2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE Puts The M-Class Out To Pasture: Live Photos

The Mercedes-Benz M-Class has been with us since the 1998 model year, and during that time has managed to become one of the German automaker’s best-selling models. Now, it’s being put out to pasture—well, its name at least—with the new GLE set to replace it. The GLE arrives in showrooms later this year, as a 2016 model, and makes its world debut next week at the 2015 New York Auto Show.

The GLE is actually an update of the third-generation M-Class, on sale since the 2012 model year. The switch to the “GLE” name is part of Mercedes’ new naming strategy gradually being phased in to help make sense of all the new models and powertrains the automaker plans to introduce in the coming months and years, one of which is the recently revealed GLE Coupe.

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Compared to the M-Class, the GLE has a more rounded look, particularly at the front. The vehicle also adopts the current headlight theme Mercedes is using for most of its lineup. The rear of the GLE, likewise, matches the current design idiom at Mercedes. Here, you’ll find new LED taillights and squared-off exhaust tips integrated into the lower part of the rear bumper.

Inside, attractive sports seats plus an infotainment system similar to the one in the latest C-, E- and S-Class models catch the eye. The center console houses the COMAND controller with the touchpad fitted above in an optimum ergonomic position, and the trim options include carbon fiber, wood and synthetic leather.