The Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 4MATIC facelift model arrives in Malaysian showrooms.
It seems like a lifetime ago when Mercedes-Benz Malaysia introduced the fourth-generation GLE. Back in 2019, it arrived fully-imported from the USA for RM633K. Then in mid-2021 local-assembly was initiated, bringing the price down substantially. Now in 2024, we’re getting a minor facelift which brings some minor styling changes and a bit of a performance bump along with other changes.
Starting with the exterior, we have some side-by-side comparison photos from our trip to Penang late last year when Mercedes-Benz Malaysia first showed us the car.
The front bumper, grille and headlights are all new. The bumper is rounded off with a new AMG front apron with chrome trim elements and there are minor changes around back as well which include a diffuser-look to the rear apron.
The grille features the three-pointed star motif and the metal wing protruding from the centre badge now features three slits. Headlights feature a new DRL pattern with a single eyebrow up top and four oval dashes. The internal housing of these MULTIBEAM LED headlights have been changed. Similarly, taillight graphics have also been updated to the simpler and more saturated yellow look.
The 21″ alloy rims look to be unchanged but noteworthy here are the larger ventilated brake discs and the switch from Pirelli P Zero to Continental Sportcontact 6 tyres.
Inside we see minor changes including changes to the air vent finishing itself, which is now galvanized in real metal which stand out against the anthracite open-pore oak wood trim elements. The more major change is the new flat-bottomed, nappa leather wrapped AMG Line steering with the larger three-pointed star on the hornpad and the touch capacitive controls on either side in glossy black.
Other practical changes to the interior include 2 additional 100W USB ports in the rear armrest, a 2nd gen MBUX infotainment system, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Besides that, the new Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 AMG Line comes with MBUX augmented reality for navigation, Active Parking Assist and Parking Package with a 360-degree camera, and Driving Assistance Package Plus with additional hardware to enable Active Distance Assist Distronic with Active Steering Assist, Evasive Steering Assist or Pre-Safe Impulse Side.
Another improvement is Parking System Generation 5.0 which reintroduces auto perpendicular parking. The Burmester 3D surround sound system now features a personal sound setup function along with Dolby Atmost immersive audio experience with 13 speakers, 13 channels and 590W of output.
Under the hood, the same 3.0L twin turbocharged straight six petrol motor as before returns but with a 2nd generation Integrated Starter Generator and improved power figures. There’s an uplift of 14hp to 381 horsepower but torque remains unchanged at 500Nm. The increased power figure cuts the century sprint time down by a tenth of a second to 5.6 seconds. Power is still fed to all four wheels via a 9G-Tronic 9-speed automatic and the 4MATIC system.
Colour options include obsidian black, selenite grey, high tech silver and a new cost option – Manufactur diamond white bright. In Peninsular Malaysia, the Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 4MATIC is priced at RM528,888 on the road without insurance, including 10% sales tax.
