RAGING SUV that also rubs your back
The Mercedes-amg GLE 63 S wraps hybrid technology up in a twin-turbo V8 package
The Mercedes-amg GLE 63 S must be one of the wildest SUVS on the road. It’s got that twin-turbo V8 engine that we just love — in fact I think it’s got to be one of the best engines on the block.
But the thing about this one is that it’s also got an electric motor. So let’s talk numbers: first and foremost it’s got 450kw, and on top of that 850Nm. But then you’ve got the electric motor, which has 250Nm and 16kw — which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a magic number because what it means is that it might keep this V8 engine on the road for much longer.
Here’s what the electric engine does: it supports the car, so if you’re just cruising along it might just use the electric motor, but it can also give you a little boost off the line by combining petrol and electric power. This is an SUV that weighs 2.5 tonnes, but it’ll accelerate to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds.
I love the gearbox in this car. We’re all lovers of manuals, but we know the world is moving to automatics. The Mercedesamg nine-speed doesn’t have a torque converter and I don’t really know what that means, but I do know that every time you grab a gear it’s just there and it feels really mechanical. It’s so sharp and it just feels right.
The dash looks amazing, especially at night. There’s a control on the steering wheel that allows you to change modes: I tend to go for Comfort but make sure the exhaust is set to noisy. Because it’d be a shame to waste it, wouldn’t it?
Comfort in general is a highlight of this car. You can set the seat to heat and massage you, for example. But the heating function can warm a lot of areas around the car that you touch, like the doors or centre console.
This is one of the cars that excites the most right now. It comes in a couple of forms: there’s the 4WD SUV shape and this one, which is the coupe. I prefer the SUV shape: it looks better and the blind spots in the coupe make it a bit like a cave.
But Mercedes-amg has nailed this SUV. It’s $241k but look at what you get: it’s an angry beast, it’s V8, it’s turbocharged, it’s got an electric motor, it’s refined . . . and it rubs my back.