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Going to drive your Mercedes GLE exclusively on tarmac? Maybe this video will have you rethinking that.
Situated in Albania, the Shushica valley is the perfect proving ground for the GLE’s off-road capabilities and that is exactly what Mercedes-Benz did. Offroad enthusiast Günther Holzmann drove a Mercedes-Benz GLE 500 e 4MATIC through 80 kilometers of unpaved track laden with rocks and gravel, through mountains, across rivers, down steep declines, and it was all done within a span of 10 hours.
His journey through the Shushica valley starts with a drive on the Adriatic coast which then leads to a pass, taking him up to an elevation of 600 meters. There he found an old castle with a mosque, an ideal place to take a short break.
Afterwards it’s down to the valley with a riverbed of white stone and water flowing quickly over it. At a depth of 0.78 meters, Holzmann decided that the GLE’s ground clearance needed to be increased and he did so by using the level control of the air suspension for an increase of 6 centimeters. Where better to take a lunch break after crossing a river than at a trout farm?
Once leaving the farm, he encountered a steep downward slope at a 38 ° angle. If he had simply stepped on the brakes the car would have skidded but GLE’s Downhill Speed Regulation feature allowed him to go through the pass safely by slowing down the vehicle and preventing the wheels from locking up.
The rest of the drive to the top of the pass may not have been the smoothest but the air suspension did provide him with a comfortable ride while he navigated tight turns, large boulders and deep ditches.
Where will your next adventure take you?
