Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe 2015 Review

Oh how they must have laughed at Mercedes-Benz when the first-generation BMW X6 rolled out.

‘Zat ugly thing vill never sell,’ they’re might have chortled, if they were prone to sitting around talking in comic book Germ-lish…

And why shouldn’t they laugh. Everybody else was poking fun at BMW’s ugly X5-based duckling too.

Take a perfectly good SUV, compromise its spacious interior with a pseudo-coupe body on stilts… and charge more for it!

Yep, back in 2008 what a great joke it all might have been in Stuttgart.

But roll on seven years and 260,000 sales for the X6 and, lo and behold, what do we have here? Why it’s the GLE Coupe, proof that Mercedes-Benz is pragmatic enough to recognise an opportunity … even if BMW got there years earlier.

Mind you Benz now claims it could have got there first, if it wanted to….

At this point, here’s some basics; just as the X6 is based on the X5, so the GLE Coupe is spun off from the donor mid-sized M-Class, er GLE.

You see Benz has decided to rename its line-up, including almost all of its SUVs, to give people a better idea of their size and where they sit in the range. So the GLE – which is apart from the name a midlife update of the ML – gets GL to denote it is an SUV and E because it is E-Class sized.

Above the GLE the current GL will soon become the GLS (S-Class equivalent), while below it are the GLC and GLA. The G-wagen is somewhere off in a world of its own.

So the GLE Coupe sits on the same 2915mm wheelbase as the GLE but adds a tiny bit more length and a bit more width – taking it to a mammoth 2003mm -- while dropping roof height and luggage capacity because of its sloping roof.

There are three GLE Coupes coming to Australia in September – the ‘entry-level’ $121,900 350d turbo-diesel, the $141,900 AMG 450 Sport and the full-bore $198,900 GLE 63 S, with its 5.5-litre 430kW V8 biturbo engine.

The GLE Coupe’s safety kit includes nine airbags, Collision Prevention Assist Plus, Distronic Plus with Steering Assist and Stop & Go Pilot, Pre-Safe Brake, Pre-Safe Plus, Crosswind Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, an Active Bonnet and an LED Intelligent Light System with Adaptive High Beam Assist Plus.

Standard GLE Coupe equipment includes AMG body styling, Dynamic Select transmission modes, 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive, Airmatic air suspension, 21-inch AMG wheels, COMAND navigation, an Easy-Pack automatic power tailgate, Harman Kardon 14-speaker surround-sound system, Nappa leather upholstery and heated and electronically adjustable AMG Line sports front seats.

In addition the 450 gets a panoramic sliding sunroof, AMG Line Nappa leather upholstery, 22-inch AMG Wheels, Active Curve System with anti-roll stabilisation and an Anti-Theft protection package.

The GLE 63 S Coupe also includes an AMG driver’s package, AMG performance exhaust, Air-Balance package, digital TV tuner and heated and ventilated multi-contour luxury front seats in exclusive AMG Nappa leather.

Mercedes-Benz Australia thinks the petrol models will be the biggest sellers because of the sporting pitch (both roof and marketing) of the range and the buyers who will therefore be attracted to it.

So if that proves to be true then it’s logical to think the GLE 450 AMG will be the biggest seller.

This is the first model from the new AMG Sport line that was confirmed early this year – think of it as a director competitor to Audi S Line and BMW M Performance. AMG Sport models have strong input into their driveline and chassis tuning by AMG, but no assembly takes place at the Affalterbach hot-shop’s headquarters.

We have sampled one other AMG Sport model and that is the C 450 AMG, which we found to be a really rewarding and enjoyable car to drive.

The GLE version shares the same engine and rear-biased 4MATIC all-wheel drive system with the C, but trades that car’s seven-speed auto in for the new nine-speeder.

It rides a lot higher and therefore has a higher centre of gravity, so it can’t deliver the same level of compelling handling and grip, despite the assistance of adaptive dampers and air springs managed by the multi-mode Dynamic Select mode, as well as what Benz calls Active Curve roll stabilisation, which keeps the body flatter in corners.

Nor could the ride be called truly comfortable even in the most compliant Comfort mode, not when the 450 Coupe weighs more than 2200kg and rides on 22-inch wheels measuring up 225/45 at the front and an incredible 315/40 at the rear. The tyres almost dwarf the body!

The weight also impacts on engine performance. What was zesty and strong in the C 450 feels decent here, still capable of pushing on but lacking the rawer edge of the lighter car. At least the barking V6 audio is retained, overlayed by a raucous crackle-bang in Sport+ mode.

If you really want unstoppable force then step up to the GLC 63 S, which we sampled briefly. This is the last ‘all-new’ car that AMG's twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 will be used in, so it is a bit special. And so is the performance. Slam you in your seat performance in a vehicle this big and heavy really is an achievement.

But overall the 450 is a better balanced package and – all in all – pretty good for an SUV.

Inside the GLE Coupe is more spacious than you might expect. Even the rear seats offer decent headroom as well knee and elbow room for a couple of full-sized passengers in the rear.

Up front, however, entry and exit is compromised by the lower roofline. I caught my shoulder on the door opening and a colleague whacked his head! Fashion over function there.

Once inside, the look is unsurprisingly shared with the mainstream GLE and is an combination of old and new; there is now a tablet-style media screen at the top of the centre stack (still not a touch-screen), controlled by the COMAND dial and finger pad in the centre console. The Dynamic Select dial also resides here and looks very much like a parts bin item.

But the twin-tube instrumentation and the audio and air-con controls all look and feel familiar. It’s certainly a nice looking cabin, finished in leather with carbon-fibre trimming. The front seats are big and comfy.

As mentioned previously, storage does take a hit. The claim is 650 litres with the rear seats up and 1720 litres with them folded, while the GLE claims 690 and 2010 litres respectively. Unsurprisingly, there is no sign of a spare tyre in the boot of the GLE Coupe. Another weird omission is overhead grabs for outboard passengers.

But surely such inconveniences aren’t the point of the GLE Coupe. Love it or hate it, it’s all about the look. We’ll let you make up your own mind about that.

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 AMG Coupe pricing and specifications:
Price: $141,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engines: 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6
Outputs: 270kW/520Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.9-9.4L/100km (NEDC)
CO2: 209-219g/km (NEDC)
Safety rating: Not tested

Also consider:
>> BMW X6 (from $115,400)