What's the news?
The Mercedes-Benz new GLE SUV will start from €65,665 when it arrives here ahead of the 161-registration period in January. The GLE is essentially a heavily-facelifted and re-badged ML-Class, with the new three-letter naming system that will be used for all future Mercedes niche products.
The GLE also comes as a BMW-X6-rivalling coupe, the GLE Coupe which will primarily be sold with the 3.0-litre diesel V6 engine badged as GLE Coupe 350d. That'll cost you €86,805 but the GLE 250d with its more upright body represents especially good value for money - yes it only has a 2.1-litre four-cylinder engine compared to the Coupe's V6 but Mercedes Ireland claims that the €65,000 starting price includes around €12,000 worth of extras that weren't included before. These include full leather upholstery and trim, heated front seats, Parktronic parking assist, satellite navigation, intelligent light system, metallic paint and mirror pack.
Mercedes Ireland's sales manager Ciaran Allen says this is a 'policy on the part of Mercedes-Benz to win over new customers by matching lower prices to higher specifications in a way that delivers added value where it counts most - in the wallet'.
Both cars will also be available on the new Star Finance personal contract plan (PCP).