2027 Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Spotted Testing With New Star-Shaped Lights

While many of us are taking well-deserved breaks, neither the Mercedes-AMG engineers nor our spy photographers are kicking back. New spy shots captured near the Arctic Circle show the upcoming 2027 Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 crossover, which sits one rung below the full-fat GLE 63, as it prepares to adopt some minor improvements when it’s unveiled next year. Most of the improvement will focus on the cosmetics as the warmed-up crossover will take on the star-shaped motifs that the rest of the Mercedes lineup either already has or will soon take on, but it’s entirely likely that the hybridized luxury performance crossover will see some updates under the skin, too.

Mild Styling Revisions for 2027 GLE 53

The fact that this crossover is only partially covered in camouflage, with the wacky vinyl applied to portions of its front and rear ends but not the entire body, tells us that the GLE 53 is due for a facelift, not a full overhaul. This means the hood will remain the same, but the headlights will be lightly restyled to include three-pointed stars as their daytime running lights. The overall shape may be subtly altered, too, and we can expect similarly minor changes to the central grille and lower side intakes.

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At the rear, where round, not square, tailpipes tell us we’re looking at the 53 and not the 63, snow kicked up by the rear tires makes changes even more difficult to see, but again, star-shaped DRLs and a mildly revised rear fascia should be expected; the diffuser panel appears to be slightly more aggressive.

Mercedes-Benz GLE is Starting to Show Its Age

The current fourth-generation W167 GLE was first unveiled in 2018 at the Paris Motor Show (with AMG GLE 53 following at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show), and in January 2023, the GLE was facelifted for the 2024 model year, so this 2027 model, due to arrive sometime in early 2026, is getting a little long in the tooth. Perhaps there will be an all-new model for the 2028 model year, but until then, we expect the same 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six mild-hybrid powertrain to carry over. At present, this produces 429 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque, delivered to the asphalt through a nine-speed automatic, and it’s possible that there’ll be a slight bump to those output figures for the new model year, but we doubt it. More likely is an increase from the current MSRP of $90,000 (plus $1,250 for destination), though with Mercedes already losing sales to tariff increases, that may not be prudent.