Mercedes-Benz just handed BMW an awkward number to explain. At the 29th Chengdu Motor Show 2026, the brand rolled out the new long-wheelbase GLE SUV—and its wheelbase now beats the China-built BMW X5 outright. It grew from 2995 to 3115 mm. For comparison, the China-built BMW X5 sits at 3105 mm. Yet the Mercedes is actually shorter overall: 5051 mm against the X5’s 5060 mm.
This isn’t just another facelift. The newcomer is the first big premium Mercedes-Benz SUV ever built locally in China—a move that would have sounded unthinkable for the brand’s flagship models not long ago. Photos from the stand show the GLE 350 L, and the cabin makes the intent obvious: a wide digital dashboard with separate displays for the instrument cluster, infotainment, and front passenger. Outside, though, the model deliberately keeps the GLE’s familiar proportions—no revolution here, just evolution.
The Chinese-market car measures 5051x2018x1784 mm. And here’s the interesting part: according to preliminary certification data, the GLE 350 L gets a 2.0-liter turbo M254 engine good for 258 hp, while the range-topping GLE 450 L packs a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six M256 rated at 381 hp—enough to keep that extra length from becoming dead weight.
Mercedes-Benz didn’t stop at hardware. The brand is touting AI-driven infotainment features and urban and highway driving assistants, and a future update is set to bring a system built on Momenta’s R7 “world model”—remember that name, you’ll be hearing it again. At the Chengdu show itself, the GLE L got its first-ever public test drives, letting Chinese buyers feel the extra wheelbase for themselves rather than just read about it in a spec sheet.
Pricing for the long-wheelbase model hasn’t been announced yet—the one detail Mercedes is still keeping close to its chest. For scale: a standard imported GLE SUV on China’s current price list starts at 699,800 yuan, roughly $97,000 at current exchange rates. That figure can’t be compared directly to the future GLE L price, though: the new version is built locally, and its trim levels and official pricing haven’t been revealed.
