GLE作为奔驰M级改款车去年刚刚上市，但奔驰已经准备开发其下一代车型了。最近谍照记者近距离拍到了该车照片，当时车辆进行了重度伪装。虽然如此，但仍能注意到下一代GLE造型与现行版有很大不同，轮拱进一步加宽。这辆原型车仍处于早期测试阶段，配备了临时安装的前大灯和尾灯组，不过，在以后的测试中将被新的灯组所替代。虽然无法看清车身尺寸有何变化，但从某些角度看，新车似乎比现行版略小。目前的潮流都是新车比老款车更大，这样的做法实属罕见。内部编号为W167的新一代GLE将采用Modular High Architecture平台，预计新车重量将进一步降低以提升性能和燃油经济性。据传奔驰正在为E级车开发新的直列六缸系列引擎。这些引擎将于明年发布，预计新一代GLE也将搭载新引擎以替代现行版的V6引擎。目前还不清楚车辆内装情况，但如果新车的轴距略微加长以增加后排腿部空间，提升舒适性，也丝毫不奇怪。最近曝光的一段视频显示，该车采用了类似E级和S级的双数字显示屏。新一代GLE将作为2019款车型上市，预计将在2018年某个时间发布。一年后还将推出GLE轿跑车。奔驰还将开发插电混动和AMG版本。
2019 Mercedes GLE spied hiding reshaped body
The GLE was launched just last year as a facelifted, renamed version of the M-Class, but the folks from Mercedes are already hard at work preparing the next-gen which will be an all-new model. Our spies were at the right place at the right time to take some up-close shots of a prototype wearing an extensive amount of disguise. Despite the camo, we are already able to notice the next GLE will have a significantly different shape and it will feature wider wheel arches.
The prototype was early in the testing phase and it was fitted with provisional headlights and taillights which will be replaced with production-ready clusters later during the testing phase. While it’s hard to figure out whether there are any changes in terms of size, from some angles it looks a tad smaller than the current GLE which would be quite rare since today most new cars are larger than their predecessors.
Codenamed W167, the all-new Mercedes GLE is going to ride on the Modular High Architecture which is expected to bring a weight loss that will pay dividends in terms of performance and efficiency. Rumor has it the company with the three-pointed star logo is putting the finishing touches on a new family of straight-six engines for the E-Class. The latter should get these as soon as next year, so most likely the next GLE will be available from day one with the new powertrains bound to replace the company’s current crop of V6s.
The interior cabin remains a mystery at this point, although we wouldn’t be surprised if the wheelbase will be stretched a little bit to grant more rear legroom and boost comfort. In addition, the video which shows a prototype in motion reveals a dual digital screen setup in the same vein as the E and S.