Newbie question: 2024 Mercedes GLE 450e PHEV

Hi! Newbie here! My brother in law introduced me to LH and I’ve learned so much from you all by browsing the forum. Thank you for your collective wisdom.

I’m in the market for a 2024 hybrid plug-in mid-size SUV. I’ve narrowed down my search to the Volvo XC90 Recharge, BMW X5 drive 50e hybrid and the Mercedes GLE 450e PHEV. I’ve test driven the Volvo and BMW and found some LH deals that some of you amazing brokers are offering but had a question on the Mercedes.

The list price at my local dealership (in Virginia) for the GLE 450e is $81k. It looks like it has the driver’s assistance package and panoramic sunroof included. The color is polar white with the beige interior. Is there a better deal for this car? Since the model is so new, I haven’t seen any/many promotions for it.

My ultimate goal is to purchase the car, so if I need to lease it first to gain any discounts or promos, I am happy to do that. I do not have Costco and am not a repeat MB customer. I likely don’t qualify for any loyalty dollars unless my company has a corporate discount somewhere (I have corporate discounts with Volvo and BMW). I am in no rush to purchase/lease the car so timing is not an issue.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

Since you have this luxury, keep checking the Marketplace for any flash sales. Between now and 9/30 or between mid December to 12/31.

Nobody has a crystal ball but it’s plausible either the Volvo or the BMW ends up a much better deal than the GLE.

Might want to get a Costco membership before 9/30 just in case any rebates start for October. You have 364 days to get a refund if you choose not to keep it AFAIK.

3 Likes

I haven’t driven the 50e or the GLE450e, but I did test drive the XC90 T8 before buying a 45e earlier in the year. Have you driven the 450e? It’s waaay down on power compared to the 50e, since the gas engine is a 4 cyl, and over a second slower 0-60. Unless the Mercedes was much better in some other respect (which I’m not seeing, but I haven’t driven it) or much cheaper, I don’t know why anyone would even consider it.

1 Like

I’m hoping to test drive the Mercedes tonight after work :blush:

Current 45e owner here, Merc has two advantages. Biggest one is that they pass on the $7.5k federal tax credit as lease cash to the customer. Second, the back seats are roomier, especially if you have rear facing car seats. Otherwise, X5 PHEV is the better car…

2 Likes

Let me answer your questions before this thread is moved to Off Ramp or Marketplace, where it will get lost. :grinning:
Costco won’t do anything for MB (I am a Costco member, inquired already). Sam’s club and AmEx may get you cash bonus, but it’s meager $500 last time I checked it for GLE. Still better than nothing, so if you have Sam’s and AmEx, look up incentives online, you should be able to print the offer code and take with you to a dealer (if they still take those two, which they may not anymore).

81K is on upper end, I have seen them for 73K. Dealers could order them for a base MSRP of 68K, but I have never seen one at base price on any lot I searched recently.
In any event, if you want to search for cars on market, go to cars.com, select make, model and “new”, go to advanced section where you can limit your search to 2024 or keep 2023 option open. Once you choose radius for search scroll down and select the color combination you want. You can select black exterior and beige interior, it will bring up all GLE’s within the radius you chose. You can further narrow your search by checking 450e plug-in on left column, you will see every single car in the radius with color combination you want.
Sunroof costs only 1400 or 1600 if it’s an option. GLE’s come loaded as base version, so a lot of add-ons (except panoramic roof, heated steering wheel and may be one or two other options) are just means to overinflate the price with no particular value added (at least for me and in my humble opinion). You will probably find something for 72-73000, but inventory constantly fluctuates, so cars appear and disappear on daily basis, and if you have time just browse the selections until you see the car you want and like.

There is 7500 rebate on EV vehicles and it applies to GLE450e, it’s a tax rebate if you purchase (income contingent), and direct credit by MB if you lease (regardless of your income). Some dealers outright refuse to sell below MSRP and even try to sell the car by saying “we don’t mark up above MSRP”. There is a general perception that this car is “hot”, it is so “hot” that no one needs to offer any discount on it. This is not entirely accurate perception, some dealers struggle with GLE’s and most recent rate hikes don’t help them find willing fools to make disproportionately large LTV investments into this car when you can get much better deals from BMW and Porsche. So, do your research and ask for discount on top of 7500 EV rebate, some (not many) dealers will be willing to work with you if it’s the end of the month.

You can go to edmunds.com, they have a forum for each make and model, moderators there answer in real time any MF, RV and incentives related questions.

Autocompanion here has a nice lease calculator, in case you want to see what your lease options are, and I don’t know about all makes and models, but they seem to have a calculator that accounts for any existing incentives and also tells you what that incentive is and how long it will be valid. Can’t vouch for accuracy, but helps to speed up calculations and you can always check elsewhere to verify if those incentives are still valid (i.e. Edmunds and etc.).

2 Likes

I also have a X545e, you are correct that for a car at this price point, the back seat is smallish and it does not recline nor slide. But the twin turbo is sweet when you need it. I see 10% off for X5’s from brokers, not sure if that applies to the X5e.

There’s no purchase rebate for the GLE, at least not currently. There is a $3,750 purchase rebate on the 50e, in theory. In practice given the $80k cap, very few actual buyers would qualify.

1 Like

She can lease, get full $7500 rebate and refinance/buy out the next day (or as soon as numbers pop-up, allowed to buy out. I saw my pay-off quote as soon as I had access to my MBFS account online).

And I am talking about GLE450e (plug in hybrid) that comes with EV rebate, not regular 450.

It’s not the same savings, right? What about acquisition fees?

In case you have small business.

2 Likes

Acquisition fee on this car is $795. Pull your calculator, deduct that from $7500 and decide for yourself if the difference is worthwhile to use it. I know I would.

Dude all your posts are like an essay and you completely gave the wrong information. $7500 purchase credit has been long gone except for a handful of cars. I can put you on ignore but un-suspecting newbie might take your word for it.

5 Likes

Don’t be rude. If you don’t like to read my, what you call, “essays” then don’t read them. I am not forcing anybody to read, but it seems like you would rather force me to shut up. Are you selling GLE’s for commission and are mad that people will find out about EV rebates? If not, then what is your problem?

Read my post. I didn’t say there is “purchase rebate”, I said there is 7500 EV rebate on a lease. I will type it one more time: rebate is on a lease, not on purchase. And it seems that you already understood it, because you asked about acquisition fees and I answered that AF is only $795, way below $7500 rebate, which I would rather use if I was to get that car.

As to “she wants to buy, not lease a car”, no body says otherwise. It seems you already know what I suggested: lease the car, get $7500 EV rebate, buy it as soon as you can by paying the pay-off quote on MBFS, end of story.
Are you saying she can’t buy leased car? I know I can, I lease MB and it’s financed by MBFS.
Whether $7500 EV rebate is worth taking extra work of applying for a loan after lease to purchase it is another question, and is for OP to decide. What is your point, anyway?

1 Like

I rest my case and thank goodness for ignore button.

2 Likes

Oh, I used words “tax rebate” instead of “EV rebate” and this is so essential that it negates the practically relevant fact that MB gets $7500 gov rebate when you lease that 450e and passes on that rebate to you by deducting 7500 from your lease balance (rather than you filing taxes after purchase and getting a tax credit on your tax returns). Silly me, didn’t know how important that “tax” word was there.

Well yeah it kind of is a big difference, there’s no income or MSRP limitation on the lease “credit”. You posted the wrong info, that’s fine, we all do sometimes and it’s a complicated topic so understandable, let it go.

3 Likes

Why is it wrong? Why can’t you lease the car , go home, register your MBFS account, click on “Pay OFF Quote” and buy it from MBFS? Can’t you buy your own leased car, after receiving 7500 EV rebate for lease? Will government confiscate that rebate it you buy your leased car? Will you be fined ? Is there a legal or other restriction on doing this that I am not aware of? Care to elaborate?

Psst, you’re confusing the crap outta the newbs, yourself and even the rest of us.

4 Likes

No, I am curious now, what is the downside of leasing a car, getting 7500 rebate on it to reduce balance off MSRP, then next day buying that leased vehicle with 7500 discount you have got due to that rebate which reduced your balance by as much? What part of it is not workable?