Comfort and luxury are the key features of the new 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE midsize SUV. Though it is expected for a Benz to offer comfort and performance and to look aesthetically unique and elegant, what we didn’t expect from the latest GLE is the major leap forward in terms of technology.

The GLE offers a variety of driver assistance features that include lane change, emergency braking, evasive steering, active blind spot, and left-turn assistance. There’s also a Mercedes Distronic adaptive cruise controls system that will follow the posted speed limit and guide the GLE around basic curves.

The cabin is commanded by what is called the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX). There are about 40 new functions in this system including gesture control for infotainment. On the dashboard, there’s a configurable head-up display on the windshield and two 12.3-inch short-wide screens. One screen will display the same information that’s on the head-up display while the center dash screen will display the navigation, infotainment, and seat features.

The navigation system is particularly introspective. When active, it displays the road ahead with floating tags that identify street names, destination addresses, and floating arrows to show you which way to turn on a road. There’s also voice control feature that will respond to “Hey, Mercedes.” It can perform a web search, find music, and chat with you in English, German, and Mandarin Chinese.

The SUV is being offered as GLE 350 with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel-drive or as the GLE 350 4MATIC with full-time all-wheel-drive. You can also have the GLE 350 4MATIC with a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with a 48-volt electric motor for a mild hybrid power boost and all-wheel-drive.