The acronym for?

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I’m reviewing Mercedes-Benz' GLE 400. GLE. What's that? Good question. Mercedes have completed their new naming strategy. The GLE is part of the name change, falling into their luxury SUV range, which began with the original G-Class or Geländewagen that translated to "cross-country vehicle".

All Mercedes SUV's will now begin with the letters G, followed by L. I suspect the "L”, stands for Luxury. The third letter, if there is one, relates to the corresponding class in which the SUV slots - Either A-Class, hence the GLA or the C-Class which gives you the GLC and now the GLE which replaces the ML and is representative of the E-Class. The massive 7-seater GL has also been facelifted and renamed, now known as the GLS, which indicates its size and classification alongside the S-Class. Finally, there is the iconic G-Wagon, which has been in production since 1979 and began Mercedes' journey into cross-country luxury vehicles and is still in production and sort after by many.

It's a big family of cars that needed a simplified classification. With the growing demand for SUVs and smaller ones at that, this new badging is aimed at making life easier for consumers when choosing a new Mercedes SUV.

The GLE, or facelifted ML, was introduced locally in the fourth quarter of 2015, along with the GLE coupe that competes with BMW's X6.

Subtly different to the ML, in that the GLE's front and rear styling cues are now bolder and more modern, bringing the SUV's look closer in line with the rest of the Mercedes family.

The interior has had minor changes too - there's a new infotainment screen that now floats off the dashboard rather than being embedded like before. The system is driven by an updated COMAND system that places the control dial under a touch pad. This system is borrowed from the C-Class.

The GLE range is driven by a similar set of engines passed on from the ML, now with the introduction of the 400. This engine replaced the 350. It's a 3.0l V6 unit BiTurbo. A dreamy unit that’s good for 245 kW of power and 480 N.m of torque. Technically stuff that means the GLE is endowed with ample power; hitting the 100 mark from a standstill in just over 6.1 seconds. Not bad considering the GLE weighs in 2 150 kg. Having driven the car to the Kruger National Park and back at consistent speeds ranging between 80 to 125km/h I was able to record a fuel consumption figure of 11.5l/100km a testament to the cars weight, unfortunately. This figure would be at least 20% lower had we been driving in the 350d.

The ride remains as pillowy as ever with the optional air suspension in comfort mode. Sports mode brings tidier body motions and a bit more communication from the chassis, although the steering remains slow off-centre and aloof regardless of the setting. Relaxed as it is, I expect it will be perfectly aligned with most GLE buyers’ expectations. The GLE has off road capabilities – flick the car mode rotator switch to off-road and the GLE’s ride height is increased and electronics honed for challenging road conditions. It may be capable of wading through the mud but it’s pretty paintwork and chrome accents won’t appreciate any scratches.