After a couple of soft teasers, Mercedes-Benz has finally unveiled
the car which is designed to tackle the BMW X6 - the GLE Coupe.
According to the German carmaker, the GLE is billed as a 'striking'
combination of a coupe and a crossover.
However, from where we are
looking at it, the GLE looks like a crossover. The car features a
prominent front fascia with a single bar grille flanked by LED
head-lamps. We've always maintained that the roofline of the car was
dynamic and the rear end is similar to that of the S-Class Coupe.
Other
styling highlights include plastic body cladding, chrome trim, a dual
exhaust system and standard 20-inch alloy wheels. Also, there is also an
optional set of 21- and 22-inch wheels.
Of course, there is an
AMG too; looks like Mercedes didn't want to wait this one out. The GLE
450 AMG goes one step further as it adopts an aggressive AMG body kit
and 21-inch lightweight alloy wheels. The model also gets AIRMATIC air
suspension, an adaptive damping system and an automatic lowering
function which reduces the ride height at higher speeds.
There is
quite a range when it comes to the engines this car gets, and though
Mercedes hasn't confirmed the specifications, there will be a GLE 350 d
4MATIC with 255bhp and 620Nm of torque. If that's not powerful enough,
the GLE 400 4MATIC houses a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 engine that develops
330bhp and 480Nm of peak torque. Then there is also the GLE 450 AMG
which gets a more powerful twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 that puts 365 horses
and 520Nm of turning power.
Transmission duty is handled by the
GLE 450 AMG's 9-speed automatic gearbox which also has a Dynamic Select
system with five specially-tuned modes: INDIVIDUAL, COMFORT, SLIPPERY,
SPORT and SPORT+.
The cabin of the GLE 450 AMG is distinguished by
a Nappa leather sports steering wheel, stainless steel pedals and
carbon fiber trim with piano black accents. The standard model has sport
seats, a sport steering wheel and a new infotainment display. The cabin
also sports silver shadow accents and aluminum or wood trim.