Mercedes GLE and GLS get a makeover and adopt artificial intelligence

The presentation of the new American road map defined by Mercedes, which envisages investment of seven billion dollars over the next four years, was the occasion to show the revamped GLE suv and coupé as well as GLS produced in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, together with the suv formats of the EQE and EQS. A line-up that will be expanded next year by the GLC EQ, which until then has only been produced in Germany and will also adopt traction batteries made at the Mercedes plant in Woodstock, also in Alabama.

The main novelty is the adoption of the MB.OS supercomputer that debuted with the GLC EQ, which in practice manages and connects the technologies of infotainment, all automated driving system functions, bodywork, dynamism, powertrain, comfort and charging based on the parameters detected by five radars, ten cameras and twelve sensors. The update also included optimisation of the 4Matic all-wheel drive, as well as the Body Control technology which has now become e-Active Body Control whose control units analyse the driving parameters 1,000 times per second and individually adjust the suspension of each wheel to stabilise the body in all on-road and off-road situations and optimise dynamic comfort. In addition, both the optional and standard air suspension have been tuned to even better combine dynamism with comfort. The latter is now also reflected in the electric filter that purifies the air in the passenger compartment every minute and a half and widespread measures to reduce noise and vibrations in the cabin to a minimum.

The GLE in suv and coupé formats and the GLS with seven-seat cabin, which can be considered the high-wheelbase version of the S-class flagship, are large suvs but not exactly overlapping. Apart from that, the 2026 editions have almost mirror-image ranges in terms of engines. In practice, almost all of them adopt 48V mild hybrid technology that adds 17 horsepower to the rated output of each unit and make use of upgrades that improve efficiency while also raising, in most cases, power outputs, both in the case of the 3-litre turbo-diesel 350d and 450d diesel versions now with outputs ranging from 286 to 367 horsepower, the presence of which testifies to how important they are for these suvs, and in that of the petrol variants. These are the 450 also powered by a 3-litre turbocharged 6-cylinder developing 381 horsepower and the 58, powered by a 4-litre V8 with 537 horsepower. These versions are joined by the 450e plug-in hybrid only found in the GLE suv range, which adds to the 326 horsepower of the 6-cylinder petrol engine the 135 horsepower of the electric unit, promising zero-emission range of over 100 kilometres.

The AMG chapter only concerns the GLEs with two proposals, which also benefit from numerous improvements over previous versions. This range consists of the 53 4Matic+ powered by a 6-cylinder 3-litre turbo mild hybrid with 48V, whose motor-generator adds 17 horsepower to the 449 of the thermic engine, and the 53 Hybrid plug with an overall power output of 585 horsepower, which uses a 400V architecture that allows battery recharging even with ultra-fast DC systems, guaranteeing distances in electric mode in the order of a hundred kilometres.

Aesthetically, the revamped SUVs are recognisable, although the designers' interventions have concentrated on the front end, in particular, incorporating brand new headlamp signatures with digital headlamps and new grille designs, also with fixed illumination for most markets and only illuminating when stationary for the Chinese one.