2026 Mercedes GLE/GLS Facelift

[Gor134]

New X5 will look ok, except for the weird 3rd window slope. The Q7 is gonna be bad.

 

[Dopebouy]

Just shut up with your 5 year old nonsense ffs.

So i can’t share an opinion?

 

[McLaren64TR]

The FL GLS looks already dated with those larger headlights, in this age of headlights becoming smaller and slimmer due to advanced LED tech, it uses headlights with even larger headlight housings than my 2016 W213 E-class.

I actually like most of the GLS interior, the changes done to the central air vents, the new wood and the leather used on the doors and seats look expensive and really great quality but the screens really spoil its interior.

How can Mercedes allow this flagship SUV to be launched with 3 screens with such massive black bezels? There is about 10cm of black bezel between the driver and middle screen and maybe 7 to 8cm between the central screen and the passenger screen. Even the top of bezel is close to 5cm thick!! WTF!!

They should have kept the same screen height as before or they should have fitted 14inch screens then the bezels would be thinner.

Its so cheap it hurts my eyes to look at it!!! This is worse than the Pre FL model!!

FL GLS:

Pre FL GLS:

The large bezels on the screens are a significant drawback for a vehicle updated in 2026.

Unfortunately, having spent tens of billions of euros on the EQ nonsense, they no longer have the budget to completely redesign the GLE and GLS. With declining profitability and turnover, they were forced to implement a second facelift, but they will face the completely new X5, X7, Q7, and Q9, which will come with new designs and technologies. This will severely damage their competitive edge.

Keeping these already 8-year-old models on the market with this design for another 4 years will be another loss for Mercedes.

 

[Uygar]

So i can’t share an opinion?

It’s not an opinion, you keep saying these biased and childish stuff all the time.
Ok, we get your enthusiasm for Mercedes products.

 

[Dopebouy]

It’s not an opinion, you keep saying these biased and childish stuff all the time.
Ok, we get your enthusiasm for Mercedes products.

Even though Mercedes is clearly better? It seems like you’re just against me Sir.

 

[Merc1]

The large bezels on the screens are a significant drawback for a vehicle updated in 2026.

Unfortunately, having spent tens of billions of euros on the EQ nonsense, they no longer have the budget to completely redesign the GLE and GLS. With declining profitability and turnover, they were forced to implement a second facelift, but they will face the completely new X5, X7, Q7, and Q9, which will come with new designs and technologies. This will severely damage their competitive edge.

Keeping these already 8-year-old models on the market with this design for another 4 years will be another loss for Mercedes.

Oh please. Spare us this bullshit. Of course they have the budget to redesign these vehicles. The problem is that they hadn’t planned to do so initially because everything was going EV. Of course there will be a new GLS and GLE in the coming years.

M

 

[Uygar]

Even though Mercedes is clearly better? It seems like you’re just against me Sir.

Oh come on now. Every Mercedes product is “clearly” better to you anyways. I’m talking about the behavior, not which brand is better or not, in any circumstance. We’re not 5 years old.

 

[McLaren64TR]

Oh please. Spare us this bullshit. Of course they have the budget to redesign these vehicles. The problem is that they hadn’t planned to do so initially because everything was going EV. Of course there will be a new GLS and GLE in the coming years.

M

This isn't nonsense. These are facts.

You dismiss the comments of everyone who disagrees with you as nonsense.

Mercedes is having to facelift two 8-year-old models for the second time, extending their lifespan by another 3-4 years. Mercedes last extended the lifespan of a model this much in the 80s.

Of course, the GLE and GLS will be completely redesigned in the coming years, but the EQ family cost a lot of money, and Mercedes lost money. Profitability decreased, turnover dropped. They killed off some models and had to extend the lifespan of others. These are facts. Whether you accept it or not, that's your problem.

 

[Dopebouy]

Oh please. Spare us this bullshit. Of course they have the budget to redesign these vehicles. The problem is that they hadn’t planned to do so initially because everything was going EV. Of course there will be a new GLS and GLE in the coming years.

M

Will the next GLE & GLS come in 2030 just as the W224?

 

[Merc1]

This isn't nonsense. These are facts.

You dismiss the comments of everyone who disagrees with you as nonsense.

Mercedes is having to facelift two 8-year-old models for the second time, extending their lifespan by another 3-4 years. Mercedes last extended the lifespan of a model this much in the 80s.

Of course, the GLE and GLS will be completely redesigned in the coming years, but the EQ family cost a lot of money, and Mercedes lost money. Profitability decreased, turnover dropped. They killed off some models and had to extend the lifespan of others. These are facts. Whether you accept it or not, that's your problem.

No that about a budget is not factual, it's bs on your part. Mercedes' hadn't planned to redesign the GLE and GLS because they thought the market was going all EV, that is why the timetable for the redesign is off. See if you can grasp that. All the rest of what you're saying I'm not disputing, but it's beside the point. You're just regurgitating things that we already know here. Saying they don't have the money to redesign the GLE and GLS is NOT why they were facelifted again.

No I only usually chime in when I read something particularly stupid or egregious from people like you.

M

 

[Serpens]

Saying a lack of budget is the reason for the GLE/GLS facelift is beyond absurd.

 

[leylandi]

The large bezels on the screens are a significant drawback for a vehicle updated in 2026.

Unfortunately, having spent tens of billions of euros on the EQ nonsense, they no longer have the budget to completely redesign the GLE and GLS. With declining profitability and turnover, they were forced to implement a second facelift, but they will face the completely new X5, X7, Q7, and Q9, which will come with new designs and technologies. This will severely damage their competitive edge.

Keeping these already 8-year-old models on the market with this design for another 4 years will be another loss for Mercedes.

This has nothing to do with the budget. Mercedes planned for an electric future. That's why the lifespan of their current models has been extended. The S-Class was updated after 6 years. Was this delay due to lack of funds? This has nothing to do with resources. If that were the case, they wouldn't have embarked on the biggest model refresh in history.

 

[McLaren64TR]

Ah yes, Mercedes is giving two of its best-selling models a second facelift despite there being no problems whatsoever, not completely redesigning them in the face of a completely revamped BMW X5, X7, Audi Q7, and a brand-new Audi Q9.

You can keep believing that, but the EQ nonsense sucked Mercedes' budget dry like a black hole, and Mercedes decided to keep these two models on the market for a while longer instead of developing them from scratch.

I also disagree with the theory of a comprehensive and high-budget facelift. This operation was done at a much lower cost than completely redesigning the GLE and GLS.

 

[Rolf]

As far as I remember Mercedes were going to cancel both models and replace with all EV models but their low sales in EV models made them have a tethink and then keep these ICE models longer on the market while simultanously they develop seperate EV GLE/GLS models.

 

[leylandi]

Ah yes, Mercedes is giving two of its best-selling models a second facelift despite there being no problems whatsoever, not completely redesigning them in the face of a completely revamped BMW X5, X7, Audi Q7, and a brand-new Audi Q9.

You can keep believing that, but the EQ nonsense sucked Mercedes' budget dry like a black hole, and Mercedes decided to keep these two models on the market for a while longer instead of developing them from scratch.

I also disagree with the theory of a comprehensive and high-budget facelift. This operation was done at a much lower cost than completely redesigning the GLE and GLS.

BMW shaped its models with a strategy of multiple engine options (ICE,BEV) on a single platform. Therefore, developing the new X5 was a much less risky and easier decision. The development process for a car takes at least 4 years. The GLE/GLS was launched in 2018, I believe. Mercedes, during that period, followed a different path than BMW and developed a different platform for its electric cars. They launched the EQS in 2021. According to this strategy, the GLE and GLS would be replaced by the EQE/EQS SUVs and subsequent models. The EQE/EQS SUV was launched in 2022, I believe. From that date, a 2-year monitoring period is needed to assess sales success. It's now 2024. This strategy appears to have failed, and a second facelift is necessary for the GLE/GLS. You can't develop a completely new product in 2 years. The same reasons cause the facelift to be delayed for the S-Class, extending its production life. So, it's not a lack of funds, but a failure in the strategy.

 

[Serpens]

Ah yes, Mercedes is giving two of its best-selling models a second facelift despite there being no problems whatsoever, not completely redesigning them in the face of a completely revamped BMW X5, X7, Audi Q7, and a brand-new Audi Q9.

You can keep believing that, but the EQ nonsense sucked Mercedes' budget dry like a black hole, and Mercedes decided to keep these two models on the market for a while longer instead of developing them from scratch.

I also disagree with the theory of a comprehensive and high-budget facelift. This operation was done at a much lower cost than completely redesigning the GLE and GLS.

You're so convinced of whatever fantasy you committed to you can't see the obvious answer. Absolutely no one said "no problems here!" when it comes to the GLE/GLS facelift. As others have pointed out, Mercedes' EV-only strategy for this decade failed and now they're having to produce a next generation ICE GLE/GLS that they didn't originally plan for. It's as simple as that. They still have to develop the next generation models from scratch regardless.

It's a mess that I'm still very surprised Ola has survived. It leaves me wondering if the board must feel some true culpability in what has transpired.

 

[leylandi]

Furthermore, the E-Class electric vehicle, which was to replace the EQE, needed to be built on a different platform. Because the product would be delayed, it was decided to use the C-Class platform. The EQE will be discontinued at the end of this year. The EQ investments were completed before the vehicles were launched. After 2020, investments were directed towards other electric platforms: MB.EA, AMG.EA, and VAN.EA. Mercedes completed the necessary expenditures for these platforms last year. They stated this in their press release. Therefore, the reason for the alleged lack of funds cannot be the EQ cars.

 

[Serpens]

Furthermore, the E-Class electric vehicle, which was to replace the EQE, needed to be built on a different platform. Because the product would be delayed, it was decided to use the C-Class platform. The EQE will be discontinued at the end of this year. The EQ investments were completed before the vehicles were launched. After 2020, investments were directed towards other electric platforms: MB.EA, AMG.EA, and VAN.EA. Mercedes completed the necessary expenditures for these platforms last year. They stated this in their press release. Therefore, the reason for the alleged lack of funds cannot be the EQ cars.

Right. The EQ cars started with Mercedes' "Ecoluxe" program back in 2014.

 

[leylandi]

Furthermore, if you look at the earnings data of companies after 2020, you will see that Mercedes earned more money than BMW until last year. Attributing the low profitability in 2025 to EQ cars is a very ignorant approach.

2024 profit
Mercedes €10,409 million
BMW €7,678 million

 

[AbsoluteUnit]

Ah yes, Mercedes is giving two of its best-selling models a second facelift despite there being no problems whatsoever, not completely redesigning them in the face of a completely revamped BMW X5, X7, Audi Q7, and a brand-new Audi Q9.

You can keep believing that, but the EQ nonsense sucked Mercedes' budget dry like a black hole, and Mercedes decided to keep these two models on the market for a while longer instead of developing them from scratch.

I also disagree with the theory of a comprehensive and high-budget facelift. This operation was done at a much lower cost than completely redesigning the GLE and GLS.

You can't pull a brand new GLE and GLS out of thin air...
This is a failure of strategy, not a lack of funding. They didn't think they'd need to make a new GLE/GLS on a combustion platform, because they thought combustion would be dead. Obviously they were wrong and have now had to pivot aggressively.

But it still takes time to make a new thing. They can't spawn it out of nowhere. Another facelift was probably the only thing they could do on a short term basis.