Mercedes-Benz GLE

1997

The Mercedes-Benz GLE, formerly Mercedes-Benz M-Class (designated with the "ML" nomenclature), is a mid-size luxury SUV produced by the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz since 1997. In terms of size, it is slotted in between the smaller GLC and the larger GLS, the latter with which it shares platforms.

The first-generation M-Class, designated with the model code W163, is a body-on-frame SUV and was produced until 2004. The second-generation M-Class (W164) moved to a unibody platform while sharing most components with the GL-Class, which sports a longer body to accommodate third-row seating.

For a short time, between 1999 and 2002, the W163 M-Class was also built by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, for the European market, and the W166 M-Class from 2011 to 2015 was built in Stuttgart for the European and Australian market, before all production moved to the U.S. plant near Vance, Alabama in 2015 with the release of the facelifted W166 model, in an effort to harmonize Mercedes-Benz SUV nameplates by aligning it with the E-Class.