Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe 2020 Review - International

It’s a bloody great fastback four-door SUV that answers a question nobody asked… Or, it’s a very stylish, personal performance coupe version of Mercedes’ large SUV. The definition depends on your viewpoint. I’m probably sitting in the former camp.

Cars such as the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe are the very definition of conspicuous consumption and, above all, say more about their buyers than the brands that build them.

Fact is, if there weren’t people out there that wanted a vehicle like this, Mercedes wouldn’t make one… Nor would BMW make the X6, nor Audi its Q8 line-up. Porsche, too, would not have bothered with the Cayenne Coupe.

So SUV coupes are a ‘thing’; and apparently a growing segment. So let’s move on… The horse’s bolted and they’re here to stay.

Some people will applaud that – and there are very likely to be the same ones that go straight for the top of the new Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe line-up – the new Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe.

The GLE 53 is the flagship (for the moment) of a GLE Coupe range that will eventually include three variants Down Under. While there are diesel and diesel plug-in hybrid models offered in Europe, the GLE Coupe line-up here will be petrol only. There’ll be a Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 4MATIC launched locally around the same time as the 53 in quarter three of 2020, and later you can expect an even higher performance bi-turbo V8 variant – the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S 4MATIC+ Coupe.

The ‘big gun’ is not yet officially confirmed but AMG staffers at last month’s Austrian launch of the GLE 53 were openly talking about it. Developed alongside the GLE 53, the GLE 63 S uses a significant number of the chassis parts developed for the 53 including the excellent front-end.

The only GLE plug-in hybrid scheduled to come Down Under will be a petrol-electric model set to join the GLE wagon line-up late in 2020.

The Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe features the same 320kW/520Nm twin-turbo inline 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine as its E53 sedan and coupe counterparts.

This is one of Mercedes-AMG’s newest powerplants and features a 48-volt mild hybrid system that provides an extra 16kW/250Nm via an inline starter-alternator incorporated into the nine-speed AMG Speedshift TCT gearbox.

The 48V system powers the inline six’s second turbocharger, essentially delivering usable boost from zero engine revs. Combined with the instant electric torque provided by the starter-alternator the result is instant throttle response, even from idle. It’s something you can expect from future Mercedes and Mercedes-AMG models.

Also facilitated by the 48V system is the GLE 53’s AMG Active Ride Control. This set-up uses electro-mechanical actuators to manipulate the front and rear roll bars to provide a flatter, more neutral cornering stance. AMG says the system senses changes at up to 1000 times a second and also can provide improved straight-line ride quality

Active Ride Control works with the GLE 53’s standard air suspension and adaptive dampers. The system is also height-adjustable and self-levelling.

It’s recently been announced the same hybrid six-cylinder driveline and associated systems will also be offered in the GLE wagon, due to arrive Down Under in the next few weeks.

Of course, 4MATIC+ signifies the GLE 53 is all-wheel drive and uses AMG’s own specially developed performance-orientated system. In most situations this remains rear-biased but in concert with the multiple driving modes offered via AMG Dynamic Select, the system can shuffle drive fore and aft (and via a smart rear diff, left and right) to maximise response and performance.

The best thing about it is you rarely feel it at work. It’s seamless.

You’d expect big brakes on a big AMG SUV, and the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe doesn’t disappoint. The vented and drilled front rotors are a racecar-like 400x36mm.

Standard wheels on Aussie-spec GLE 53s will almost certainly be 21-inch – although AMG lists sizes from 20-22-inch in its spec sheets. Our test GLE 53s were fitted with Pirelli Scorpion winter rubber (275/45 front, 315/40 rear), which worked a treat on a short stretch of ice and snow Mercedes laid on for “testing”. Expect all-season road-oriented rubber when the car comes Down Under.

While the overall GLE Coupe package is very much based on the GLE wagon, the wheelbase is trimmed 60mm to improve the car’s dynamic response.

Typically, such a chop would mean less cabin space but that’s compared with a wagon that grew in its latest generation.

The new GLE Coupe is still bigger than the vehicle it replaces. Indeed, at 4939mm, the GLE Coupe is 39mm longer than its predecessor and also 7mm wider. Its new 2935mm wheelbase is 20mm longer than the last gen. Subsequently, the GLE Coupe’s rear door openings have grown by 35mm and there are modest increases in most key cabin dimensions – an extra 28mm in seat couple distance (front to rear) delivers more rear legroom.

Mercedes says the GLE Coupe’s 655 litres of luggage space is class-leading. Perhaps of more importance is the added flexibility of the 40:20:40-split-fold rear seat which liberates up to 1790 litres of capacity (70L more than before) and a load area 1996mm (87mm more) by 1080mm wide (72mm more).

The height of the luggage area is still a stretch for many but it’s 60mm lower this time around. The button to close the power tailgate is a stretch for my 170cm frame.

Love or hate it, the defining feature of the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe is that big Panamericana grille. Lined up alongside the ‘standard’ GLE Coupes at the launch, it did deliver the AMG 53 a very different character.

There’s a real sense of occasion in the latest Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG cabins and the new GLE Coupe family, and especially the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe, is no exception.

It’ll all be very familiar to GLE wagon owners as well as drivers of the latest-generation E-Class, etc – two seamless wide screens that combine to deliver both the normal instrument panel functions and the latest MBUX infotainment and voice control interface.

We have covered the ins and out of this tech, autonomous drive functions and infotainment in both our local drives and international launch reviews of the GLE-Class wagon, so click through for more.

Unique AMG features via the GLE 53’s system include Track Pace – a function that allows you to critique your performance on racetracks via a ‘virtual engineer’. The system locates the track you’re on, downloads the appropriate data and analyses your times and lines. Useful? Probably not – but it’s cool to show your mates.

Suffice to say, the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe misses out on little and actually benefits from some of the recent MBUX and other software and system tweaks.

These include (in Europe, at least) the ability to use the ‘onboard’ MercedesMe shop to book and pay for parking. Or in the case of the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe, activate an ‘emotional’ start function that allows you (by holding the left paddleshift in) to start the car with a pronounced fruity exhaust rev. Perfect for waking up the neighbours.

We drove the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe 4MATIC+ on the slick and at times icy roads of the Austrian side of Sud Tyrol last month. And as much as I’d like to suggest that this vehicle is all show and no go, I can’t. It’s actually bloody good. If you put aside the fact you can’t actually see where the car stops and the road starts (see below), it’s actually a lot of fun to punt – even on the narrow Tyrolean mountain passes.

This is a markedly improved car from the previous-generation GLE Coupe. Gone is the harsh response of the suspension systems that meant the big-wheel versions rode like bullock drays. Also almost gone is the lateral head toss that made the same generation of GLE coupes and wagon odds-on to make you carsick.

AMG insiders say the lion’s share of the development effort went on fine-tuning the steering and active roll control systems. It shows. There’s no real sense that the car is artificially controlling its attitude in corners and unlike early systems, it is not caught out by rapid changes of direction. There’s a very natural feel to the way this car flows – one that belies its sheer size and weight.

The 53’s inline six-cylinder powertrain is properly silky and eager. Mercedes-AMG claims a 0-100km/h time of 5.3secs but it’s the in-gear and rolling response that’s more impressive.

There’s much more torque on tap with this large SUV, too, compared with its twin-turbo V6-engined predecessor. There’s less need for the gearbox to go hunting up and down and here is a six that sounds like it should – the strained soundtrack of the 43-generation of AMGs is gone.

It’s a cracking execution of mild electrification – you can’t tell when the hybrid oomph is kicking in. The result is a turbocharged engine that has zero lag and a smooth progression of torque rather than the at-times unseemly and traction-challenging kick of BMW M’s turbo sixes.

Perhaps my greatest criticism of the GLE is the lack of good forward vision – one I also have of the wagon. This stems from the very high dash top. If, like me, you like to keep your seat low, vision over the bonnet is poor. It’s fine to rely on cameras for low-speed manoeuvring but it’s nice to know where the corners of your car are when motoring. Oh, and don’t start me about rear or rear three-quarter vision…

Mercedes-Benz Australia is still months away from finalising pricing on the new GLE Coupe range – and the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe is no exception.

The current 43 and 63 S equivalents are priced from around $145K and $204K. For the sake of the exercise, I’d suggest the much improved Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe will probably land at just over the $150K mark.

When it does, I can almost guarantee it’ll find a ready market. Just as the ‘face’ of Australia is changing, so are our four-wheeled buying habits.

Look at me has never been more in fashion Down Under and the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe is seriously adept in this department. As the adage goes, there is no accounting for taste…

How much does the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupe cost?
Price: $150,000 (estimated, see text)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol with 48V mild hybrid
Output: 320kW/520Nm plus 16kW/250Nm from EQ Boost
Transmission: nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive
Fuel: 9.3L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 212g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety Rating: five-star EuroNCAP (2019, wagon tested)