You might have heard of petrol-hybrid vehicles, but a diesel-hybrid? Well, since the oil-burner isn’t that popular here, we will miss out on this 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350de that was just launched in Thailand.

Mercedes-Benz Thailand offers various models with diesel engines in the Kingdom, but this is the first diesel plug-in hybrid model offered by the three-pointed star over there.

Available in only a single variant called, deep breath, Mercedes-Benz GLE 350de 4Matic Exclusive, the diesel hybrid SUV is the second diesel-powered GLE model that’s offered in Thailand after the Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d 4Matic AMG Dynamic.

The plug-in diesel hybrid SUV is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel engine that is paired with an electric motor. This gives a combined output of 320 PS and 700 Nm.

That engine is mated to a 9-speed 9G-Tronic automatic transmission and acceleration to 100 km/h from rest is quoted at 6.8 seconds.

Since this is sporting an Exclusive trim instead of the AMG styling pack, the GLE 350de looks more on the elegant side, featuring LED headlights and 20-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the Thai-spec GLE 350de continues the elegant presence with two 12.3-inch high-resolution digital widescreen cockpit displays that can be customised to suit the driver and a Nappa leather-wrapped steering wheel with touch control buttons.

For those who want to play with the SUV’s practicality, the second-row seats can be adjusted and folded electrically in various ways to take advantage of the wide space.

Safety-wise, the GLE 350de is equipped with Active Brake Assist and Blind-Spot Assist. The latter can detect both cars and motorcycles that appear in the blind-spot for a safer lane change.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350de 4Matic Exclusive is available in Thailand at THB 4,699,000. In Malaysia, the fully-imported from USA (CBU) GLE is only available in one variant, the GLE 450 4Matic AMG Line which starts from RM 584,720.

Also read: Malaysia to launch CKD 2021 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sedan, GLA, GLE - 5 new CKD models coming