Just because they can

Some cars are built because they’re needed. Others because they’re wanted. However, we believe Mercedes built the mighty twin turbo V8 AMG GLE 63S just because it could, says John Oxley.

It was Britain’s Lord Acton, who, in 1887, noted: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. If he’d been around today, he might have been talking about a number of dictators in various parts of the world. Or he could have been taking a swing at the Mercedes-amg GLE 63 S Coupe… Certainly it’s easy to become addicted to the massive power and torque– 430kw and 760Nm – of this mighty beast, but it’s also about the fantastic road holding from permanent all-wheel drive and the huge grippy 22-inch tyres, 275mm wide at the front, and an obese 315mm at the back. Or the adjustable suspension that allows you to tighten everything up, and the Dynamic Select driving mode selector which changes the sound characteristics of the vehicle from humbly rumbly to loud and crackly, while simultaneously altering the reaction time of the driveline components depending on how you want to drive. Toss in styling that is, to say the least overtly aggressive, and standards of finish that reflect its $213,900 price tag (as tested including the Night Package option), and you can see why it would be easy to be corrupted by it all. We’ve already explained Merc’s new naming policy for its SUVS – GL means it’s an SUV, while the following letter, in this case E, denotes the platform it’s based on. So the GLE is an SUV based on the E-class platform. Easy enough. However, new to the Mercedes line-up is the SUV coupe, a segment first introduced into the premium market by BMW, although I think Ssangyong was actually first to market with the concept. There are three in the GLC range, the 350d which was reviewed last issue, the 450 which we’ll review later, and top-of-therange the 63S, which is ridiculously fast, big and boisterous, and in-your-face loud. If ever there was a vehicle designed to fulfil mid-life crisis, this is it! The secret is in those three letters, AMG. The engine is a 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 which cracks out its power and torque in a linear blast that gets to the speed limit from rest in just 4.2 seconds. To put it into perspective, that’s a mere 0.1 seconds slower than BMW’S latest turbo M3/M4. The difference is that this is a big vehicle, sitting high and planted solidly. Yet it despatches tight corners with ease. Apart from a superb all-wheel drive system and electronic aids, the V8 also has an adjustable ride height. So if you did want to venture off-road a bit, or get over a high kerb, you can raise the suspension by as much as 25mm with the touch of a button. Could save that expensive front spoiler, as it sits quite low at the normal ride height. Naturally the GLE V8 is packed with features, including a stitched leather Artico leather covering for the dashboard, plus a powered tailgate, and my favourite, cup holders in the centre console that you can either cool or heat at the touch of the same button. I’m not going to get into the alphabet soup of features and safety equipment, save to say that the V8 has got just about everything you could want, including a panoramic sunroof, Nappa leather upholstery, and an air-conditioned glovebox. It’s got an easy-to-follow sat-nav and phone system, controlled by a dial on the centre console, and the important controls, such as the mode selection, traction control, and suspension settings, are simple push buttons that you can easily use without having to delve into the computer electronics. And it’s got an adaptive cruise control system as well a heads-up display. There’s also a great Harmon Kardon 14-speaker surround sound system, voice recognition that works, and heated and ventilated (and electrically adjusted, with three memories) front seats. As far as fuel economy goes, well, we did get it down to 13.5L/100km on a trip, but even a short plant of the right foot easily upsets this. The good news is it has a 93 litre fuel tank, and a tow rating of more than three tonnes. Oh, and if you still have some Green genes left after driving it, it has air ionisation…