The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE & 2019 BMW X5 Are 20 Year Luxury SUV Rivals

When it comes to German rivalries, few are quite as fierce as BMW versus Mercedes. These two companies have been trading jabs at each other for years on who can offer the most automotive gluttony for the most amount of money. This comes true even when you look at their SUVs, which is why I've brought out two of the company's most important SUV offerings, the 2019 BMW X5, and then of course the all-new fourth-generation 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE. But the big question I want answered, if you guys have roughly $60,000 to $70,000 to spend, which one of these two German stalwarts deserves your money? That's what we're here to find out. So when it comes to exterior design, both BMW and Mercedes are pretty conservative with actually changing the look of their vehicles throughout the years. But the one thing that I didn't want to answer, the elephant in the room, I said earlier $60,000 to spend. I should point out that this car here, the GLE, is $98,000 and it's very well equipped. The Mercedes, it's $73,000. So again, you're going to be spending a pretty penny for either of these vehicles. But with all that said, let's talk about the design of the Mercedes-Benz first. You can see this is the newer entry. It came out just a couple months after the new BMW. They're both honestly in their fourth-generation models. This GLE used to be called the ML-Class or the M-Class, but Mercedes-Benz changed the name to GLE back in 2016. It's got standard full LED headlights, which kind of mimic the look that we saw on the new CLS. It's got the standard Mercedes grille here. This one is missing the AMG sport package, which would have given us a more aggressive front fascia. So in contrast to the BMW, it looks a little bit on the plain Jane side, but some of you may prefer the more conservative looks of the Mercedes. Now, in contrast with the BMW, this has a traditional BMW look to it. In fact, some people have criticized BMW for really not changing the design of their cars very often. And the new X5 definitely takes a little bit more risk than what we're used to seeing with BMW. Of course, you've got the standard twin kidney grilles. That's their signature design elements. This one here doesn't have the M sport package for $3,500 either. So this is just the standard luxury package, but it one-ups the Mercedes with the fact that BMW offers these full LED headlights with their laser light technology. That's right, laser headlights. And it's kind of a dumbed down version since we can't get the full on laser headlights in America because of our headlight regulations. Down here, you can see you've got LED fog lights, which you do not have fog lights on the Mercedes Benz. And then BMW gives you a little bit more styling detail on the rear here, even if you didn't get the M sport package. But overall, let me know in the comments below whether you think the BMW or the Mercedes looks better. So if you couldn't tell these two vehicles were rivals, just take a look at the exterior dimensions. They are both 194 inches long, which they had to grow this year to reach. The BMW grew two inches while the Mercedes Benz grew five inches this year to reach. They also have the same wheelbase at 117 inches long for the BMW, 117.9 inches long for the Mercedes. So just a smidge longer. They both offer optional third row seats this year to accommodate that larger size. Now, when you look at the actual profile of just the BMW, let me start with this first. You can see it has a very traditional SUV look to it. It has a signature Hofmeister kink at the side pillar over there. And BMW has done a good job with making this thing look a lot better, in my opinion, from the side profile, especially when you look at the previous generation. This particular one has 20 inch wheels. They're riding on 275 45 with tires all around. This one also has the M sport brakes, which is why you see the blue calipers behind there. They look fantastic, especially with this mineral white exterior color. I think BMW's SUV has a more classic look to it, more classically proportioned vehicle. Now, at the rear of the vehicle, BMW made a lot of changes to the rear design, especially when you compared it to the previous generation. You're going to have full LED taillights back here. There's a pretty subtle xDrive40i badge. And then you have these nicely integrated exhaust tips with more of that silver trim. Now, this being an SUV, you probably want to know what the cargo capacity is like. The car was unlocked. Now, when you open up the cargo area, you can see the BMW has a split tailgate design, which I think is actually really nice. It's actually power on the lower portion as well. This is what the X5 has always had. Now, BMW says you've got around 34 cubic feet of space with the seats up. Remember, there's an optional third row that my tester doesn't have. If you fold down the seats, you get 72 cubic feet of space, which is plentiful. This is very class competitive. Underneath this floor here, you can see massive storage area, which is really good. This car doesn't have a spare tire because it has run flat tires. Now, moving over to the Mercedes in relation to the BMW, this has some pretty interesting proportions. The one thing that really stands out with the Mercedes are the wheels. These are a 21-inch wheel design, so they're an inch bigger than the BMWs. But Mercedes has really stuck some fat-ass tires on this car. 315 wide tires used to be reserved for supercars. And honestly, I'm shocked to see that. Granted, that tire size is on the back size. This is actually a 275 in the front, which is matching what you get on the Mercedes. But you definitely notice the wide hips that this car has, especially with the cladding that kind of sticks out. Now, the overall proportions are pretty similar to the previous generation GLE. Of course, you don't have the same kind of chrome trim that kind of goes over the rear glass area that it does on the BMW. And again, let me know in the comments below which one you think actually looks better, the BMW or the Mercedes. Personally, I think the BMW looks a little bit better. It's more my taste. The Mercedes has some hints here of the CLS sport luxury coupe sedan that they have in their lineup. There's some more chrome trim over here. It has a very similar exhaust system where it's integrated into the lower bumper. Chrome trim here instead of the silver trim like what the BMW gives you. And then the cargo capacity, the Mercedes doesn't actually have any full-on numbers yet. But just kind of looking at this system here, you can see it looks pretty similar to the BMW. The old GLE offered like 40 cubic feet of space, which is technically more. If you folded down the seats, you got 80 cubic feet of space. Underneath here, you also have a nice area here to store some things, but it's not quite as complete or carpet lined as it is in the BMW. So looking at the interior of these vehicles, let me first start with the BMW. Now, keep in mind, I'm just going to do a really quick overview. If you want to see the full review, watch the actual full review of each car individually. Now, shutting the door, it sounds very solid. Typical German car fashion, which we'll compare to the Mercedes in just a second. Now, in the past, BMW's interiors used to be very lackluster. That's really not the case anymore. You can see two 12-inch LCDs over here. This is the latest version of their iDrive infotainment system with their 6.0 iDrive system. When you start it up, it has a much sportier sound to the exhaust, more traditional, especially when you put it into a Sport Plus and start revving it up. That is a really nice sound. So that makes me happy when I first get into the BMW. Now, in terms of features, you can see here, this has their gesture control. It has wireless Apple CarPlay, which the Mercedes doesn't have any of those features. And then you have this LCD screen here that is somewhat customizable. Although, I will say that the clarity and the crispness of these screens isn't quite as beautiful as what you get in the Mercedes. So kind of keep that in mind. This isn't bad, but just I noticed the Mercedes feels a little bit nicer. You also have things like a power tilt telescoping wheel. You have just heated seats on this one because it's missing a luxury package that would roll in massaging seats and ventilated seats. This one, again, doesn't have it. Remember, this car is significantly cheaper. The interior also feels pretty open and airy. I think the seats are very comfortable. These leather seats here are like a $1,400 upgrade. You can see over here, the shifter is more traditional in the fact that it's down here in the center console. You have basically, when you put the vehicle into reverse here, you get a 360 camera system, which looks great. The resolution looks good. It has the automatic parallel parking feature. It has that backup assistance where it'll remember if you or guys were going into a tight parking spot and remember the trajectory to get out when you need to leave the spot. When you open up the glove compartment here, you can see it's a big, deep glove box. It's damp. It's lined with felt. Above me, this panoramic sunroof is actually standard equipment, whereas Mercedes makes you pay extra for it. I think the BMW is a little bit better value. It also has an adjustable air suspension where you can control over here. Really, they're both very luxurious. Let me hop into the Mercedes really quick and compare to this new X5. Getting into the interior of the Mercedes, let me first compare the door sound. It also sounds really solid. They actually sound the same. It's a push for me which one sounds better. They both also have soft closing doors. That is an extra, like $500 extra for each of them. I have to say, when you get into the inside of the Mercedes, this will wow you a lot more than the BMW because I like the fact the two screens here, they're connected to form one piece. I think that's a really nice detail that makes the cabin just look far more impressive versus the BMW. I think BMW should consider that. They both have 12-inch screens in front of you, two of them, but this just looks a lot better integrated. The dash also is leather stitched, just like in the BMW. That's extra. That's like $1,000 extra. I'm not sure I like these fake-looking vent slats here next to this part of the screen. I just think Mercedes could have put something else here. You have all these four vents down here. You have these hard buttons over here. Then the shifter, Mercedes actually puts it here on the column, which is very different. If you guys don't like that, you're going to prefer the BMW. Putting the car into reverse, or first, let me start the car up, which I always lose track of this start button here. I think BMW does a better job with the placement. You can hear the engine itself doesn't have the traditional starter because this is a hybrid, unlike the BMW. When you start revving it up, it just doesn't have the same urgency, the eagerness to rev like the BMW does. You can feel that this is the more luxury option, whereas the BMW tries to be a little bit more sporty. The door panels here are also soft touch. The seat controls are on the side over here. You have heated and cooled seats and massaging seats. Remember, this car is like $20,000 more than the BMW, which is outrageous. Now, rest of the center stack here, you can see this controls their MBUX infotainment system. It also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it's not the wireless variety like you get in the BMW. There's no gesture controls, but some of you may say that's a little bit gimme. Instead, you have this big, large screen here that's also a touchscreen. It has their MBUX infotainment system where it has the feature where you can say, like, hey Mercedes, how can I help you? Find me the nearest gas station. Again, it uses the car's LTE to actually show you internet searches on things like the gas station or finding your nearest Chinese restaurant and whatsoever. Now, in terms of the actual comfort, the seats, I found them to be very comfortable, but I will say the leather in the BMW feels a little bit softer to me. I like the fact, of course, this is a massaging seats. They're also very smooth, a very smooth leather. I like the color of these seats as well, the two-tone as opposed to the all one color that the BMW gives you. Above me, you can see there's a panoramic sunroof that this car has, but it is a $1,000 option, whereas BMW gives that to you as standard. So keep in mind, the Mercedes is more expensive. It's not quite as strong on the value quotient as the BMW, surprisingly. Now, over here on the glove compartment, you can see, I'd say it's a little bit bigger than the BMWs, but it's also damped. It's lined with felt. Oh, the Mercedes gives you a pen, so that instantly gives it an extra five points, right? There's even a little extra bin down here. So overall, the cabin of the Mercedes feels a little bit warmer, looks more impressive in terms of the tech. Obviously, this one has the massaging seats, but you can get that on the BMW as well. Personally, I think the interior of this one is nicer, but let me hop into the back seats of each of them and compare. Now, if you guys plan to put kids back here or car seats, you're going to want the Mercedes because this one obviously has more legroom back here. Mercedes says you have around 40 inches of legroom, which is pretty close to what you get in the front seats. You can see in terms of the actual space, the floor is almost completely flat back here. It's actually not bad considering it's a rear-drive bias vehicle. You have two USB-C charge ports over there. You have your own set of rear seat climate controls. You have heated rear seats, and then you have these power shades here that go up and down that's controlled from the window control over here. Now, the seat also has a nice little armrest here that folds down, and my tester has an optional power reclining seat back here that I found isn't very useful to use when you're actually sitting in the seat. You have to actually be standing on the outside. It's really for folding the seat down, but overall, the Mercedes has the bigger back seat, but let me hop into the BMW so you guys can see the space in there. So getting into the back of the BMW X5, you can instantly tell there is less legroom versus the Mercedes. BMW actually says there's around 37 inches of legroom, so about three less than what you get in the Mercedes. The floor here, however, is more flat than the Mercedes, so if you have to put three people across, this is a little bit better, but as you can see at five foot seven, there is a little bit less legroom, but good knee space here. You also have your set of climate controls. This is a four-zone climate control system just like the Mercedes. There's a USB-C, two USB charging ports over here, and then it has an area where you could have a rear seat entertainment system installed, so it kind of has the prep package. My tester also has a manual rear sunshade, so it's not a power rear sunshade like you get in the Mercedes. It's honestly kind of a pain in the a** to put down, but same nice materials. No heated rear seats, though. Mine is missing an option. You can see there's some blank buttons over here, but remember, this car is significantly less expensive. There's an armrest here that folds down, gives you some storage, and some cup holders, but overall, this is not cramped by any measures, but you're going to notice the Mercedes has a slightly bigger back seat. Now under the hood, these two SUVs also couldn't be more evenly matched. They both are essentially the six-cylinder offerings, although the Mercedes offers a four-cylinder, which is not available on the BMW yet. Let's start with the BMW. This is the xDrive40i, which means it's all-wheel drive, which is standard. It comes with the company's three-liter twin-power single turbocharged straight six-cylinder engine. It makes 335 horsepower and 332 foot-pounds of torque. Those are very good numbers, very competitive, and as you guys know, BMW tends to underrate their engines. It all goes out through an eight-speed automatic transmission made by ZF, and fuel economy is very good at 20 in the city, 26 on the highway. This will tow a maximum of 7,200 pounds, and it weighs around 4,700 pounds as this one sits. Now in contrast to the Mercedes, this is the up-level engine offering from the GLE350, which is a two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. This one has a unique engine, or a new engine for Mercedes. They've gone back to a straight six-cylinder engine, which is something they shied away from for years, and it's a three-liter straight six-cylinder just like the BMW. It's also turbocharged. On its own, the engine makes 362 horsepower and 369 foot-pounds of torque, so more than what you get in the BMW. Before you even add the mild hybrid system, that's right, the GLE is a mild hybrid with a 48-volt mild hybrid system, which will add 21 horsepower and 184 foot-pounds of torque. It has basically no drive belts, and it stores the regenerative braking energy that you get from the brakes and puts it into a battery to give you that boost later on. It also makes the start-stop on this vehicle a lot more smooth versus what you get in the BMW. Now despite all that, the Mercedes is actually less fuel efficient than the Beemer. This is rated at 19 in the city, 24 on the highway. Please be sure to put premium gas in both. 4MATIC all-wheel drive is standard. It all goes out through a 9-speed auto, so one more gear versus the BMW, but it's a little bit more thirsty. Now in terms of the towing, this will tow a little bit more, about 7,700 pounds, and it weighs more. This weighs around 4,900 pounds, so 200 pounds heavier versus the BMW, but you guys are probably wondering which one of these is actually the better one to drive. Let's get out on the road and see how they perform. Now first setting off in the Mercedes-Benz GLE, this is the newest entry, or the newer entry compared to the BMW, and even though the BMW is new this year, this I guess came out a couple months later. It's a 2020 model. You have to admit, when you drive the GLE, you feel like you're driving the future. This is setting a pretty high benchmark in terms of luxury SUVs, even something as competitive as luxury SUVs. I mean, I've driven the new Volvos, the new Audis, the new Porsches, like this GLE is impressive, and it literally just takes a few feet down the road to see just how impressive it is. This EQ boost engine, while it makes a nice satisfying noise, I love the fact that Mercedes has gone back to a straight six. It definitely, you feel the weight of this car. It's heavier than the X5 by like 100 or 200 pounds or so. The nine-speed automatic is very responsive, but I'd argue that it's not quite as responsive as the eight-speed that's in the BMW. That's a ZF transmission over this nine-speed. The steering in this car also is very good. It actually has very good heft to it. It's heavier feeling than the BMW, which is strange because BMW is supposed to be the ultimate driving machine, but this has a better steering feel. I will say that the suspension still can be soft. Now, I have it in its sport plus setting, the most aggressive setting right now, and the ride is still very comfortable. This is definitely not harsh by any means. This car is just very luxurious. Mercedes does luxury very well, and typically they've never done sport very well, but because of this e-active body control suspension, this car has really great handling. What it does is it counteracts any of the body lean. Whenever you go into a corner, it pushes the body back so the vehicle stays very flat, which is cool. I've got this massaging seat here that's giving me this activating massage right now. I can go to a hot shoulder massage if I'd like or a classic massage right here and just push the little play button over there to actually turn it on. There's like so many different versions of the massage. I mean, this is a really nice car to drive on an everyday basis, and you really notice that. In terms of quietness, I also think it's very quiet in here. It's very smooth. I mean, I would be curious to drive the AMG versions. I'd be a little hesitant to try the four-cylinder in this car. Mercedes says that the 0-60 time is around 5.6 seconds for this vehicle, which is a tad slower than the BMW, but if you guys go for the four-cylinder, it's going to take about seven seconds to get to 60, so just kind of keep that in mind when you guys are choosing which model. But overall, this is a really, really nice driving car. It's smooth. It's quiet. It's everything you expect a luxury SUV to be and then some, but let me hop into the BMW, and we're going to compare it in terms of the driving characteristics with this Mercedes. So, hopping into the BMW X5 after just getting out of the M or GLE. Gosh, I keep calling that thing an ML. I have to say the BMW instantly feels smaller than the Mercedes, even though these two cars are actually the same size. This car is actually about an inch wider, surprisingly, so the fact that this car feels smaller, I don't know how BMW managed to do that, but this car you instantly feel has a much more sporty vibe to it. Mercedes, of course, decided to go with the luxury end, and, you know, that's perfectly fine. I prefer a sportier vehicle, which is why driving this X5, it's just a little bit more appealing to me. The one thing that I don't like about the X5, even in its sportiest setting here, I've got it in Sport Plus, the steering is too light. I want it to be a little bit more heavy, especially considering I've got it in its Sport Plus setting. The Mercedes has slightly heavier feeling steering, which is definitely nice. Now, this vehicle actually does have launch control, which the Mercedes doesn't have, so to activate it, just put the stability control into its dynamic setting here, and then put your foot hard on the brake, and then floor the accelerator. And when you use the launch control, this thing should get to 60 in around 5.5 seconds. It feels faster than the Mercedes, which is funny, considering the Mercedes has more horsepower, it has that EQ boost system, but the BMW just kind of gets the job done, and you don't really need all that fancy stuff that the Mercedes gives you. So, it's definitely interesting. This car puts a bigger smile on my face than the Mercedes does, which doesn't really surprise me. I like the way the BMW feels, and it's just going to come down to your personal preference. Now, in terms of the visibility, the Mercedes and the BMW are pretty similar. They both have a similar view out of the front. Honestly, I'd say it's a push. This car feels easier to drive because it just feels a little bit smaller, a little bit more planted in the suspension. Now, this car has an adaptive air suspension like the Mercedes, but unlike the Mercedes, it's just a little bit more rudimentary in the way it does things. It doesn't have the ability to adjust the air suspension on each individual corner like the Mercedes does because it uses that 48-volt system. So again, technologically more advanced on paper, the Mercedes, but the BMW also gets the job done when you're driving this thing down the road. It has a really firm ride, but not harsh ride, at least not for me. And if you'd like, you can basically put this thing into comfort. If you want this thing to be a little bit softer, just put it into its comfort setting. The steering gets a little bit lighter. You also notice that the ride quality also softens up nicely. The car definitely feels like a luxury car still in that regard. It's a very easy car to drive on a daily basis. I wouldn't hesitate to do so on long trips. And really, you're going to find a lot to like with the BMW, especially when you find your favorite back road. The transmission in this car, I'm going to show you guys another acceleration run, is the eight-speed ZF. While it is down a gear compared to the Mercedes, I found that it shifts a little bit quicker. It's just a little bit more responsive when you put your foot down. Also, it makes a more satisfying noise from the exhaust. I love the way that exhaust sounds with the burble. The Mercedes is just a little too quiet. I like the extra noise that you get in the BMW. So that's a huge plus for me. So driving the two back-to-back, the Mercedes is more the luxury option, while the BMW is more the performance, sportier option. And this car feels a little bit faster when you're actually pushing the car hard. It's got a really, you know, enthusiastic feel to it. And that's just something that appeals to me. In the midsize luxury crossover space, both Mercedes and BMW were early adopters. The M-Class was technically first back in 1997. BMW followed short a couple years later with the new X5. So after spending time with both the fully redesigned versions, I'm happy to report that they're really good cars. You really can't go wrong with either of them. But really, it's going to come down to your personal preference. Now for me, after driving both of them, the Mercedes has a lot of strengths to it. It's got a nicer interior. It's got an incredible infotainment system. It's got that slick e-active body control, which seriously takes air suspension to the next level. It has that cool 48-volt mild hybrid system, if you guys are actually into that. And really, it's going to come down to the pricing, because my issue with the GLA is the styling of the car. While it drives nice, it's not the sportier option. It's more the luxury option. And at $98,000, this is almost $20,000 more expensive than the BMW as equipped. Now, of course, the BMW is missing a couple of options. For that reason alone, I'm going to personally pick the BMW X5 as the winner of this comparison test, because for a lot less money, even if you option this up to similar levels as the GLE, this car here is $10,000 less expensive. And it's sportier to drive. It has a more satisfying engine note, even though it doesn't have the mild hybrid system. This feels quicker. It sounds better. It handles really well. It's got the sportier suspension. It feels like the ultimate driving machine, which is what you'd like to know with a BMW. And at $74,000, this is considerably less expensive. Actually, for the For $90,000, I could get the V8 X5, and it would still be cheaper than this Mercedes. So for me, I would personally pick the BMW as the winner, because I don't really care for the trickery that this car has, because you've got a lot of features for the BMW. And it's just a better value overall. But I hope you guys have enjoyed my comparison test between the all-new 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE and the 2019 BMW X5. You really can't go wrong with either of them. But if it were my money, I would personally buy the 2019 BMW X5. But thank you guys so much for watching. If you're also looking to see the latest cars I'm testing, be sure to follow me on Instagram at Redline Underscore Reviews. Like us on Facebook. And as always, guys, please keep subscribing to the Redline Reviews YouTube channel for all the latest reviews. Thank you so much for watching. I'll catch you all in the next video.