Mercedes Benz GLE53 AMG 4Matic+Review: Going fast, in an SUV sort of way | PitstopWeekly

Photos: Karthik Nair & Hariprasad

Vehicle Courtesy: Sundaram Motors Coimbatore: 93848 35364, Sundaram Motors Madurai: 98409 65234

We all are really greedy. Aren’t we? We want more of everything. More food, more money, more cars, more power, more followers, more style etc . . . But unfortunately we can’t have everything together. You need to compromise on something if you want the other. In the case of cars, if you want more power and style, you will need to go for a sports car; there you will need to compromise on space and comfort. Well, something or the other is always a miss and that’s known. Thinking about breaking the barriers and wrapping everything under one package, manufacturers came up with the idea of Coupe SUVs. The boffins from Affalterbach worked on the Coupe SUVs and made it even more special by adding the AMG badge to it. Allow me to introduce the Mercedes AMG GLE53 4Matic+ Coupe – according to me; this is the only car you will ever need!

Because it’s got style & character!

Talking about style and character, I will literally run out of words here. Just look at the massive GLE. Pictures doesn’t do enough justice for the way this car looks in flesh.

It is massive. Turns head wherever you go! With the massive ‘Panamericana’ grille the GLE is larger than its predecessor, and comes with shorter wheelbase. It gets lots of AMG cues as well compared to the regular GLE and the car you see here is the GLE53 with the AMG Night Package.

It offers a host of elements like the front splitter, side mirrors along with other few elements painted in gloss black and the quad pipe AMG exhausts with two black chrome-plated twin tailpipe trim elements look great. No matter what, this is surely a head turner with immeasurable attention to detail. You get AMG badges, massive 21-inch AMG wheels, red brake calipers and a biturbo badging on the side as well.

Interiors are plush & comfortable

It isn’t how I thought it would be. The massive size of the car makes the interiors really spacious. I would like to call it a proper 5-seater even though nobody would use an AMG that way. The seats are plush and comfortable enough for long journeys.

Proper headroom and amazing legroom is available even at the rear. The width of the car really helps to add the roominess inside. On top you get the panoramic sunroof which makes the interiors even more special. Did I mention about the ambient lighting? At night, it feels really special! You get AMG badging on the seats and the steering wheel looks so damn good with all the chrome and nappa leather finishing. It feels so good to hold as well.

The interior gets two options; two-tone Truffle Brown / Black & two-tone black, both of them are quite easy to maintain.

Loaded with all the tech you will ever need!

Ask for it and the GLE53 will have it inside. So much tech on the inside I swear! The GLE53 gets dual 12.3-inch displays for the infotainment and instrument cluster, with both running Mercedes’s latest MBUX software. The dashboard is almost the same as that of the regular GLE, but here it feels even more special with all the added chrome and those sporty elements.

The list includes four-zone climate control, head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats with memory function, four-way lumbar support, wireless phone charger, a 13-speaker Burmester sound system, remote adjustment of the front passenger seat by the driver, 64-colour ambient lighting options, connected car tech with remote engine start, panoramic sunroof, 360 degree camera and a powered tailgate too. Take a closer look at the steering wheel with aluminum paddle shifters and you will notice the display switches for the drive and ESP modes which makes it look even more special.

435 horses under the hood to match your hooniganism

No, it is 457hp to be precise! Under the hood is the new 3.0-litre, in-line six-cylinder, twin-turbo direct-injected petrol, making 435hp! It also gets a 48V electrical EQ boost system that adds up to 22hp and a whopping 250Nm of torque to the already thunderous 520Nm.

The engine is mated to a 9-speed gearbox and gets a new 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system. The highlight is the sportier air suspension and adaptive dampers that get seven drive modes – Slippery, Comfort, Trail, Sand, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. You never feel a lack of power or a lack of that growl when you floor the throttle. This mammoth weighing over 2 tons is able to hit 100kmph in just 5.3 seconds which is quite unbelievable. Despite the massive size of the car, you can literally hit the corners at a very fast pace. The body roll is limited by the tech and the paddle shifters allow you to ignite your inner hooniganism. The exhaust setting can be changed through the touch of a button. If you want more growl, well that is possible! Even the ride height can be controlled by the touch of a button. For added stability, at over 120kmph, the GLE53 lowers itself further by 10mm. The GLE53 is a massive SUV which drives more like a sports car. The acceleration is insane, the thrills on offer are stupendous, the speed at which it can attack a corner is exciting and overall it feels special. Unfortunately it doesn’t get the one-man, one-engine philosophy, but still, the 6 cylinder under the hood takes care of the power management quite well. On the safety front, you get 9 airbags, advance brake assist and a blind spot monitoring system.

All the practicality in the World!

It drives like a sports car with all the practicality in the world! The GLE53 can be found crossing expressways at unbelievable speeds in sheer comfort at the same time.

The interiors are spacious and you enjoy spending time inside this GLE which makes it more of a practical sports coupe. 655 litres of boot space means it is good enough for your weekend getaways. The best part about the GLE53 is that it can be used as your daily-driver. At slow speeds, in Comfort mode, it behaves just like a normal GLE. All you have to keep in mind is the sheer size of the car when you drive it in city traffic. Apart from that, it has all the practicality in the world.

Sensible option than costlier rivals

It can be considered over the Audi Q8, Porsche Cayenne Coupe and the BMW X6. All these cars are massive in size. But the GLE53 is much more affordable. It offers style, character and an immense amount of practicality. In our terms, we would like to call this as ‘The Only Car You Will Ever Need’ because it is a tasteful blend of a sports car and an SUV with opulence to match that of a luxury limousine!