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2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE: First Photos Of Facelifted And Renamed M-Class

These are the very first pictures of the new 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE, which is none other than the facelifted M-Class with a fresh name.

Seen here ahead of a world premiere at the New York Auto Show next week, the German firm's mid-size luxury SUV adopts the new GLE nomenclature that was first used on the sportier looking GLE Coupe that targets the BMW X6.

The pictures we have aren't of the highest quality and size, but they're good enough for us to see that the GLE has a different front end styling that's very close to that of the GLE Coupe with freshly designed headlamps, grille, bumper and bonnet.

Moving on to the profile, we don't see anything new, while at the back, Mercedes designers seem to have updated the tail lamp graphics, the bumper and the exhaust tips.

Inside, there's a new steering wheel and a redesigned center console that now features a larger, standalone central display screen, which should come with the latest generation of the firm's Comand infotainment system.

From the images we see that the range will include the high-performance GLE 63 AMG available in both 557PS and 585PS "S" trims, as well as a plug-in hybrid version, a first for the series, reportedly named the GLE 500e 4MATIC, that borrows the S500e's (previously S500 PHEV) powertrain combining a 328hp (333PS) 3.0-liter turbo V6 with a 107hp electric motor.

Our tipster also told us that the range will include the GLE250d with a 204PS four-cylinder diesel, the GLE 300d with a 258PS V6 diesel, the GLE 400 with a 333PS twin-turbo V6 gasoline unit, and the GLE 500 with a twin-turbo gasoline V8 producing 435PS.

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