German auto giant Mercedes-Benz will be launching the new GLE SUV later this year and the company has imported one unit of the GLE 250d 4MATIC.
The Mercedes M-Class has been on sale in India since a long time now. The GLE will soon be replacing the ML and it was unveiled at the New York Motor Show in April this year. Mercedes-Benz imported two units of the GLE350d in June for homologation purposes and now the automaker has imported one unit of the GLE250d 4MATIC for the same reason. It means that the vehicle is going to be launched here very soon and the company is gearing up properly for the launch which might take place during the festive season in October.
The Mercedes GLE250d is powered by a 2.1-litre diesel engine producing 203 BHP of power and 500 Nm of torque. The engine is a 4-cylinder, twin-turbo unit and it is mated to a 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission. The GLE is basically a facelift of the ML and it comes with styling elements inspired by the W222 S-Class. The SUV looks quite striking and it has a nice sporty touch. The GLE also gets a 7-inch free standing display unit and the interiors get a significant revamp. The vehicle also gets a new flat-bottom steering wheel.
Mercedes India has already started accepting bookings for the GLE. The first 20 units will be brought down via the CBU route and then local assembly will begin later on. We expect prices to see a hike and the GLE might have a base price tag of Rs. 58 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). It will compete with the likes of the BMW X5 and Audi Q7. Mercedes and Audi are competing fiercely with each other in the Indian auto market while BMW is biting the dust far behind. While the former is readying the GLE for launch, Audi is all set to introduce the new Q7 too.
Source – Zauba.com
