Mercedes-Benz GLE300d: Diamond in the rough

The Mercedes-Benz GLE300d is a German cocoon with a R1.5-million price tag and seating so lofty that you can scoff at the world as you trundle by. For some, that’s all that matters in a luxury SUV. But not us, we’re interested in how capable it is.

If you think the GLE300d has no off-road pretense, think again. We’ll prove it with a 500 km roundtrip from the endless plains of the Tankwa Karoo to the high plateau of Middelberg Pass outside Citrusdal.

MERCEDES-BENZ GLE300D: LESS IS MORE

We know diesel is no longer de rigeur in most of the Free World after #Dieselgate, and you’ll find precious few diesel Mercedes on sale in the West alongside the firm’s EVs and petrol-powered products. Perhaps the southern tip of Africa – with its unstable electricity supply and iffy fuel quality – will one day become the last outpost of oil-burners when the world has gone full electric. Perhaps it’s already happening, who knows?

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We’re certainly not complaining because, in our eyes, the easy-going, unstressed diesel is still the best way to motivate a 2.2-tonne four-wheel-drive SUV, no doubt about it. The 300d is the downsized offering in the Mercedes stable. A 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel with 180 kW and 500 Nm on tap. It has a tested zero to 100 km/h sprint time of 7.85 seconds and a top speed of 225 km/h. which means it can hang onto the coattails of hot hatches and deliver excellent fuel economy all round.

You can forget the claimed/combined figure of 6.4 l/100 km, however, average consumption on our trip didn’t exceed 8.5 l/100 km. Higher than claimed but impressive when you consider the full-on winter cold fronts and muddy terrain we had to navigate.

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It’s the 9G-tronic automatic gearbox that proves a real boon on a road trip like ours. Its shifts are so smooth and imperceptible, you don’t notice it sneak into the highest gear at the earliest possible moment to save you fuel. Put your foot down to overtake, draw upon the 500 Nm of twist on offer and there’s sufficient oomph, with minimal hesitation, as multiple cogs are dropped, and you surge forward with seamless progress. There is no lethargy to speak of, everything about the drivetrain is harmonious, no matter your choice of five driving modes.

INTO THE MOUNTAINS

Beyond the sleepy town of Citrusdal, which seemed quieter than usual due to the weather, the magnificent R303 ascended purposefully into the Roggeveld Mountains. Soon the tarmac road adorned with hairpins and demanding off-camber 90-degree turns – a stern test of any vehicle – turned to muddy, cloying gravel. The quality of this road varies greatly depending on the time of year and recent rainfall.

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Although it can be driven in a normal car and, by Jove, you do see locals in an assortment of heavily weathered Toyota Tazzes and the like, the section leading to the summit of Middelberg Pass is particularly rough with recently fallen rocks – a real tyre killer. And slippery from the none-stop rain and washed-away section. Fortunately, the Merc’s standard-fit 20-inch Continental SportContacts were holding together just fine. The suspension gamely resisted roll and retained plenty of composure on the pass’s hairpin turns.

The result was contentment to glide along at almost half-speed without the urge to push too hard. On the rare occasion the GLE300d’s 4Matic did let go, through a churned-up, muddy-bog section, it did so with grace, delivering plenty of warning before washing wide, allowing the electronics to gather everything up safely.

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550 metres of muddy elevation later, we’d reached the summit of Middelberg Pass. This is one of our absolute favourite mixed-surface mountain roads. Even though it doesn’t break any altitude, gradient or length records, the combination of graceful curves, raw mountain beauty and wide field of view on either side at the top lends it an almost ethereal quality.

COMFORTABLE IN ITS (MUDDY) SKIN

The Mercedes-Benz GLE300d carries itself with all the self-confidence its look-at-me exterior proclaims. It’s a handsome beast with a sweptback silhouette, overt tumbledown line from the roofline, and pert rear end with pleasingly squared-off wheelarches – from every angle the Mercedes makes a statement. On this journey we wanted that statement to be about adventure. Farmers in the Witzenberg are not expecting to see a R1.5-million Benz in their neck of the soaked woods. Because of that, many locals we passed seemed to identify with it, loved to see it, and gave it a second, third and fourth glance.

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There are a few swings to the Mercedes’ endearing roundabouts. Even on 20-inch wheels (the small option nowadays) the ride quality was more tolerable rather than comfortable on the careworn sections of road. Not up-specced with the firm’s optional air suspension, it loved smooth asphalt, wafting like an S-Class, but it was less happy over sudden surface disruptions, thudding coarsely through the structure.

INTERIOR WISE

Unlike the Mercedes-Benz C220d we drove, with its tablet-like MBUX infotainment screen, the GLE SUV benefits from strong horizontal lines in the cabin and traditional twin 12.3-inch screens on the dash and ahead of the driver. Whether you prefer ‘portrait’ or ‘landscape’, there’s no denying the highly functional and pacifying quality of the Mercedes-Benz interior. It is sumptuously comfortable, elegant, and high-tech, just as you’d expect. It’s practical, too, with 2 245 litres of utility space with the rear seats folded flat.

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The infotainment system can be controlled via the touchscreen, small trackpad ahead of the dashboard or thumb buttons/wheels on the steering wheel. The right thumb works the display in the instrument binnacle and the left does the same for the central screen. Once acclimatised, we found this easier than mastering the dexterity of the trackpad or trying to hit a touchscreen accurately with the index finger of your left hand. However, whichever way you prefer, the interface is intuitive and graphics bright and easy on the eye. Additionally, there’s a array of ambient lighting option to suit your individualistic needs.

MERCEDES-BENZ GLE300D: TEST SUMMARY

Rest assured the new GLE is a heavy luxury SUV, but the four-cylinder 300d drivetrain is by no means a slouch when you heed the call of adventure. Beyond its extrovert styling, innovative-yet-opulent interior and supreme luxury, the GLE is competent, assured and efficient on a wintery adventure to the Roggeveld Mountains. The occasionally choppy ride does little to blemish its report card. We just love how effortlessly it contradicts any notions people may have about what a Mercedes-Benz SUV should be used for.

It’s a weekend warrior par excellence.

THE FIGURES

• Best for: A sophisticated Benz SUV that can rough it with the best of them. Economical and practical, too.
• Not so sure: If we were to nitpick, the four-cylinder isn’t as sprightly as the epic six-cylinder 400d. But it does cost quite a bit less.
• Engine: 1 999 cc 4-cyl turbodiesel
• Power: 180 kW, 500 Nm
• Performance: 7,85 sec 0-100 km/h (tested)
• Gearbox: 9-speed auto
• Economy: 8,5 l/100 km (tested), 6.4 l/100 km (claimed/combined)
• Tyres: Continental SportContact 275/55/R20
• Braking: 100 km/h – 0 in 3,02 sec (tested)
• dB measurement: 85.2 ave
• Price: R1 491 567 500 (starting from)

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