Mercedes-Benz GLE and GLE Coupé 2026 get a deeper second facelift

The third generation of the Mercedes-Benz GLE arrived in 2019 and received a "freshen-up" in 2023. After seven years, you might expect an all-new model, but that is not the case. Instead, the German manufacturer is giving the GLE and GLE Coupé a second facelift - and it is more extensive than the update introduced three years ago.

Starting with the exterior of the GLE 2026, it now features… lots of stars, following the design direction seen on the brand’s latest launches. The star theme appears in the new front and rear light signatures and is also used as a decorative pattern for the front grille, which has grown in size. The bumpers have been reshaped, and there are new 20-inch alloy wheels.

At the rear, in a similar vein to the "mask" that dominates the tailgate of the new all-electric Mercedes-Benz GLC, the updated GLE also adopts a black strip linking both tail-lights. These rear lamps use three-dimensional star-shaped elements and incorporate the brand emblem at the centre.

Lord of the screens

Moving inside the GLE 2026, the changes go further: the cabin is essentially new.

The headline upgrade is the standard-fit MBUX Superscreen, which brings three displays housed beneath a single glass surface that stretches across almost the full width of the interior. A panoramic roof also becomes standard on every version.

With this second update, the steering wheels have been revised too, and their controls are no longer purely haptic, now adding two physical rotary controls.

Revised and more powerful powertrains

Under the bonnet of the GLE and GLE Coupé 2026, Diesel, petrol and plug-in hybrid options remain available. However, the line-up is now limited to straight-six and V8 engines only, with the four-cylinder units removed from the range.

For the Diesel models, both the GLE 350 d 4MATIC and GLE 450 d 4MATIC use the same 3.0-litre straight-six. The difference is output: 286 cv and 650 Nm of torque versus 367 cv and 750 Nm, respectively.

It is the petrol engines that bring the most notable updates. Both the 3.0-litre straight-six and the 4.0-litre V8 are significant evolutions of their predecessors, to the point that the "Evo" designation has been added to their names: M 256 and M 177, respectively.

The straight-six is fitted to the GLE 450 4MATIC. Power stays at 381 cv, but torque rises by 12%, from 500 Nm to 560 Nm, thanks to a new cylinder head, a larger air intake and redesigned exhausts.

At the top of the range sits the GLE 580 4MATIC, "powered" by the V8 introduced on the 2026 S-Class. Its standout feature is a flat-plane crankshaft - like Ferrari engines use. The result is 537 cv and 750 Nm of torque, plus a 0 to 100 km/h time of 4.5s, matching the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Hybrid, even though that model is more powerful.

If you want to combine the best of both worlds, there is the plug-in hybrid GLE 450 e 4MATIC. It does without the 2.0-litre four-cylinder and instead adopts exactly the same straight-six as the GLE 450.

As a consequence, the system’s combined output is higher. It gains 74 cv, moving from 381 cv to 455 cv. The battery, meanwhile, keeps the same 25.3 kWh usable capacity, with a claimed electric-only range of up to 106 km on the combined WLTP cycle.

When will it arrive?

The Mercedes-Benz GLE and GLE Coupé 2026 still do not have a confirmed on-sale date, but everything suggests they will reach the market later this year. At the same time, pricing for the Portuguese market has yet to be announced.

Even so, the expectation is that figures will be close to those of the current models, which are available from €100,800 and €108,050, respectively.