As you already know, Mercedes is giving the GLE another facelift, the second one of the fourth generation that came out in 2018, which comes to life at the Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama for the Western world and other plants in Asia for the local markets.
We recently got to see the 2026 Mercedes GLE Coupe doing its thing in the open, and now it is time to put the spotlight on its more practical (and better-looking) sibling, the regular SUV. The prototype was spotted in the open not long ago, and it is in the AMG GLE 53 configuration.
The quad exhaust, the sportier styling over the regular Mercedes-Benz GLE at both ends and the cross-drilled brake discs visible from behind the bi-tone black and silver Y-spoke alloys on this gray tester give away its sporty nature.
It seems that the three-pointed star brand's design team gave it a tweaked grille that should retain its vertical slat shape. The headlamps should at least sport different graphics, and we'd love to see the same stars as the ones on the upcoming Mercedes GLE Coupe. The front bumper seems to have reshaped intakes, and there are almost no visible updates at the rear, save for the taillights that seem to have revised graphics.
Photo: SH Proshots
Half a year ago, Mercedes announced the specifications of the 2026 GLE 53 Hybrid. Thus, the following numbers are official, which is a well-deserved breath of fresh air, as we do not have to speculate on them anymore. And if you missed the title, then you're looking at plug-in hybrid power.
The assembly combines an electric motor that generates 134 hp (136 ps/100 kW) with a 442 hp (449 ps/330 kW) 3.0L inline-six gasoline unit and a 31.2 kWh battery pack. The sporty crossover has a total output of 536 horsepower (544 ps/400 kW) and 553 pound-foot (750 Nm) of torque. The electrified model runs out of breath at 155 miles per hour or 250 kph and needs only 4.6 seconds from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph).
This represents a significant bump over its predecessor, whose mild-hybrid 3.0L inline-six is good for 429 hp (435 ps/320 kW) and 413 pound-foot (560 Nm). The integrated starter generator boosts the engine by 21 hp (21 ps/16 kW) and 148 lb-ft (200 Nm). This model is three-tenths of a second slower to sixty mph and has an identical limited top speed.
Mercedes has confirmed that the facelifted GLE 53 Hybrid will start arriving at dealers in the United States next year, and it will be a 2026 model. But the question is, are we looking at the plug-in hybrid version of the agile crossover, or is it something else?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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