Road test: Mild versus wild Mercedes-Benz GLE 450d and GLE AMG 63
The Mercedes-Benz GLE is one of the brand’s best-selling models. Matthew Hansen finds out why.
First hatched in the late 1990s, the Mercedes-Benz M-Class was a handsome but ultimately maligned entry to the genre. It became something of a poster child for a dark time in the three-pointed star’s history, earning the not so enviable ‘Alabama Trashcan’ nickname in the United States … the market it was designed to conquer.
Fast forward more than 20 years, and it feels like the story arc for MercedesBenz’s mid-size SUV has more or less been resolved. Renamed the GLE, the model has established itself as a sales staple in the brand’s line-up, outsold only by its GLC cousin last year. Having driven two different GLEs in the recent past – the 450d and the unhinged AMG 63 S – I can see why.
Mercedes is in the midst of a grand SUV facelift rollout. Last year it was the GLC, this year it’s the turn of the GLB (the funky oddball 7-seater one), the GLS (the enormous mob-boss-looking one), the G-Class (the military/Kardashian one) and the GLE. As far as the visuals go, the GLE’s update is a minor one. New front and rear bumpers, new headlights, and a slightly different grille all appear. But familiar proportions remain.
It might not hit the same Hollywood highs, but the 450d 4Matic is the model that probably matters more in the grand scheme of the GLE universe. Priced from $174,900, it sits at the top end of the nonAMG GLE range as a new local flagship (we previously only got the 300d and 400d, with the latter to be dropped from the range).
Prices have been given a fairly significant bump across the board, too. Where the GLE was priced from $128,200 in 2019 and in more recent times from $140,400, it now starts at $159,900 drive away. There is also a selection of GLE coupe variants, which are curiously cheaper at the 450d level ($171,900), but slightly more expensive when it comes to the AMGs.
With New Zealand not getting the petrol-powered 400e plug-in hybrid (not yet, anyway), it means the local GLE lineup is a diesel mild-hybrid lock-out, outside of the spiffy and expensive AMG offerings. Whilst the base models get a 2.0-litre turbodiesel inline four, the 450d gets a more characterful 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel inline six, sending a very capable 270kW/750Nm to all four wheels via the 9G-Tronic automatic. All diesels come with a 48V EQ mild-hybrid system, aiding fuel consumption and power delivery – the latter inclusive of a brief 15kW/200Nm electric power boost at the touch of a button.
The 450d feels suitably like a flagship, 170-odd-grand SUV offering. Long, long gone are the complaints about lack of build quality in the M-Class. As with its immediate predecessor, the GLE facelift looks and feels fantastic inside. It’s more roomy than you might expect, with a surprisingly accessible third row of seats and oodles of leg and knee room in the second. Note that the third row of seats are a $3,900 optional extra.
The GLE does not inherit Mercedes’ new more flowing dashboard aesthetic as seen in the GLC and EQE, but to be honest I prefer the look and feel of this previousgeneration arrangement anyway. The surfaces feel a touch more plush, with less focus on piano black plastics. Standard kit now includes a 13-speaker 590kW Burmester sound system, wireless phone charging, parking assist, panoramic sunroof and augmented reality satnav – atop the now familiar dual 12.3-inch screens. Notes of complaint are few and far between when it comes to sitting in the GLE. The controls for erecting and accessing the third row can be a little fiddly, and the MBUX ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice control in our model seemed especially sensitive, often interrupting our morning commute singalong.
The 450d’s driving experience is largely what you would expect. This is a heavy, tall vehicle, and as such its driving abilities are limited to what the laws of physics can allow.
The inline six is a respectable performer off the mark, with an unmistakable 6-cylinder exhaust note when you’re leaning into it. It’s inevitably quiet and refined when you’re just bumbling around town, too, with only its choppy diesel start-up sound spoiling an otherwise serene user experience.
If you want to go around corners in a hurry, however, the 450d isn’t the tool for the job. It performs amicably, but there’s plenty of lurching and rolling. This is where we introduce its evil twin, the $254,900 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S.
Apart from looking suitably more sinister than the 450d (note the bigger wheels, the bright red brake callipers poking out from behind them, ‘Panamericana’ grille, and more hunkered down stance), the AMG’s main attraction is the added performance – led by AMG’s signature 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 developing a rowdy 450kW/850Nm. It also absolutely chews through petrol. We regularly saw around 15–20L/100km.
It’s a rousing, shouting, whirlwind of a powertrain that gives the GLE platform proper AMG character. The sprint to 100kph is over in just 3.8 seconds, making this just as quick off the mark as a Ferrari F50.
Of course, there are more relevant points of comparison out there than some supercar from the 1990s. The likes of the Porsche Cayenne GT Turbo, Lamborghini Urus, and Aston Martin DBX all seem like reasonably direct competitors. But they’re all actually quite a lot pricier than the GLE. BMW’s X7 M60i is a tighter fit on a dollars basis.
I’d say that the GLE sits somewhere between the larger, more luxury-orientated X7 and the fully beefed Cayenne. Its active-damping ‘Airmatic’ strikes a much more supple and livable balance than that of the Porsche, whilst its gearing, grip, and roaring exhaust note makes it much more capable than the BMW. Its mixture of ferocity and approachability make the GLE 63 a proper Goldilocks pick amongst its peers.