Mercedes GLE Colour Guide

Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Mercedes-Benz GLE 5-door, 7-seater SUV, and its more rakish spin-off in the form of the 5-door, 5-seat GLE Coupe, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour.

There are 8 main paint options for the GLE and GLE Coupe ranges, comprising 1 solid paint and then 7 metallic paints – 2 of which are more prestigious finishes which Mercedes sells under its ‘Manufaktur’ umbrella. Alongside the exterior finishes, we also outline the interior colours that Mercedes provides to go with these paint choices.

Paint Types

Solid = a simple body colour with no additives in the paint. Usually comprises 3 coats, these being a primer, then the paint, then a clear, protective lacquer. Solid paints aren’t particularly shiny and are normally the only standard/no-cost colours offered by manufacturers.

Metallic = same application process as above but the paint now has powdered metal mixed into it, which reflects more light to give the car a shinier appearance. Metallic finishes usually cost more than solid paints.

Pearlescent/Mica = as above, only instead of metal, ceramic crystals (known as ‘mica’) are added to the paint. These not only reflect light but refract it too, giving one colour different appearances in different levels of light. They’re normally as expensive as or pricier than metallic paints.

Matte = uses special ‘flattening’ agents in the paint/layering make-up to give the car a non-reflective appearance, and sometimes an unusual texture too. These are normally the most expensive and rarest of paint options, and are not offered on many new car models.

Exterior

Obsidian Black

Type: Metallic

Cost: No cost (standard colour for all GLEs)

Available On: All models

Mercedes’ opening colour for the GLE and GLE Coupe families is Obsidian Black, a metallic shade. This is unusual, as most manufacturers normally only provide a solid paint for free, while white is the preferred ‘base’ paint instead of black. Nevertheless, the GLE’s Obsidian Black is a nice take on the shade, veering towards being a very, very dark charcoal grey. It’ll need a bit of washing but it’s a classy opener for these plush Merc SUVs.

Polar White

Type: Solid

Cost: No cost (free optional colour for all GLEs)

Available On: All models

There is a solid white paint available for the GLE but it’s not the standard paint choice – you have to actively specify Polar White if you want it. That said, it is still a no-cost option, and as flat paints go it has a fair bit of life and sparkle to it – albeit it’s nothing like as bright and glossy as the ‘Manufaktur’ alternative at the other end of the palette. Like all whites, Polar will quickly end up looking grubby, especially in the depths of winter, but it’s a nice finish for the GLE.

Mojave Silver

Type: Metallic

Cost: No cost (free optional colour for all GLEs)

Available On: All models

Mojave Silver is a warmer, bronze-tinged version of the colour when compared to the High-Tech Silver we’ll look at next. As the GLE and GLE Coupe models are considered very upmarket prestige vehicles, all the non-Manufaktur metallics cost you nothing over the standard Obsidian Black, which is a generous touch by Mercedes. Mojave will look lovely in mellow sunshine, where its hints of gold will really shine through, and it shouldn’t need too much in terms of regular washing to keep its general appearance smart.

High-Tech Silver

Type: Metallic

Cost: No cost (free optional colour for all GLEs)

Available On: All models

High-Tech Silver is probably the classic colour you think of when you conjure up a silver Mercedes in your mind’s eye – it’s a sharp, cold, light take on the finish and it suits the GLE’s elegant lines well. High-Tech won’t need a lot of washing in winter and it’ll have a broad appeal in the eyes of onlookers, as it’s a subtle and non-divisive paint colour.

Selenite Grey

Type: Metallic

Cost: No cost (free optional colour for all GLEs)

Available On: All models

Selenite Grey is a strong, traditional midtone of the colour and it’s the finish to pick if you’re the type of person who doesn’t want to get the Kaercher jet-washer out of the garage every Sunday, just to keep the car looking spick and span. Selenite is notably different to the 2 silvers Mercedes offers, justifying its use of the word ‘Grey’ in the paint’s official name.

Emerald Green

Type: Metallic

Cost: No cost (free optional colour for all GLEs)

Available On: All models

This is a beautiful shade, a really deep, rich green which fully suits the name Emerald. Having said that, be prepared to have to wash it a lot – so dark is Emerald Green that it’ll look almost black in certain lights, which also means it will show up encrusted-on winter road salts in the colder months in much the same way Obsidian Black would. That means Emerald requires a lot of upkeep but this quality paint finish definitely makes that ongoing maintenance worth the effort. Emerald is the last of the 6 free colours on the GLE – those being the standard Obsidian Black metallic and then the other 5 solid/metallic paints listed above.

‘Manufaktur’ Diamond White

Type: Metallic

Cost: £695

Available On: All models

The only 2 colours in the GLE range which will cost you any money to specify them are both called ‘Manufaktur’ finishes by Mercedes. The first is Diamond White, which isn’t a pearlescent but which glistens like such a paint. It’ll look amazing when it’s pristine and clean, and the sun is out in full force, but perhaps not quite so brilliant in the middle of January when you’ve neglected to wash it for a month or 2. As there is another white in the range (the no-cost Polar White solid), you’ve therefore got to really want the extra ‘pop’ of Diamond White to make its £695 outlay truly worthwhile.

‘Manufaktur’ Hyacinth Red

Type: Metallic

Cost: £695

Available On: All models

This is arguably the finest colour in the entire Mercedes GLE range – perhaps why it is one of the joint-most expensive finishes at £695 – and it’s the one which will suit the high-performance AMG 53 and 63 S models the most. It’s Hyacinth Red, which isn’t the sportiest of names, we grant you, yet it’s definitely the raciest colour for Merc’s prestigious big SUV. It’s a fiery, deep-to-midtone red that will look just as good with a few weeks’ road grime caked to its flanks as it will when it is spotlessly clean and sitting in blazing sunshine.

Interior