Rent Mercedes GLE350 2021 in Dubai

The Mercedes GLE350 2021 is the one to check first if your Dubai week might need a sixth or seventh seat, because this generation offers an optional third row that the smaller GLC simply doesn't have. Five seats is the standard layout, and where a car in this configuration carries the extra row, it turns a mid-size SUV into a real two-family option for the odd airport run or a week hosting visiting relatives. We get it to your door within one to two hours of booking, so there's no counter queue before you're on the road. What this page settles is whether the third-row option, the 4MATIC drivetrain and the running costs add up for you, or whether a smaller Mercedes does the job just as well for less.

The engine, and how it drives

This is the four-cylinder GLE, not the six-cylinder AMG cars that share the same badge and bodywork. Under the bonnet sits a 2.0-litre turbo four with a 48V EQ Boost mild hybrid system, a belt-driven starter-generator that fills in torque at low revs and smooths the stop-start restarts you get a lot of in Dubai traffic. It makes 255 hp and 370 Nm, sent through a nine-speed 9G-TRONIC automatic to all four wheels via 4MATIC, and it gets to 100 km/h in about 7.0 seconds.

That's brisk rather than quick, and it's the honest trade for choosing the GLE 350 over an AMG model: a calmer, cheaper car to run that still never feels strained carrying a full load. On Sheikh Zayed Road it settles into a cruise easily and has enough in reserve for a clean overtake. The 4MATIC system is worth having for wet-road grip and the stability it gives a tall SUV through a fast on-ramp, but with 203 mm of ground clearance this is a road car, not a dune vehicle. Save serious sand for something built for it.

Space, boot and the daily use

Confirm the seat count when you book, since the 7-seat layout is an option on this generation rather than a given on every car. If you land the third row, treat it the way you'd treat any SUV's back bench: fine for two kids on a mall run or a short hop to a family dinner, tight for adults on anything longer. That's normal for the class, not a fault specific to this car.

Where the GLE earns its keep either way is the boot. With five seats up you get 630 litres, enough for two large cases and the soft bags most airport pickups actually involve, and folding the second row opens a genuinely useful 2,055 litres for a proper shopping run or moving bulky luggage between hotels. At 4,924 mm long and 1,948 mm wide it's a substantial car, so a Marina or mall multi-storey wants a bit of care on tight ramps, but the 203 mm of clearance shrugs off speed bumps and steep driveway entries that catch lower sedans without complaint.

Running cost, heat and the cabin

The 2.0-litre four sips less than you'd guess for the size of the car, sitting around 10.7 L/100km combined. Real Dubai driving, with AC running hard and stop-start traffic, will push that up, but the 85-litre tank still gives close to 800 km of range on paper, which in practice means one, maybe two fill-ups across a full week of city use. Your mileage allowance on this rental is 250 km a day, with extra kilometres charged at AED 0.5 each. That covers school runs, mall trips and airport transfers comfortably and only starts to matter on a long highway day out of the city.

Salik tolls and any RTA fines picked up during the rental come back to you, as they do on every car here, and a child seat is mandatory for anyone under four. On the heat side, a cabin this size takes a little longer to pull down from a 45-degree afternoon than a small hatch would, simply because there's more air to move. Once it's cool it holds that temperature well, and the mild hybrid's smoother restarts mean the AC doesn't stumble every time the engine cuts back in at a red light. Park in shade where you can, and give it a couple of minutes after you climb back in before you expect it to feel normal.

Who should rent it, and who should look elsewhere

Rent the Mercedes GLE350 2021 if you want the option of a third row without stepping up to AMG money and AMG running costs, plus AWD grip and a boot that handles a real family's luggage. It's a genuinely comfortable, capable everyday SUV for a Dubai week of airport runs, city driving and the occasional highway stretch.

Look elsewhere in two cases. If you need seven proper adult seats for every trip, a larger three-row SUV gives more room in that back bench. And if Hatta or real desert tracks are on the plan, 203 mm of clearance and a road-biased AWD system aren't built for it, so book a proper 4x4 instead. As a premium SUV this one rents against a refundable deposit confirmed at booking rather than the no-deposit option, and you'll need to be 25 to take the keys.