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Mercedes-Benz has made a few small updates to its popular GLE model SUV for 2026, to keep it fresh. Sure, every maker of premium vehicles has a mid-size sport utility, but this one has some significant heritage behind it.
It was 1997 when Mercedes made the bold move of introducing the original ML320, the first such vehicle from a European brand. The company saw the strong growth of the SUV market in the U.S., and wanted to keep their customers from looking elsewhere for one. That 1998 ML created a lot of buzz, and was a sales hit.
And it didn’t take long for other European brands to get into the SUV game. Following Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, Audi, and eventually Jaguar jumped into the fray. And more recently, even the ultra-luxury and exotic makers got on the bandwagon. You can now buy an SUV from Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Maserati, Lamborghini, and even Ferrari.
Fast-forward more than two and a half decades, and the new 2026 GLE is carrying the torch first lit by the 1998 ML. Some years back, Mercedes-Benz renamed its SUV models to follow the designations of their sedan counterparts in terms of size and price. The ML became the GLE, the compact GLK evolved into the GLC, and the large one initially known as simply GL became the GLS. In size order, GLC for C-Class, GLE for E-Class, and GLS for S-Class.
One interesting change in the category of “what’s old is new again,” the mid-range GLE 450 4Matic features an inline six-cylinder engine, turbocharged, and making 375 horsepower. Mercedes made its reputation with six cylinders like this, but when that first-generation ML came along, a V6 was the company’s go-to at the time.
This modern take on the classic features a mild hybrid system for a slight boost in power and efficiency. The GLE 450 has a starting MSRP of $72,250, though the GLE 350 with a 255 horsepower four-cylinder engine starts at $62,250.
That ML of the late-1990s was quite significant in that it ushered in Mercedes-Benz’s first entry in the growing SUV segment. (The utilitarian G-Class was already around, but at the time was not sold in the U.S.). And there was something even more significant about that vehicle.
To produce its first SUV like this, Mercedes-Benz ushered in the era of European manufacturing in this country, building a sprawling factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. That facility has made over four million vehicles through the years, even for export, and including some EVs in recent years.
So sure, the current GLE model is a solid choice in a very competitive segment. But it also has some history behind it, both for Mercedes-Benz, and the auto industry in general.
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