Mercedes has joined the coupe-SUV club with its new GLE, and the range-topping, V8-powered 63 S model is aiming to steal sales from BMW’s successful X6 M
ANYONE WHO STILL thinks coupe into SUV doesn’t go may want to take a peek at BMW’s calculator. So far 300,000 X6s have been sold, which isn’t bad going for a car that looks as if it’s strayed from the back lot of a children’s sci-fi movie.
That’s a little unkind. There’s no denying the big Beemer’s bombastic styling has tons of presence,
especially as the now pretty handy second-gen X6 M , but the arrival of Mercedes’s GLE Coupe, and particularly the AMG 63 S range-topper driven here in the Austrian Alps, suggests that if you really do want a monster 4x4 with a swoopy roof, a little subtlety goes a long way. The photos don’t
do it justice. It has X6 levels of swagger without the cartoonish exaggeration.
That Mercedes has taken the opportunity, with the refresh and renaming of its stalwart ML-class
SUV, to gatecrash BMW’s party is clearly a strategically savvy move. The deadly German rivals love a bit of carpet tugging.Why GLE?Why indeed.
If it doesn’t remind you of amid-’80s mainstream sedan with velour upholstery, you’re probably not as old as I am. Merc’s reasoning is that ‘G’ should be the root letter for all its off-roaders and not just the current G-Class, thus forging a solid link with the iconic Geländewagen of yesteryear. ‘E’ means its size roughly equates to that of an E-class sedan. ‘L’? That’s anyone’s guess. It’s still no excuse for giving a car a name as long as the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S 4Matic Coupe’s.
The good news is the thing thunders from rest to 100km/h in about the same time it takes to say it, which seems about right considering that its biturbo 5.5-litre V8 pumps out 430 kW and 760 Nm in its marginally hotter ‘S’ form.
With the assistance of 4Matic four-wheel drive and the massively shod optional 22-inch alloys, this GLE emphatically denies its kerb weight much say in the matter. Like the big-capacity twinturbo V8s that power the X6 M and Cayenne Turbo S, the Merc’s is a thing of wonder, rendering ‘effortless’ an inadequate descriptor of the way the car performs the everyday tasks of merely moving quickly and overtaking.
Burbling deeply and surging serenely, it elevates the idea of ‘making progress’ to another, altogether less stressful level. It seems to have so much in reserve, checking what’s left is more an act of curiosity than necessity. Even then, when you put your toe down, it’s hard to credit just how savagely the horizon rushes up.
Thing is, when the big V8 opens its lungs, its previously muffled sonority hardens to a proper quasi-race-car yell – complete with ballistic crackles on the overrun if you select the sport modes for engine or transmission – and that’s plain addictive.
The chassis copes well considering the GLE Coupe’s bulk and lofty stance. Mercedes has thrown in just about everything it knows to keep the big car on the island at speed while retaining a decent slice of comfort and refinement.
The springs automatically lower the ride height when you’re going fast and, as well as adaptive dampers, there are adaptive anti-roll bars to resist body roll. The almost comically wide 325/35-section tyres at the rear have a big say in the way the 63 S handles on the limit.
In tighter turns, and there are plenty of those in the Austrian hills, it’s the front end that inevitably lets go first, and quite suddenly. On longer curves, though, grip seems almost limitless. No, the Merc doesn’t feel quite as precise and fluent as the X6 M or Cayenne Turbo S, but it manages its mass extremely well and is good fun if you’re in the mood.
Specification
Engine
5461cc V8, dohc, 32v, twin-turbo
Power
430kW @ 5500rpm
Torque
760Nm @ 1750-5250rpm
Weight
2275 kg
Consumption
11.9L/100km
0-100km/h
4.2sec (claimed)
Top speed
250km/h (limited)
Basic price
U$D 110,225
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