Mercedes-Benz GLE coupe test drive
New engines, a spacious interior, sensors and three touchpads - we check in the Tyrolean mountains how much the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe has changed and what new it can offer to aesthetic customers
Austrian Innsbruck is a great place not only to test your vestibular apparatus on mountain serpentines. Here you can make sure of the off-road qualities of the second generation GLE Coupe, but you don't want to do it at all. The car fascinates with the beauty and quality of the finish, so you want to drive it sedately and with pleasure.
Instead, you have to read the dry pages of the technical presentation, from which it follows that the overall length of the car in comparison with its predecessor has grown by almost 39 mm, and the width has increased by an insignificant 7 mm. The wheelbase was added another 20 mm, but it still turned out to be 60 mm shorter than the standard new generation GLE.
In addition, the engineers improved the aerodynamics of the car with the same frontal surface area, reduced the air resistance coefficient by 9% compared to the previous version. The models received new diesel engines and a slightly more spacious interior, and the total volume of storage compartments increased to 40 liters.
These dry numbers sound like an obligatory prelude to impressions that are difficult to express in words. The main one is the beautiful sloping roofline, which gives the crossover a more coupé-like feel. And also - a wide curvature of the sidewall under the C-pillar, which captures the area around the taillight. According to the brand's designers, this element gives the coupe the look of a beast ready to jump.
The new GLE Coupe can also be distinguished from the first generation thanks to a more prominent grille, upgraded LED headlights and narrower taillights. According to the Mercedes tradition, there are different options. While the radiator grille of the standard coupé versions resembles a scattering of stones, the AMG versions received a more massive version with 15 vertical chrome sipes.
The headlights are fully LED even in the base. Optionally, like the conventional GLE, the front optics are endowed with matrix intelligence: they can analyze the traffic situation, as well as follow the vehicles and pedestrians ahead. The range of the light beam reaches 650 m, which is impressive at night. And if snow is sweeping right into your head, this optics allows you to consider every snowflake.
The trunk of the coupe was already rather big, but now it has a whopping 665 liters, and the folding and removable curtain is fixed with magnets. And if you fold the rear row of seats, up to 1790 liters are already freed - 70 more than its predecessor, and more than competitors. The wheel rims range in size from 19 to 22 inches.
The interior of the coupe almost completely repeats the interior space of a conventional GLE. The dashboard and doors are upholstered in leather and adorned with wood accents, but the coupé will initially rely on sports seats and a new steering wheel. There are also impressive illuminated handrails as a reminder of off-road ability.
AMG versions have been made even more elegant - they differ with nameplates, suede trim and special stitching of materials. Landing is thought out to the smallest detail, and you can customize the controls and the driver's seat not just individually, but almost perfectly - the steering wheel and seat automatically adjust to the driver's height. To do this, just specify the desired number in the main screen menu. Fortunately, the interface is familiar here - the car has an MBUX infotainment complex with two 12,3-inch screens and a voice control function.
In static conditions, the car seems to be a real Klondike for those who like to play with touchpads and sensors, but in motion all this touch control no longer seems very convenient. The touchpads and buttons on the steering wheel are sensitive, and if the car is in motion, you can easily press something and readjust with your hands. The touchpad on the steering wheel on the left controls the driver's tidy, and you can crawl through the center screen menu on the steering wheel, on the screen itself, and through the large touchpad on the panel between the seats.
The crossover coupe is equipped with 4Matic all-wheel drive and a spring suspension with stiffer settings by default. An optional air suspension is offered, and also with a sporty bias. But on the other hand, it maintains the same level of the body, regardless of the degree of load of the car and adjusts to the road surface.
It doesn't hurt to pair it with the very impressive E-Active Body Control system, which is able not only to individually adjust the spring rate and shock absorber force, but also to deal with body roll, pecking and swaying. Moreover, the system is able to rock the car itself, if it is necessary in order to get out of the snow or sand. It turns out a kind of series of jumps, synchronized with the longitudinal movements of the car, as if the car were pushed by several people.
In total, the GLE Coupe has seven driving modes: Slippery, Comfort, Sport, Sport +, Individual, Ground / Track and Sand. In sport modes, the ride height is always reduced by 15 mm. The car will lower by the same amount in Comfort mode when the speed reaches 120 km per hour. On bad roads, the ground clearance can be increased by a button while driving by as much as 55 mm. But only if the speed does not exceed 70 km per hour.
Serpentines are not the best places for a heavy SUV with good ground clearance, even with the unique suspension. And it's not even that the comfortable GLE Coupe with any of the suspensions seeks to rock passengers. There is absolutely nowhere to accelerate, although I really want to drive such a car.
GLE AMG 53 version with 435 hp engine. with., an instant set of speed and light shifting of the 9-speed gearbox mumbles sadly with each set of gas after exiting a turn and very much asks for a smooth, clean road. The diesel version of the coupe looks much more harmonious here - albeit not so elegant, but more sedate and predictable in the mountain suburbs.
It is clear that the electronics will hedge the driver, because the GLE Coupe is equipped with a whole range of collision avoidance systems. There is also a system for maintaining a safe distance with speed control according to the data of the navigation system and road signs. In fact, the coupe can drive almost autonomously along the markings, independently accelerating along the signs and slowing down before corners and traffic jams. And in the traffic jam itself, it stops and resumes movement if no more than one minute has passed since the stop.
Mercedes-Benz GLE will arrive in Russia in June. Sales of the 350D and 400D versions with two new 249 hp diesel engines will begin first. with. and 330 horsepower. Petrol versions will arrive in July. GLE 450 with 367 hp was announced. with. and two "charged" versions of the AMG 53 and 63 S. In both cases, the three-liter petrol "six" works together with a 22-horsepower starter-generator, powered by a 48-volt on-board electrical system. The return of the junior AMG version is 435 hp. sec., and he gains the first hundred in 5,3 seconds.
The prices for the car will be announced only at the beginning of next year, so for now it is possible to focus only on the cost of competitors. For example, the BMW X6 coupe-crossover with a 249 hp diesel engine. with. costs 71 dollars. An Audi Q000 with a similar powertrain will cost at least $ 8. Therefore, the price tag is less than 65 yew. wait is not worth it. With this symbiosis of technical innovation, style, comfort and off-road prowess, marketers in the three-spoke star office can demand more.
| A type | Crossover | Crossover |
| dimensions (length, width, height), mm | 4939/2010/1730 | 4939/2010/1730 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2935 | 2935 |
| Curb weight, kg | 2295 | 2295 |
| Cargo space, l | 655 – 1790 Feet | 655 – 1790 Feet |
| engine's type | Diesel, R6, turbo | Gasoline, R6, turbo |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 2925 | 2999 |
| Power, l. with. at rpm | 330 / 3600-4200 | 435/6100 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm | 700 / 1200-3200 | 520 / 1800-5800 |
| Transmission, drive | AKP9, full | AKP9, full |
| Max. speed km / h | 240 | 250 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h, s | 5,7 | 5,3 |
| Fuel consumption (sms. cycle), l | 6,9-7,4 | 9,3 |
