Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
It’s been quite a while since I last took a mighty Merc for a test drive, so with the German marque’s Formula One team brushing aside all in their path on the way to supremacy, it felt the right time to feel like the king of the world in one of its vehicles again.
What better way to get back into the groove than taking the new Mercedes GLE450 out for a spin?
From the moment I first climbed in and adjusted the driver’s seat in the vehicle, I knew I was in for something special. The large centre screen prompted me to enter my height, and after doing so, the seat, steering wheel and pedals moved on their own, putting me in the perfect seating position. That’s one heck of a first impression.
There’s so much more technology on the inside, by way of Mercedes’ new MBUX infotainment system. The biggest upgrade here is the addition of advanced voice control, Editor Stan’s favourite feature following a test drive of one of the marque’s other majestic offerings. Just say: ‘Hey, Mercedes’ and use natural speech to control the climate functions, media, navigation and more.
All I had to say is: ‘Hey Mercedes, turn on the massaging seats,’ and before I knew it I was receiving a rolling pressure point massage that did wonders while I was slogging through the Sitra traffic.
The technology is what truly sets this model apart. It’s a little bit special, with a pair of 12.3-inch screens, a digital gauge cluster in front and the main MBUX infotainment screen to the right. You can control MBUX via touch, which is new for the marque, or you can use a central touchpad or smaller thumb pads on the steering wheel.
I found I liked using the centre touchpad the most, simply because I never had to take my eyes off the road, unlike finding a place on the screen to touch. Furthermore, I found the small touchpads on the steering wheel were actually a bit of an inconvenience as my natural hand position on the wheel meant that I tended to brush it with my thumbs when I didn’t mean to, causing my current song to skip forward.
The car features numerous light strips, and with a few swipes of your finger (or with your voice, of course) you can change the ambient lighting to anything on the colour spectrum. If you want icy blue to feel cooler in the sweltering heat, then by all means. If you’re missing the outlets of Juffair during the holy month, then there’s neon pink and yellow too.
As for driving choices, there’s the usual Sport, Comfort and Eco modes that do what they say on the tin. But there’s another one on offer here: Custom. With this mode activated, the car studies how you drive for one month, in regards to acceleration, braking and gear shifting, and adapts to how you drive accordingly after that time.
For the purpose of this short trip, though, I put the car in Sport as is the wont of every young male behind the wheel of a brand such as Mercedes, and put the 3.0-litre, turbocharged I6, 367BHP engine through its paces. It purred along nicely and the throttle and drive were both very responsive. As to be expected from Mercedes’ excellent 4Matic AWD system, as well as a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The GLE450 has a huge list of driving aids, making my commutes around the kingdom a breeze. Adaptive cruise control is nothing new, nor is stop-and-go functionality, but the Benz will do you one better. Using GPS, the GLE450’s system can read the road ahead and slow down automatically for curves or changes in speed limits.
When traffic opens up, the GLE offers an Active Speed Limit Assist function. For example, you can set the cruise control to 100kph, but when the limit drops to 80kph, the car automatically slows down.
As you’d expect with Mercedes, myriad driver-assistance systems such as active braking, active lane change assist and blind-spot assist increase the level of active safety. Air suspension and body control are also recommended for those who want to get the most out of their GLE experience.
The seven-seater layout provides as much space in the third row as there is in the front. If you need luggage space, the back row power-folds all the way down, or if you have a smaller family then the second row can recline backwards considerably to give them even more room.
Just in case sunlight isn’t readily available enough in the current climate, there’s a full panoramic roof too.
The GLE450 is an absolute onslaught of driver assistance and infotainment tech, not to mention great driving dynamics and top-tier luxury. If you pick one up this Ramadan, it will be worth every fils.
The Mercedes GLE 450 is available from BD31.995 from the Al Haddad Showroom in Tubli. For more details, call 17785454.
