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Mercedes GLE officially unveiled

Mercedes has officially unveiled the 2016 GLE, following this afternoon's leak.
Set to debut at the New York Auto Show, the GLE is essentially a facelifted M-Class which adopts the company's new nomenclature.  As a result, it has a familiar design but features a new front fascia with a revised grille that is flanked by restyled headlights.  The rear end has also been "updated cautiously" as it has new LED taillights and a sportier exhaust system.
The AMG variants are a tad more aggressive as they distinguished by a sportier front bumper, a single bar grille and 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels with a titanium grey finish.  The high-performance crossovers also have a rear diffuser and a four-tailpipe exhaust system.
The interior largely carries over but drivers will find a new multi-function steering wheel and a freestanding infotainment system.  There's also a revised color palette - that includes ginger beige, espresso brown, saddle brown and porcelain - and an extensive assortment of trim.  Speaking of the latter customers can order aluminum, carbon fiber, piano black, brown ash, brown eucalyptus and brown burred walnut - just to name a few.

Under the hood, an assortment of engines will be available including:

• A twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 with 333 PS (245 kW) and 480 Nm (354 lb-ft) of torque
• A twin-turbo 4.7-liter V8 with 435 PS (320 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque
• A 2.1-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel with 204 PS (150 kW) and 480 Nm (354 lb-ft) of torque
• A 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel with 258 PS (190 kW) and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) of torque

Buyers looking for something more powerful can opt for the GLE 63 AMG which features a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 engine that develops 557 PS (410 kW) and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque.  It enables the crossover to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

The GLE 63 AMG S goes one step further as it produces 585 PS (577 bhp / 430 kW) and 760 Nm (561 lb-ft) of torque.  Thanks to the extra oomph, the model runs from 0-100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds.
Customers can also order the GLE 500 e 4MATIC plug-in hybrid which features a 3.0-liter BlueDIRECT V6 engine, an 8.8 kWh lithium-ion battery and a seven-speed 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission with an integrated electric motor.  This setup enables the crossover to produce a combined maximum output of 442 PS (325 kW) and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque.  Despite being relatively powerful, the model returns 3.3 L/100 km (71.2 mpg US / 85.6 mpg UK) and can travel up to 30 km (18.6 miles) on electricity alone at speeds up to at 130 km/h (80.7 mph).

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