Judged purely on its towing ability, the Mercedes-Benz GLE is right up there with the Land Rover Discovery and the Volvo XC90.
For one thing, it’s very quick indeed. Pulling from 30-60mph with a big twin-axle caravan in just 8.8 seconds is serious speed.
For another, it makes a stable tow car. Air suspension with adaptive damping is standard on this model, and the GLE felt especially well tied down in ‘sport’. The Al-Ko ATC sensors picked up some movement when slowing from 60mph, but nothing alarming.
The Mercedes slowed well, too, needing 11m to come to a stop from 30mph. That’s just a fraction shorter than the Land Rover Discovery’s stopping distance.
In solo driving the GLE can’t live with the standard set by the new Discovery, however. The engine is more vocal than the Land Rover’s when accelerating hard and the ride, while comfortable, is not as supple as the Discovery’s.
The GLE has space for five whereas many rivals have an extra row of seats. However, if you don’t need seven seats the Merc is a very practical car, with lots of room for adults to stretch out and a huge boot which easily swallowed all our holiday luggage.
Rivals from Audi and Volvo have lower emissions – and hence lower tax bills for company car drivers. However, strong resale values make the GLE a sound choice for private buyers.