2026 Mercedes-Benz GLE Priced for Australia: Full Range From $142,300, New Inline-Six Mild Hybrid 350d Replaces the Old 300d

Image credit: Mercedes-Benz Australia

If you were waiting for the mid-life refresh of the Mercedes-Benz GLE before signing anything on a large luxury SUV, the local pricing sheet is now in your inbox. Mercedes-Benz Australia posted the updated 2026 GLE list on 22 July 2026, six variants split evenly between three wagons and three fastback coupes, with the mainstream cars in dealers from November and the AMGs following in the first quarter of 2027. The interesting bit for anyone actually shopping this segment is what has changed under the bonnet, not the styling revisions or the tech upgrade.

Two variants are cheaper than before, one is broadly steady, and three go up. The entry point drops by $2,600 despite gaining two more cylinders, the AMG 53 Coupe loses $3,000, and the AMG 63 S pair climbs by more than eleven grand. Cross-shop that against the BMW X5, the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7 currently listed on CarSorted and it is the 350d that carries the interesting numbers.

Pricing (Before On-Road Costs)

Every price is before on-road costs. The GLE 450d diesel wagon is gone in this update, so the diesel option in Australia is now the six-cylinder 350d only. If you pre-order a GLE 350d SUV or a GLE 450 Coupe before 30 September 2026, Mercedes throws in a complimentary three-year service plan.

Powertrains

The most significant mechanical change is at the entry level. The old GLE 300d used a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel that always felt a little short on shove in a 2.4-tonne SUV. Its replacement is the GLE 350d, running Mercedes' OM656 3.0-litre inline-six with 48V mild-hybrid assistance. Peak outputs are 210kW and 650Nm, up 45kW and 150Nm on the outgoing car, and it still uses a nine-speed automatic and permanent 4MATIC all-wheel drive.

The GLE 450 Coupe keeps the M256 3.0-litre inline-six petrol, also mild-hybrid, but adds 10kW of engine power to bring total system output to 280kW/560Nm. The 48V integrated starter-generator layers on another 15kW and 200Nm of short-burst assist during launches and overtakes. Coupe body style only, no petrol wagon in Australia for MY26.

The AMG GLE 53 is the big change. It ditches the outgoing 53's mild-hybrid setup and becomes a genuine plug-in hybrid, pairing the AMG-tuned 3.0-litre inline-six with an electric motor and a 31.2kWh battery pack. Combined outputs climb to about 330kW/600Nm on the local sales sheet, WLTP electric-only range is 88 to 91 kilometres, and Mercedes claims 4.5 seconds to 100km/h. It is the first AMG GLE that can actually be commuted daily without ever waking the engine.

At the top, the AMG GLE 63 S sticks with the M177 EVO 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, now with a 48V mild-hybrid stack. Combined figures are 450kW/850Nm plus a short-burst 17kW/205Nm boost from the ISG. That is a very deliberate call from AMG. BMW M is going PHEV in the next-gen X6 M, Audi RS is going pure-electric with the RS Q6 e-tron, Porsche has electrified the whole GTS ladder. AMG has simply kept the V8 turned on. If you want a 3.5-second-ish luxury SUV that still gargles, this is it.

Specs at a Glance

Equipment

Every 2026 GLE sold in Australia now runs MB.OS, Mercedes' latest operating system that supports proper over-the-air software updates rather than dealer-only patches. On top of that sits the MBUX Superscreen, a three-panel dash arrangement of 12.3-inch displays covering driver instruments, the main infotainment screen and a passenger screen. AMG Line exterior trim and the Night Package are also standard on every variant, so nobody has to option their way into the darker grille inserts and 22-inch alloys.

MB.Drive is the newer name for Mercedes' driver-assistance stack. Adaptive cruise with route-based speed adaptation, active steering, blind-spot monitoring with exit warning, driver-attention assist and traffic-sign recognition are all included. Air suspension with adaptive dampers stays across the range, and the AMG cars pick up rear-wheel steering as standard.

Safety

The updated GLE is not yet rated by ANCAP. The previous GLE was tested under the older protocol and holds a five-star result that does not automatically transfer to the facelifted car. Standard safety equipment in Australia includes nine airbags, active brake assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, active lane-change assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic warning, driver-attention assist, tyre-pressure monitoring and a surround-view camera.

How It Compares

The BMW X5 is the sharpest direct rival on paper. The xDrive30d starts near $138,900 before on-roads with a 210kW/650Nm inline-six diesel of its own, so the GLE 350d is $3,400 more expensive for essentially matched outputs but a longer standard equipment list. The Audi Q7 line-up starts around $118,900 for the entry 45 TDI, but that car makes 170kW/500Nm and lacks the MB.OS-level tech in the Benz. The refreshed Q7 is due in Australia in early 2027 anyway, so cross-shoppers who want the newest tech on both sides of the fence are looking at a wait.

In the performance bracket, the AMG 53 PHEV is the only inline-six-plus-battery answer at this price point. A Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid starts around $175,900 for less peak power (346kW) but a bigger 25.9kWh battery than the outgoing 53 offered. The AMG's new 31.2kWh pack changes that comparison. The AMG 63 S is playing a smaller field. A BMW X5 M Competition at $263,900 is the last of the pure-ICE M SUVs and, once the next-gen car arrives as a PHEV, the AMG 63 S will be alone among German big performance SUVs with a proper V8.

Warranty and Servicing

Mercedes-Benz Australia covers the GLE with a 5-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and 10 years of roadside assistance when the car is serviced through the Mercedes-Benz network. Traction batteries on the AMG 53 PHEV are covered separately for 8 years or 160,000km. Servicing is set on a 12-month or 25,000km cycle, and Mercedes offers three, four and five-year pre-paid service plans, with the three-year plan bundled in free on pre-orders of the 350d SUV and 450 Coupe placed before 30 September 2026.

The CarSorted Angle

Here is the number that jumps off the CarSorted database. The 2026 GLE 350d SUV lands at $142,300 before on-roads. In our large luxury SUV set, the current on-sale BMW X5 xDrive30d is listed at $138,900, the Audi Q7 45 TDI at $118,900 and the Porsche Cayenne V6 at $150,300. So the Mercedes sits second-most-expensive among diesel and petrol six-cylinder rivals but delivers the newest infotainment stack (MB.OS) and the biggest headline power jump (up 45kW versus its predecessor).

Run a side-by-side on our compare tool using the GLE 350d, X5 xDrive30d and Q7 45 TDI and the fuel-cost picture flips. All three quote combined WLTP fuel use in a tight 7.5 to 8.4 L/100km window and diesel prices sit around $2.05 a litre nationally today. On 15,000km a year that is a difference of maybe $200 in annual fuel between them. Resale, warranty length and standard equipment matter more here than headline litres per hundred, which is why the free three-year service plan on GLE 350d pre-orders is genuinely worth putting in the calculation, not just marketing noise. Our best luxury SUVs guide weighs those trade-offs.

What This Means for Buyers

If you were already in the market for a GLE 300d, the 350d is a straight upgrade. You get two extra cylinders, 45kW more power, MB.OS, MBUX Superscreen and a $2,600 lower price. There is no scenario where the 300d makes more sense than waiting for the 350d, given the November arrival window.

If you are cross-shopping a family AMG PHEV as your one car, the new AMG 53 is finally worth serious consideration. Eighty-eight to 91km of WLTP electric range covers a typical Australian metropolitan commute both ways, and the 31.2kWh battery is big enough to make the fringe benefits tax exemption on eligible novated leases meaningful. Do the maths on our compare tool before you sign anything, because the $187,900 sticker slots the 53 above the FBT exemption threshold anyway, so the savings there depend on your salary package structure.

And if you are one of the buyers who insists a big performance SUV should still have a V8, the AMG 63 S is now essentially the only game in town at this price point. $277,900 to $279,900 is a genuine jump on the outgoing car, but you are paying for the last of a breed. Everyone else is going hybrid or electric with their halo SUV.

Compare rivals in our CarSorted directory, or line the GLE up against the X5, Q7 and Cayenne with the compare tool. Local deliveries begin in November for the 350d and 450 Coupe, with the AMGs arriving early in 2027.