On the plus side, the GLE550e accelerates with the authority of a
muscle car, but whisper-quiet, with 436 total system horsepower and a
towering 479 lb.-ft. GLE43 AMG (with 385 hp and 384 lb.-ft. The GLE550e
uses a twin-turbocharged, 362-hp, 3.0-liter V6 internal combustion
engine, adding an 8.7-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and an 85-kW
electric motor that elevates the total system to 436 hp. Power courses
to all four wheels through a 7-speed automatic transmission. On pure
electric drive, the GLE550e can do 80 mph maximum, though for only a
brief stint. Mercedes claims the GLE550e can hit 60 miles per hour in
just 5.3 seconds - a pretty heady achievement, given the car's
ponderous curb weight of 5,490 pounds. However, nobody in the
marketplace - nobody - would look to the GLE550e for swift performance.
Compared to its non-hybrid GLE350 4Matic stablemate, the GLE550e gains
a whopping 729 lbs. Official efficiency numbers are 39/50/43 MPGe in
hybrid mode and 20/23/21 MPG in gasoline-specific mode. And over the
total test period with the 550e, it logged a disappointing 20 mpg. The
GLE550e offers four driving modes: Hybrid, E-Mode, E-Save, and Charge.
Hybrid maximizes efficiency and theoretically enables the 10-mile pure
electric range while emphasizing overall efficiency. E-Mode makes it a
pure electric until the battery charge is fully exhausted. E-Save
disables electric drive to preserve charge for later. As you'd expect,
Charge mode prioritizes charging the battery. Driving normally, the
GLE550e behaves like any other hybrid, cycling the combustion engine in
and out as the car sees fit based on throttle position and acceleration
needs. I found that E-Save only added about two miles of EV range over
an hour-long drive, however. From a conventional 110-volt outlet, the
GLE550e takes about four hours to fully recharge. 2,000, which reduces
charging time to about two hours, though other chargers cost less.
On the plus side, the GLE550e accelerates with the authority of a
muscle car, but whisper-quiet, with 436 total system horsepower and a
towering 479 lb.-ft. GLE43 AMG (with 385 hp and 384 lb.-ft. The GLE550e
uses a twin-turbocharged, 362-hp, 3.0-liter V6 internal combustion
engine, adding an 8.7-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and an 85-kW
electric motor that elevates the total system to 436 hp. Power courses
to all four wheels through a 7-speed automatic transmission. On pure
electric drive, the GLE550e can do 80 mph maximum, though for only a
brief stint. Mercedes claims the GLE550e can hit 60 miles per hour in
just 5.3 seconds - a pretty heady achievement, given the car's
ponderous curb weight of 5,490 pounds. However, nobody in the
marketplace - nobody - would look to the GLE550e for swift performance.
Compared to its non-hybrid GLE350 4Matic stablemate, the GLE550e gains
a whopping 729 lbs. Official efficiency numbers are 39/50/43 MPGe in
hybrid mode and 20/23/21 MPG in gasoline-specific mode. And over the
total test period with the 550e, it logged a disappointing 20 mpg. The
GLE550e offers four driving modes: Hybrid, E-Mode, E-Save, and Charge.
Hybrid maximizes efficiency and theoretically enables the 10-mile pure
electric range while emphasizing overall efficiency. E-Mode makes it a
pure electric until the battery charge is fully exhausted. E-Save
disables electric drive to preserve charge for later. As you'd expect,
Charge mode prioritizes charging the battery. Driving normally, the
GLE550e behaves like any other hybrid, cycling the combustion engine in
and out as the car sees fit based on throttle position and acceleration
needs. I found that E-Save only added about two miles of EV range over
an hour-long drive, however. From a conventional 110-volt outlet, the
GLE550e takes about four hours to fully recharge. 2,000, which reduces
charging time to about two hours, though other chargers cost less.