE350d yesterday. Possibly the most over-tyred vehicle I have seen (apart from the more leary versions of the BMW X5)... I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that it had 295s on the back.

 

[Blobcat]

On a tangential topic, we drove behind a new shape GLE350d yesterday. Possibly the most over-tyred vehicle I have seen (apart from the more leary versions of the BMW X5)... I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that it had 295s on the back.

325 x 35 R22... Fashion, what a strange world we live in...

Wonder if the first owner will keep it long enough to need a new set?

I expect they'll wear out one one part of the thread way before the rest and the driver will no doubt kick off that they only use it for the school run so why have the tyres worn out?

 

[eman]

A couple of answers to the above. Yes the boot is smaller because of the batteries. You don’t get access where the spare usually sits but the above floor space where you need it is the same. The de model is a 2lt 4 pot diesel with 196bhp not 245bhp in the 300. But has a 135bhp motor. No 7 seat option as no floor space. The ones available now are what the dealer ordered. You cannot spec anything only if you wait until Feb/March for delivery. Mercedes cars in Germany are only on 20% production. If you look on YouTube for Nick O’Leary he’s a Mercedes chap from sandown Poole who’s just done a video on the 350de.

 

[grayb]

325 x 35 R22... Fashion, what a strange world we live in...

Wonder if the first owner will keep it long enough to need a new set?

I expect they'll wear out one one part of the thread way before the rest and the driver will no doubt kick off that they only use it for the school run so why have the tyres worn out?

Wider than our GT3 rears!!! Errant madness.
Think about the additional load on the suspension. The extra noise. The extra fine particles of rubber released to the environment. Quite apart from the nonsense of a hulking great SUV. This is not the future.

 

[Blobcat]

Wider than our GT3 rears!!! Errant madness.
Think about the additional load on the suspension. The extra noise. The extra fine particles of rubber released to the environment. Quite apart from the nonsense of a hulking great SUV. This is not the future.

They look cool though init

 

[ThinkPad]

Another day, another about turn. I have today put a substantial deposit on the following. I needed a car quickly so didn't want to mess about much longer. The plan this morning when I woke up was going for the new model. I went to see this as it popped up locally and thought well...it is worth seeing, if anything to tell me what I am getting for my money with the new shape.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009153767460

I was pleasantly surprised...a low miles car and the condition was fabulous. Interior really looked like hadn't been sat in. Engine pulled nice and smooth. Extremely high spec. Although an old shape now, it does have ILS which somehow gives it a slightly more modern front end similar to the GLE (OK, maybe I am kidding myself!).

It was due a full service and new front tyres very soon. They said they would put new tyres on the front but would be budget brand. They also have in-house servicing and would carry out full servive with MB parts. I declined both and managed a 'small' reduction on the price. I would rather have it serviced myself and get matching Continental tyres on the front.

Hope to pick up in the next couple of days. Fingers crossed no hiccups!

Only issue which is really not addressed with this car...it has no reversing cam...never mind 360! I have emailed comandonline and hoping for a reasonable price to retrofit as my wife is now so used to the 360 on the GLC...going from that to nothing on a bigger car may be a challenge.

 

[ThinkPad]

Spec for anyone interested:

Code Description
06A OIL OFFSET AMOUNT +600 ML OIL
197U OBSIDIAN BLACK
1U7 FOGGING SENSOR
200A LEATHER
201A LEATHER - BLACK/ANTHRACITE
205B OWNERS MANUAL AND SERVICE RECORD - ENGLISH
214 ADAPTIVE DAMPING SYSTEM
235 ACTIVE PARK ASSIST
241 ELECTRICALLY ADJUSTABLE LEFT DRIVER SEAT W MEMORY
249 INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR MIRROR,AUTOMATICALLY DIMMING
252 COLLISION WARNER (FCW)
255B MB MOBILO WITH DSB AND GGD
275 MEMORY PACKAGE (DRIVER SEAT, STRG. COL., MIRROR)
280 LEATHER STEERING WHEEL AND LEATHER GEAR SHIFT KNOB
283B AIRBAGLABLE - ENGLISH
2U1 RADIATOR SHUTTER
335B INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/HU LANGUAGE - ENGLISH
347 EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEM ECALL EUROPE
414 ELECTRIC TILT/SLIDE SUNROOF IN GLASS VERSION
427 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 7-SPEED
441 STEERING COLUMN, ELECTRICALLY ADJUSTABLE
461 INSTRUMENT WITH MILES IND. AND ENGLISH LEGEND
468 ACTIVE DRIVING STABILITY (ARS)
474 DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER
475 TIRE PRESSURE CONTROL
489 AIRMATIC DUAL CONTROL / AIR SUSPENSION SEMI-ACTIVE
4U5 FRONT PASSENGER SEAT ADJUSTMENT TRAVEL LIMITATION
500 ELECTRIC FOLDING OUTSIDE MIRROR
502 3 YEARS OF MAP UPDATES FREE OF CHARGE
512 COMAND APS WITH DVD CHANGER
513 TRAFFIC SIGN RECOGNITION
518 UNIVERSAL COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE (UCI)
537 DIGITAL RADIO STANDARD DAB (DIGI. AUDIO BROADC.)
537L GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
551 BASIC ANTITHEFT ALARM SYSTEM (ATA)
581 AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL
58U ROOF INTERIOR TRIM GRAY FABRIC
5XXL EUROPE
600 HEADLAMPS - CLEANING EQUIPMENT
608 AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAM SWITCH (IHC)
621 HEADLAMP WITH ILS, LEFT-HAND TRAFFIC
668 PRODUCT PROT. F FREIGHT PACKAG. W TIE-DOWN HOOKS
690 EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE (MINI SPARE)
723 TRUNK COVERING
739 TRIM PIECES - ALUMINUM
772 AMG STYLING PACKAGE-FRONT SPOILER, SIDE SKIRT
780 19" AMG SPOKE WHEELS ALL-ROUND
804 CHANGE OF MODEL YEAR, THE LAST FIGURE SHOWING THE NEW MODEL YEAR
840 DARK TINTED GLASS
846 SCUFF PLATE IN ALU-APPEARANCE WITH RUBBER STUDS
873 SEAT HEATER FOR LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SEATS
876 INTERIOR LIGHT ASSEMBLY
882 SENSOR SYSTEM AND ANTITHEFT ALARM SYSTEM
885 HIGHTEN THEFT PROTECTION
890 AUTOMATIC REAR-END DOOR
915 FUEL TANK WITH GREATER CAPACITY - VOLUME 2
927 EURO 6 TECHNOLOGY EXHAUST GAS CLEANING
968 COC PAPER EURO6 TECH. W/O REGISTRATION CERT.PART 2
989 IDENTIFICATION LABEL UNDER WINDSHIELD
A05 TRANSMISSION ALL-WHEEL CAPABLE
A20 DIRECT START
A21 SHIFT BY WIRE
A62 FE TORQUE CONVERTER HOUSING 19
A66 FE CONVERTER 19 MM
A89 REDUCED-FRICTION
A98 TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE RETROFIT
B03 DIRECT START / ECO START/STOP FUNCTION
B09 REFRIGERANT COMPRESSOR WITH MAGNETIC COUPLING
B12 WHEEL REPLACEMENT TOOL
D5B No code designation available
DL3 No code designation available
F166 SERIES 166
FW LIMOUSINE
G903 TRANSMISSION CODE VERSION 03
GA AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
HA REAR AXLE
J52 ADDITIONAL CODE FOR DAMPING MAT
J58 RIGHT BRACKET
J5A DSM: STAR1 FBS4 UPDATE
J81 CHANGED OIL FILLING OM613
K11 ADAPTIVE STOP LIGHT FLASHING
K13 CONTROL CODE FOR SERVICE INTERVAL 25000 KM
M014 ENGINE INCREASED PERFORMANCE
M019 SERVICE REPOSITIONED
M020 BLUETEC
M30 DISPLACEMENT 3.0 LITER
M642 V6 DIESEL ENGINE OM642
P31 AMG LINE EXTERIOR/AMG SPORTS PACKAGE EXTERIOR
P49 MIRRORS PACKAGE
P54 THEFT PROTECTION PACKAGE
P64 FRONT MEMORY PACKAGE
R RIGHT-HAND STEERING
R01 SUMMER TIRES
U01 REAR BELT STATUS INDICATION
U18 AUTOMATIC CHILD SEAT RECOGNITATION (AKSE)
U22 LUMBAR SUPPORT ADJUSTMENT
U42 DIESEL EXHAUST TREATMENT BLUETEC SCR GENERATION 1
U60 PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION - ACTIVE ENGINE HOOD
U72 DVD PLAYER WITH REGIONAL CODE 2, EUROPE, JAPAN
V32 SPEED+ - LOADINDEX 103 W
VL FRONT AXLE HALF, LEFT
VR FRONT AXLE HALF, RIGHT

 

[s5tuart]

Very shiny!!!
Congrats

 

[ThinkPad]

Thank you...I just need to figure out what Active curve is...dealer made a big point about it and I have never heard of it before to be honest.