When I drove the fully electric Mercedes EQV recently, I discovered that the price was just under €100k. Last week it got even more expensive when driving the plug-in version of the Mercedes’ GLE diesel hybrid which sells at €101k.
These are massive cars from the German manufacturer and while I think €100k is a lot of money to spend on a car, there are some people around who can afford it, whether via a loan or PCP.
There have been suggestions by some TD’s that something needs to be done about people winning the Lottery more frequently. Winning the Lottery or some or part of it would certainly help if you want to own this classy coupe-like SUV.
Must plug-in hybrids are petrol but, but this massive ‘beast’ known as a GLE DE is a diesel version and it certainly has a very distinctive sloping coupe look.
With a range over 1,000 kilometres from a full tank of diesel, you can also get up to 80km in fully electric mode, so it’s ideal for long journeys or for urban driving.
Really this is a car to cruise the motorways in. It is a massive car and everywhere I went last week people asked me the same two questions, what’s the name of that car and what price is it?
My wife has often found it difficult to find comfortable position in the front passenger seat in test cars. Well, last week it was bliss for driver and front seat passenger, as there are controls on the doors to move the seats in any position you want.
There is a chunky plinth located where the gear lever used to be in old cars,between the driver and front seat passenger. I got a feeling the message was something like, that’s your space over there I’m happy here. The plinth also has two sturdy grips, which would be ideal if you were going for a ‘white-knuckle’ type drive off-road.
The dash is very impressive with plenty of information and two 12.3” displays units. There is also the ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice prompt service, who will give you information on navigation, parking etc. Everything, except those Lottery winning numbers.
I think the first time I saw a running board in a car was when John F Kennedy visited Ireland in 1963. Kennedy’s security guards used to run alongside the car and occasionally jump on the running board.
Well, the GLE had an aluminium running board, but I didn’t need any protection as the car can go from zero to 100km/h in just under seven seconds.
Power was provided by a 2.0-litre diesel engine (194hp) aided by an electric motor (136hp) that gets its power from a rechargeable battery pack. There is a reversing camera, but I found that the GLE also has a great turning circle.
The starting price is €98,065, but there were a few important extras. That running board with rubber studs will cost an extra €1,000 and the price of the car as test was €101,295. However, the road tax is only €210.
This five-seater has a massive boot and there is ample room for a spare wheel, but only a repair kit is provided. However, I think if you are paying around 100k for a car you should be able to get haggle and have a spare thrown-in for that price.
You cannot haggle with Santa, but you could ask if he has heard about the new Merc GLE diesel hybrid?
