GLE 580 4MATIC (517 PS)

STORY

The GLE is the direct heir to the M-Class, the mid-size SUV that helped Mercedes-Benz create the luxury-SUV segment. When the naming overhaul arrived in 2015, the long-running M-Class became the GLE to show its place as the SUV counterpart to the E-Class, and it has been the base of the brand's important SUV business ever since.

Roomy, comfortable and full of technology, the GLE offers everything from efficient diesels and plug-in hybrids to the powerful AMG 63 versions. Mercedes also offers a lower, sportier GLE Coupé for buyers who put style ahead of practicality.

It is built in Alabama alongside its larger sibling, the GLS. The GLE carries forward a quarter-century of Mercedes SUV experience that goes straight back to the first model of 1997. For many families it is the main mid-size luxury Mercedes SUV.