2027 Mercedes-Benz GLE450e PHEV priced for Australia

The is now officially on sale in Australia, joining the smaller existing GLA and GLC SUVs in offering a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain.

An updated GLE was announced for Australia earlier this year , bringing a revised exterior and a model lineup starting with a six-cylinder turbo-diesel wagon variant, while petrol-powered AMG versions in both SUV and Coupe guises are set to arrive early next year.

Joining the updated large luxury SUV range, the five-seat GLE450e PHEV will be offered in both SUV and Coupe body styles, priced from $156,900 and $160,900 before on-road costs, respectively.

This compares to $142,300 before on-roads for the turbo-diesel GLE350d already in local showrooms, which like the PHEV is imported to Australia from the US.

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The 450e PHEV costs marginally more than the outgoing BMW X5 xDrive50e M Sport PHEV , which was priced at $153,600 plus ORCs. Prices for its replacement – the first PHEV variant the new-generation X5 due to arrive here in November – are yet to be announced.

However, the Mercedes-Benz does undercut the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid (PHEV), which starts at $164,800 plus ORCs as an SUV and $171,400 plus ORCs in Coupe form.

PHEV sales in Australia have increased by 124.2 per cent so far this year to September, and accounted for 9.3 per cent of all new vehicles sold last month.

The GLE450e PHEV is powered by a 240kW 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine and a 135kW electric motor, with combined outputs of 320kW and 680Nm fed to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Both body styles of the GLE450e claim the same 0-100km/h time of 5.6 seconds, bettering the turbo-diesel’s time by 0.6 seconds.

A 25.7kWh lithium-ion battery provides electric power at speeds of up to 140km/h, delivering a claimed electric-only driving range of 87km for the SUV and 91km for the swoopier-roofed Coupe, despite the latter running larger 21-inch wheels compared with the SUV’s 20-inch wheels.

Unusually, DC fast-charging capability can be added as an $1100 option, allowing a 10–80 per cent recharge in 29 minutes. AC charging at 11kW sees a 100 per cent charge from flat in two hours and 45 minutes.

Mercedes-Benz Australia hasn’t provided local fuel consumption figures, but the 450e sold in the US and UK has a combined economy claim of 88.3mpg, which equates to 3.2L/100km, and combined energy consumption of 21.6kWh/100km.

For comparison, Australia's current GLE350d diesel has a combined fuel consumption figure of 8.2L/100km, with the UK model rated as marginally more efficient at 7.5L/100km, potentially due to different equipment levels.