Next year’s facelift for the current-gen Mercedes M-Class won’t only bring changes to the SUVs appearance, but if the reports are true, to its name as well.
It’s part of a broader overhaul in Mercedes’ naming strategy that seems to have started with the A-Class model series and continued with the S-Class Coupe and more recently, the AMG models that drop the Benz moniker.
The carmaker’s SUV lineup is next, with the M-Class to be rebranded as the GLE to show its relation to the E-Class, in the same way that the GLA is connected to the A-Class.
These latest spy shots of the GLE were captured by Carscoops reader Alexander B. outside the Rolls Royce Museum in Dornbirn, Austria – not the place you’d expect to see an MB tester.
Mercedes had all the new parts under cover, including the restyled front end that will have different lights, bonnet, grille and bumper, as well as the rear where the GLE will get an updated bumper and most likely, new tail lamp cluster designs.
New colors and trims, a tablet-style touch-screen for the latest version of the brand’s Command infotainment system, along with a redesigned steering wheel and center console will help keep the SUV up to date inside.
Together with some improvements to the current engine range, we hear that Mercedes will introduce a new hybrid model and a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 with 329hp (333PS).
Danke Schon Alexander!
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