As a benchmark model in the luxury medium-sized and large SUV market, the Mercedes-Benz GLE has undergone many years of import sales. This classic model has finally ushered in a milestone upgrade - the new domestic Mercedes-Benz long-wheelbase GLE has officially finalized its listing time, and will land in the domestic market on September 16, opening a new chapter of localization. So what are the specific upgrades in the design, spatial performance, smart technology, and power configuration of this heavyweight model with full of sincerity? What are the core advantages compared to competitors at the same level? Below, we will introduce the product highlights of the Mercedes-Benz long wheelbase GLE in all aspects, and take you through the core upgrades of the new car. In terms of the appearance of the new car, the front face of the vehicle is equipped with Mercedes-Benz's iconic shield grille, which is further enlarged in size, with a chrome-plated frame and a luminous design of the central three-pronged star emblem, which lights up when unlocked, creating a strong sense of ceremony. The headlights are in the shape of "double star emblem", and the blue ambiance lights are decorated under the daytime running lights of the three-pronged star emblem; the three-dimensional star emblem taillights echo the front and back of the headlights. On the side of the body, the new car uses Mercedes-Benz's iconic SUV design language, full of strength, providing long wheelbase, short front suspension, and wide yacht-style C-pillars, which together outline a robust body ratio, and provide 20-inch, 21-inch, and 22-inch rims to choose from. In terms of body size, the vehicle length, width and height are 5051/2018/1794 (1784, 1789) mm, respectively, and the wheelbase is 3115mm. The Mercedes-Benz Long Wheelbase GLE is available in five color palettes, including two new exclusive color palettes: ink jade and turquoise. The vehicle light group uses the same micro-LED technology as the S-Class sedan, which reduces energy consumption by about 50%, reduces weight by more than 25%, extends high-resolution illumination range by about 40%, and has lower energy consumption, farther illumination, and clearer corners. The ultra range ultra-remote illumination function can illuminate distances up to 600 meters, and provides corner illumination and local high-light shielding functions. In terms of interior, the front of the vehicle is equipped with a hyperlinked screen consisting of three 12.3-inch high-definition displays, and with an integrated floating design, the newly designed air outlet seamlessly integrates into the ambient light, which can be accompanied by temperature adjustment to change the cool and warm colors. The steering wheel physical buttons return, the scroll wheel adjusts the volume, and the rich physical buttons are retained, making it easy to quickly adjust common functions. The new car will also feature a new Nappa textured seat texture with moccasin stitching. The vehicle also adds the image of "Little Ben" to create an interactive experience with rich emotional value, which can show different dynamic effects according to different scenarios. AI-enabled Mercedes-Benz virtual assistant, which combines a large model of bean bag AI, a superhuman speech synthesis engine, and 3D graphics technology, is capable of executing complex instructions. The rear of the vehicle is equipped with a dual 12.9-inch rear entertainment system, which is led by the Chinese team. The application side of the multimodal large model VLM can actively recommend personalized content according to different passengers. It can also identify different passenger states, actively recommend refreshing related modes, a variety of gesture controls, and can operate entertainment content, cross-screen space sharing and photo-taking with one hand. It can also be operated through a detachable independent touch remote control. The rear passenger space of the vehicle is up to 1020 mm, which is further expanded with the adjustment of the backrest angle in the front row. The rear cushion is lengthened by 20mm and thickened by 20mm to support it more fully; the rear back angle supports 31° to 38° adjustment while adding a wide wraparound seat side wing. On the stereo side, the vehicle offers Dolby Atmos' Burmester 3D surround sound system with rooftop 3D speakers and front subwoofer. In terms of assisted driving, Mercedes-Benz's long-wheelbase GLE uses the MB.OS architecture. From assisted driving to voice interaction, it is led by the Chinese team and developed for China to support urban areas and high-speed navigation. It provides intelligent assisted parking, wheel rim risk warning, tracking reversing and other functions. The vehicle is equipped with the Momenta R6 reinforcement learning model, and later upgraded with the Momenta R7 world model to deliver a "parking to parking" seamless assisted driving experience. In terms of safety, the vehicle's high-strength steel and aluminum alloy materials accounted for 95.4%, taking into account high rigidity and light weight; the whole vehicle's structural glue was up to 144 meters long, which increased the body strength by 3 times. The new car will also be equipped with 10 airbags as standard, and the side airbags and side air curtains are designed to provide comprehensive protection for the second-row passengers. The front knee airbags are equipped to effectively cushion the knee impact in the event of a collision. In terms of power, the vehicle is equipped with the M254 Evo 2.0T inline four-cylinder turbocharged engine and the M256M Evo 3.0T inline six-cylinder turbocharged engine, the maximum power of the 2.0T engine is 190kW, the peak torque is 400N · m, and the acceleration time of 0-100km/h is 7.4 seconds; the displacement of the six-cylinder engine is increased from 2.5 liters to 3.0 liters, the maximum power is 280kW, the peak torque is 560N · m, and the acceleration time of 0-100km/h is 5.5 seconds. Both powertrain versions are equipped with a 9-speed automatic transmission, a 4MATIC four-wheel drive system as standard, and an electric auxiliary supercharger to reduce turbine lag with motor response. The vehicle's intelligent four-wheel drive system can achieve 0–100% forward and rearward torque distribution on demand. In complex road conditions such as mud, snow, and gravel roads, the 4-ETS electronic traction control system intervenes in the braking of skidding wheels, transfers power to adhesive wheels, and takes into account the omnipotent performance of highway control and off-road escape. The vehicle suspension system is equipped with an enhanced version of the ads + Adaptive Continuous Adjustable Damping System and features a single-cylinder dual-valve design. Sport mode body can be automatically lowered by 15mm; load mode body can be lowered by 25mm; off-road mode, airmatic air suspended by off-road technology components can be raised by an additional 30mm. The minimum ground clearance of the vehicle is 271 mm, with a 27.2-degree approach angle and a 29.7-degree departure angle, which does not compromise off-road performance while increasing the length. The predecessor of today's GLE is the classic Mercedes-Benz ML class, which has been renamed with the innovation of the Mercedes-Benz SUV family naming system. After four iterations of the entire vehicle and many mid-term modifications, it has merged luxury comfort with the all-terrain capabilities of off-road vehicles to create a luxury SUV segment. It was also one of the original pioneers of the luxury mid-size and large SUV market, earlier than the BMW X5 and Audi Q7. In 1997, Mercedes-Benz officially launched the first-generation ML class (chassis code W163), which was Mercedes' first truly modern luxury SUV, completely breaking the luxury brand's product landscape at that time, which was dominated by hard-core off-road and business cars. The original model retained the unloadable body structure with hardcore off-road genes, and in 2005, the second-generation ML class (chassis code W164) was officially replaced, marking a key turning point in the development of the model. The new car completely abandoned the original non-loading body and switched to the exclusive load-bearing body of passenger cars, with the core orientation shifting from "hardcore off-road" to "urban luxury and comfort". In 2011, the third generation ML class (chassis code W166) completed the iteration, as the last generation of the ML naming era, focusing on refinement and high-end upgrades. This generation of ML class is also the main version imported into China, accumulating a large number of user bases and good market reputation. 2015 is an important watershed year for this model. Mercedes-Benz has completely updated the global SUV family naming system, following nearly 20 years of ML class officially renamed GLE, positioned between GLC and gls. In 2018, the new fourth generation model (chassis code W167) was launched, which is the second comprehensive iteration of GLE after the naming. It was officially introduced to the Chinese market in 2019 and ushered in the first mid-term change in 2023. The domestic Mercedes-Benz long wheelbase GLE is based on the second medium-term revision, which is more suitable for the consumer needs of the Chinese market. Market analysis At present, the competition in this level of the market is heating up. With the listing of the domestic Mercedes Benz long wheelbase GLE, the core competitors cover the two camps of traditional luxury fuel SUV and high-end new energy SUV. Different models have their core advantages and audience groups, forming a distinctive competition with the Mercedes Benz long wheelbase GLE. As the first front-line luxury large SUV to achieve domestic lengthening, the BMW X5L has always ranked first in the market segment, and is the primary benchmark model for the domestic GLE long axle version. The positioning, price, and audience of the two models are highly overlapping. In terms of product characteristics, the core advantage of the BMW X5L is to control the heritage and sports properties, which is suitable for users who prefer driving pleasure. As an imported medium and large luxury SUV, the Audi Q7 focuses on large size, high balance and price advantage. In the domestic new energy SUV camp, Mercedes-Benz's long wheelbase GLE competitors include ideal L8, boundary M8, polar krypton 8X, NiO ES8 and other "8-series" SUVs. These models are continuously shifting household and business users in this budget segment, with outstanding advantages in smart cockpits, assisted driving, and car use costs, which is suitable for consumers who put home and technology experiences first. The irreplaceability of the domestic Mercedes-Benz long wheelbase GLE focuses on the traditional luxury brand value, mature six-cylinder fuel power, chassis luxury adjustment, business reception circle recognition, etc. The domestic Mercedes-Benz long wheelbase GLE to be listed at the end of this time is not an ordinary mid-term modification, but a localization upgrade of Mercedes-Benz to deepen the luxury SUV market in China and make up for the shortcomings of the product, further adapting domestic users to take into account the core needs of home comfort and business queuing. At the same time, in the environment where new energy continues to squeeze the share of fuel luxury vehicles, the long-wheelbase GLE will further maintain the market share of traditional fuel luxury SUVs. At the brand level, the long wheelbase GLE is a key step for Mercedes-Benz to strengthen the Chinese market. Prior to this, Mercedes-Benz luxury SUVs relied on imports and could not fully release the brand's potential energy. The completion of domestic lengthening means that Mercedes-Benz will no longer simply introduce overseas models into domestic sales, but will make in-depth customized development for the Chinese market, further consolidating Mercedes-Benz's product matrix in the field of domestic luxury SUVs. However, objectively speaking, the entrance rhythm of the long-wheelbase GLE has been relatively late. The BMW X5 long-axis version has been produced domestically for many years, and has already seized the market opportunity. It is difficult to replicate the outbreak dividend of domestic production in the early years, and at the same time to withstand the dual competition between German and new energy. Whether the long wheelbase GLE can transform the brand advantage into real sales volume, pricing will be the core, and the performance after the listing on September 16 is worthy of attention. (Written by/Yao Yu, Car House).