MUNICH, GERMANY: The international launch of the Mercedes-Benz GLE450 AMG Coupé is a case of two firsts as the Stuttgart-based luxury car maker introduces a package that not only takes the fight to BMW’s X6 but also marks a new bridging point between the firm’s standard models and its fire-breathing AMG wares.
We took a drive through Bavaria encompassing both Autobahns and sinuous country roads to see whether this peculiar newcomer lives up to these challenging provisos.
So, what is it?
Underpinned by a lightly modified version of the GLE (formerly ML-Class) platform, the GLE Coupé is, according to Mercedes-Benz, an amalgam of SUV and sports sedan capable of luring those undecided between the two genres.
Think of it as Mercedes’ tilt at the oddball, but surprisingly well received, BMW X6.
Although the X6’s recent facelift has toned down its styling to some degree, it’s still an imposing car that garners plenty of attention. In the metal the GLE Coupé doesn’t have quite the same bluff-sided brashness as its Bavarian rival, but its bizarre mixture of sportscar rump, replete with AMG GT-inspired brakelamps, gently arcing roofline and deep flanks into which are cut enormous wheel arches occupied by 21-inch AMG rims is challenging; flitting between elegant and audacious, and that’s not a bad thing.
And it’s this latter blend that Mercedes hopes to encapsulate with its newly formed AMG sports tier.
Bridging the AMG gap
Much in the way that Audi’s S and BMW’s M Performance lines span the gap between a manufacturer’s standard models and speedier wares, the AMG sport treatment sees a series of styling and drivetrain filter down from its full-fat AMG models into a portfolio that offers buyers an entry point to the AMG sphere.
To this end the GLE450 AMG Coupé ushers in such exterior cosmetic touches as sportier front/side/rear valances, modified exhaust ports, those 21-inch rims and subtle AMG badging on the flanks to differentiate it from its more powerful brethren.
Inside, the AMG sports treatment includes sports seats and a 3-spoke sports steering wheel, aluminium pedal boots and a carbon-fibre/piano black trim combination.
It looks suitably sporty, but does the drive match up with those AMG-lite expectations?
Is it a slice of the AMG life?
That’s a difficult question. The styling and nomenclature certainly give a strong nod to the Affalterbach brand.
Things are also positive on the dynamic front thanks to the GLE450 AMG Coupé inheriting much of its suspension and steering componentry from the 63 AMG model.
Considering the near-two-tonne frame with which it has to battle, the suspension did an impressive job of containing body roll under all but the speediest sections of the Bavarian foothills on the launch route and allowed you to exploit the all-wheel drivetrain’s grip with more confidence than you would in most SUVs.
We’ve noticed in a number of AMG models of late, the ride is more forgiving than you’d imagine and the GLE450 is no exception.
The steering has that slight artificiality around dead-centre that’s the upshot of an electrically assisted setup, but there is a good range of speed adjustment for the rack that’s overseen by what’s perhaps one of the GLE Coupé’s core features.
The Dynamic Select system serves up a series of drivetrain and suspension defaults, tweaking such parameters as gearshift patterns, adaptive damper settings and the speed/sensitivity of the steering rack. In addition to the presets there’s also an individual setting that allows you to tailor the aforementioned settings.
But it’s the 9-speed automatic transmission that’s the big deal here. Having experienced Mercedes’ occasionally shunty 7-speed unit and a ZF 9-speeder that in some other manufacturers’ applications tended to hurry you into higher ratios in the name of fuel efficiency, the Mercedes 9-speeder is thoroughly impressive.
Shifts are smooth and the software never sees the shift pattern aimlessly wandering around the ratios.
It’s all very much AMG so far, but a concession has to be made somewhere to differentiate this AMG sports model.
Although Mercedes’ recently released twin-turbo V6 has seen its outputs rise from 245 kW/480 N.m in the SL400 to 270 kW/520 N.m in this application, it’s obviously nowhere near troubling its V8 S cousin’s volcanic 430 kW and 760 N.m.
But it’s an understandable concession, and those going the AMG sports route won’t feel hard done by. It pulls strongly in the mid-to-low rev band, while an aggressive approach unearths a smile-inducing hollow-chested snarl under acceleration and a series of percussive, snare drum-like reports from the exhaust accompanying upshifts.
Overall
With a combination of striking styling and dynamics that are impressively composed for a car of its ilk, the GLE450 AMG Coupé will likely receive a warm reception when it arrives here in October. There might be some snobbery directed at its AMG sports label, but as an entry point to Mercedes’ performance offerings it manages to give a taste of what the AMG brand is all about and when this label is attached to a number of upcoming models, will plug the gap between the standard and halo performance models that’s been glaringly absent for some time.
