GLE or X6?

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The Mercedes GLE, slap bang in between the GLC and GLS, the conventional Mercedes SUV trio…and not only that, this is the GLE53, which finds itself in the middle of the GLE range itself…so let’s see if this is a true Goldilocks SUV

When this car came out for this generation a couple years ago I really like it

I thought it looked good, it had a great spacious interior, but the 350 with the turbo 4 banger didn’t exactly make my heart sing

This though…this fixed that

The GLE, in 53 form packs the most powerful 6 cylinder you can get. 429 hp and 384 lbft is what results from 3 liters of explosions arranged in a straight line. That’s of course with the aid of a turbocharger, but the fun doesn’t stop there

A 3 liter inline 6 turbo sounds pedestrian by todays standards and not befitting of something wearing the most successful 3 letters in F1 over the past decade

What happens, in addition to the 3.0 i6T is mercedes EQ boost 48V mild hybrid system which takes some strain off the engine to run certain electronics

But we’re still not done, there’s also an electric supercharger thrown in the mix just to be sure

All that power coming from all those places are somehow magically routed through AMG’s 9 speed, SPEEDSHIFT transmission and to all 4 wheels via the clever 4MATIC+ system. The net result, 0-60 in just about 5 seconds in my testing

Yes, hp and 0-60 are the things that sell cars today

Especially when those cars say AMG all over them

The thigh that I love about AMGs is the drama and usually when I say that I’m referring to the thumping V8 under the hood making all sorts of racket

But here, with the spun up 6, there are 9 things that take center stage

And I can control every one of them with my finger tips on either side of the wheel

If you’ve been following along you’ll know how fond I am of the 9 speed in these AMG and AMG light cars. The shifts are so crisp and the sounds it gives you. However we need to talk about the ride…Behind the wheel of this thing it feels like you’re riding on air..

And that’s because you are!

You’ve got AMG air suspension whichwill tighten up and adjust your rebound rates in sport and sport plus

And from there you have a really tight and disciplined feeling chassis

HOWEVER

You can just as easily dial it back into confort and smooth off the rough edges

And when eased back into comfort mode the car settles down and settles in to accommodate any sort of journey in the luxury, quietness, and refinement that you’d expect from that star…now let’s step outside..

Full LED lighting
Panamericana grille
Powerdome hood
Lower fascia very similar across AMGs
Air suspension
Upgraded forged wheels
Staggered tire width?
Upgraded AMG brakes
Wider fender flares
Front &rear
Turbo badge - biturbo for 63s
Classic melting chrome door handle
LED taillights are cool, chrome connector
Quad tips, not squared off
Rear diffuser
7700 lbs towing

Design
Posh meets rugged, but not the G wagon
Thought the design is very similar to the g wagon
Dual 12.3 screens
Dual grab handles trimed in ambient light
AMG wheel - love
Physical climate knobs

Materials
mention*

Tech
MBUX
Track pace option
Telemetry
360 cameras
Burmester audio
Car play (wireless)
HUD
Distronic

Comfort/luxury
Heated and cooled seats
Massage?
Heated and cooled cupholders
Pano roof

Space
You can get 3 rows in the GLE - don’t
2nd row is fantastic
More thna Q5, more tha X5
Rear climate, rear charging
Trunk is great without 3rd row so again…dont get 3 row