There’s no rule saying you must haul lumber or help your friends move just because you bought a pickup truck. A lease on a 4×4 doesn’t include a clause requiring dirt to be splattered on the fender. Similarly, wanting an SUV can be about something other than needing room for car seats and soccer practice carpools.
While most SUVs cater to that family-friendly market, a select few provide a more diverse appeal, like the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe. This high-performing sports utility vehicle proves that one doesn’t need to file for dependents to enjoy what this slick back SUV has to offer.
Designing an SUV starts with a primary objective: to provide better ground clearance than a sedan. Once that detail is satisfied, designers and engineers can work within the parameters and create an SUV designated for speed, all-terrain, utility, economy, or a cocktail mix of all the above.
The 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe is an SUV with a specific identity. While it can haul up to five passengers in leg-roaming comfort and tow up to 7,700 pounds, it doesn’t look like a typical SUV. Its pomade slicked back roofline, 22-inch wheels, AMG badge and Coupe designation make it an oddity that stirs curiosity with its styling charm.
Mercedes-AMG gave the GLE 53 a host of upgrades and redesigns inside and out to create a complete package for the consumer. The space of an SUV, a sports car’s performance, the luxury sedan’s interior, and the all-wheel drive supported ground clearance to instill confidence in mud, sand, or rain.
A New Look and Tech for 2024 GLE 53 Coupe
Styling updates for the 2024 model year include a new face with redesigned LED headlamps, taillights, and new jet-wing-inspired side air intakes. Additionally, AMG introduced new exterior colors to the GLE lineup, like the Twilight Blue Metallic exterior color shown, which caught the eye of other Mercedes drivers in their gunmetal gray and black SUVs, which looked dull by comparison.
Tech updates include the latest flat-bottom AMG Performance steering wheel featuring touch-sensitive controls and round dials to control the AMG Drive Unit to select the drive mode, active exhaust setting, and ride height.
Inside, new interior trims like the Brown Linden Wood shown were introduced to the GLE 53 Coupe. Tech updates include the latest flat-bottom AMG Performance steering wheel featuring touch-sensitive controls and round dials to control the AMG Drive Unit to select the drive mode, active exhaust setting, and ride height. This steering wheel features a two-tone leather and Alcantara texture, which amps up the premium aesthetic but can feel odd when sliding your hands across the wheel.
New standard features include the MBUX Augmented Reality for Navigation. When using the vehicle’s GPS, the center screen projects the front-facing camera with digital arrows and graphics appearing in real time to literally point the way for you. In addition to a heads-up display. Plus, two-tone hand-fitted Nappa leather seats with massage features for the driver and passenger.
AMG-Tuned Turbo Straight Six
An AMG-tuned 3.0-liter straight-six engine armed with a turbocharger and 48-volt hybrid assist system is backing up the SUV’s streamlined good looks. The inline six banger produces a commendable 429 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. Mated to a 9-speed AMG Speed Shift automatic transmission, the GLE 53 Coupe sprints from a dead stop to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds.
The higher spec GLE 63 S takes it up a notch with a BiTurbo AMG 4.0-liter V8, making 603 hp and 627 lb.-ft of torque, which I can only imagine is like pouring gravy over an already satisfying meal.
This type of sensational acceleration can make you want your state representative to campaign for higher speed limits.
Seconds on a stopwatch aren’t what makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up in this performance SUV. The thrill comes from the bolt-action engagement throwing you back in your seat with each gear change and the acapella sound of six smooth cylinders harmonizing with a whirling turbocharger. This type of sensational acceleration can make you want your state representative to campaign for higher speed limits.
Premium Efficiency with Brawn to Match
On the topic of highways, the road test involved driving the GLE 53 Coupe from College Station to San Antonio, Texas, covering roughly 200 miles. During this drive on 65-70 mph two-lane highways passing through several small towns with speed trap-driven economies, I averaged 27 mpg.
Of course, that mileage averaged down to 21 mpg throughout the road test, which involved city and interstate driving. Nevertheless, averaging over 20 mpg on a performance-tuned vehicle weighing over 5,000 pounds is still worthy of praise.
During a moment of impulse, I decided to go puddle jumping in the GLE 53 Coupe and get some earth on the spotless AMG wheels. Oddly enough, the swanky SUV took the undignified treatment in stride and still looked good playing in the mud.
The Single’s Life SUV
The Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe is a jack-of-all-trades SUV. It’s fast and quick, spacious, comfortable, has decent fuel economy, and isn’t afraid to raise its suspension when the road gets rough. More importantly, this SUV doesn’t hammer in the parental agenda.
It’s a large sports utility vehicle that could be a family hauler or not. It gives you the choice, with style. That alone lives up to the AMG luxury brand because being provided options is one of the highest forms of luxury.
If I had anything negative to say about this vehicle, it’s that I can’t afford one – yet.
Engine: 3.0-liter Turbocharged Straight-Six
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Max Power: 429 hp
Max Torque: 413 lb.-ft