India-bound Mercedes-Benz GLE gets a new diesel engine

-    New six-cylinder diesel engine joins a four-cylinder diesel six-cylinder petrol.

-    The 3.0-litre straight six is available in two states of tune – 350d and 400d.

-    Indian debut expected by mid-2019.

Mercedes-Benz has extended the GLE-Class line-up with the addition of two new diesel variants. The Euro-6 standard OM656 straight-six diesel engine in the 350d and 400d guise is introduced in the GLE after it debuted in the CLS a few months back. However, the power output differs in the two Three-Pointed Stars. 

The 350d 4Matic produces 272bhp and 600Nm while the 400d has an output of 330bhp and 700Nm. The 0-100kmph time is claimed to be 6.9 seconds and 5.8 seconds, respectively. This diesel engine joins the smaller 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel and a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol taking the total number of variants to four. When the GLE arrives in India, Mercedes is likely to bring all the four variants to the country. 

The new-gen GLE-Class is now available with a seven-seater version for the first time, albeit as an option. It comes with MBUX multimedia system with voice activation as standard. The 12.3-inch widescreen cockpit display and 12.3-inch touchscreen media display which was first seen in the S-Class is also part of the package. Other equipment on the GLE includes blind spot assist, 20-inch AMG alloy wheels, illuminated grab handles, illuminated running boards, static LEDs with active high beam assist, automatic two-zone climate control and traffic sign assist. Moreover, the SUV also comes with Mercedes’ AIRMATIC air suspension system which can lower the SUV by around 40mm for easier loading and unloading. 

When launched in India in 2019, this new GLE will be priced in the range of Rs 65 lakhs to 80 lakhs depending on the variant. It will compete against the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Volvo XC60 and the Jaguar F-Pace.