When iconic German manufacturers lock horns you can be sure of a battle extraordinaire where prestige and mind blowing performance are the chosen weapons of engagement.
That’s why the launch of the deliciously intimidating Mercedes AMG GLE 63 S Coupe is to be welcomed with open arms, because this awesome looking beast has a particular prey in mind – the BMW X6M which is part of the sporty German SUV aristrocracy and will take some beating.
The GLE has replaced the ML as part of a Mercedes rebranding exercise. There is a conventional model which looks like the old ML, but the coupe is a completely new venture and one look at it tells you it is clearly out to take on its German rival and it won’t be pulling any punches.
It looks like the X6, but that magnificent front with the massive grille, the biggest Mercedes Star I have ever seen and the two huge air intakes with carbon fibre ‘air wing’ on the front apron and its almost sly looking LED headlights with ‘eyebrow’ daytime running lights give it a really imposing persona.
The side view is sleek with its sloping coupe roof and aluminium-look side skirts and the back, with its wraparound rear lights and subtle spoiler is pure muscle with those magnificent AMG double exhaust pipes integrated into the rear diffuser.
The whole look of confident aggression is set off by the fabulous 22-inch AMG cross-spoke light-alloy wheels.
Now, I may salivate at the way this machine looks but I have to admit that the shape of both this car and the BMW X6M, its main rival, although the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Range Rover Sport SVR and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT are also on its hit-list, is not everyone’s cup of tea. I have never really warmed to the shape of the X6 and indeed, my wife, who can be a bit picky when it comes to cars, described this Mercedes as a jelly-mould car – cruel to say the least.
However, her mood soon changed when she got into what is a magnificently understated but super-luxurious interior with exclusive nappa perforated white leather seats with the AMG logo embossed on the headrests, carbon fibre and AMG porcelain and black piano lacquer trim. The leather-wrapped flat-bottomed steering wheel which has microfibre in the grip areas to make sure you hands don’t slip during high-speed cornering – and you will do plenty of that in this beast – is chunky and comfortable to use and the instrument cluster is cutting edge, yet classic Mercedes.
As in all modern Mercs the infotainment system has an iPad-like screen on the front dash and this one looks slightly more integrated than some of them which look like they have been stuck on as a last minute afterthought. There is a touchpad control system on the centre console which looks very cool but takes a little bit of getting used to.
The cabin is without any doubt one of the most prestigious and comfortable in its sector but it is what lies beneath that gorgeous power-domed bonnet that makes this SUV truly extraordinary – the 5.5-litre twin turbo V8 with 585bhp, torque of 760nm and a deep, growling AMG soundtrack which you will never get tired of hearing.
You can drive this GLE Coupe in five modes found on the select dial on the centre console; Individual where you set it up to suite your style, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and the redundant Snow. Sport+ was my chosen mode and with this set-up, which makes everything more rigid and agile, the noise that comes from the exhausts when you lift off or rev up is something to be savoured as it pops and crackles. But it is the power of this engine and the way it flings what is a heavy piece of kit down the road that will blow you away.
It puts that large helping of horse power down to the all wheel drive system via an excellent seven-speed auto. There are paddle shifts but the auto is so sporty you don’t really need them. This vehicle has a 0-100kmh time of 4.2 seconds and hurtles its way to a top speed of around 280kmh with that sonorous AMG engine note providing an orchestral backdrop.
The handling is exciting and smooth with air suspension, adaptive damping and active anti-roll bars and with so much power on tap the drive is full-on entertainment, although it is fair to say that you do feel the weight of this car, if you throw it into corners.
Personally, I think it is better than the X6 but others may not agree because the BMW is also mightily impressive. This Merc fulfils all the expectations that come with AMG although some utility has been sacrificed in the name of sporty performance. However, there is plenty of room in the cabin for rear passengers, despite the sloping roof, and the boot is large enough for two sets of golf clubs and, at the end of the day, it’s the performance that is going to sell this beauty, and that alone is worth paying for.
