2008 year. It was then that the revolutionary BMW X6 for its time was presented. And who would have thought it was a Mercedes! Not surprising, though. So, before us is the new Mercedes GLE, in person.
Daring, impetuous, but, in the spirit of the brand, without departing from the so-called "corporate image". This is half the trouble, because, perhaps, for the first time, a coupe and a full-size crossover are built on the same platform. Let's take a closer look at them, but in turn.
Mercedes GLE 2015 Coupe design
Full face absolutely does not give out the coupe-like profile of the car. On the contrary, he says in full voice that the Mercedes GLE Coupe is a full-size crossover that is ready to argue even with such "Moors" as the X6 and even the BMW X6 M. Contrary to the established trend, the headlights are not chopped with a cleaver. they flow smoothly over the massive wheel arches from the wide grille. I must say that it is absolutely unforgivable for a Mercedes to almost completely copy the hood from the GLA. On the lower edge of the bumper, the air ducts are finished with a honeycomb grille, like the radiator.
The profile of the Mercedes GLE Coupe 2015 turned out to be very "copying". Probably not worth specifying what exactly. Let's write it off on the fact that something new is already difficult to come up with. If you ignore the hood, you can get confused. Are the Mercedes artists "signed out"?
The back is what you can look at endlessly. She certainly looks gorgeous. Usually, you can describe each detail of the exterior separately, everything is different here. There is a feeling that the stern of the Mercedes GLE Coupe 2015 is monolithic. And it's not even about the perfect fit of the body parts, no, it's about how harmoniously they are selected. Perhaps, apart from the spoiler and the chrome strip under the taillights, nothing can be distinguished.
As for the "shoes", there are three options. In the basic configuration, the buyer will receive 20-inch wheels with 275/50 tires. For those to whom they seem huge, it is contraindicated to read further. The second largest kit is 21 inches in diameter. Front tires 275/45, rear - 315 40. But this is far from the largest option. The top-of-the-range equipment is "shoe" in 285/40 R22 on the front axle and 325/35 on the rear. I must say, with such an area of support, it is generally unrealistic to move the car from a given trajectory of movement, purely physically.
Let's take a look at the rest of the dimensions of the 2015 Mercedes GLE:
- Length - 4.9 m
- Width - 2 m
- Height - 1.73 m
- Wheelbase - 2.92 m
- Ground clearance (depends on the suspension, more on that later) - 200mm / 180 × 255 mm
Interior Mercedes GLE 2015 Coupe
It is quite problematic to describe the interior. Yes, he looks a little old. There is not a hint of rudeness or reproach in this word. It has the meaning "verified". This means that each, the smallest and most inconspicuous detail in its place, cannot be better imagined. It is useless to talk about the materials and other accessories of the interior of the new Mercedes GLE Coupe;
Of course, automatic valet parking, both longitudinal and perpendicular, active cruise control, blind spot tracking, automatic road sign tracking - it's all there. But there are more sophisticated details that will hook the most sophisticated buyer. In the trunk, you can find two pairs of Bluetooth headphones, as well as a remote control for controlling the radio. In the headrests of the front passengers there are built-in monitors for watching movies.
There are not many buttons on the center console of the Mercedes GLE Coupe when you look closely. A couple of them are for call control, and to the right of the MP3 changer, you can see the dialing buttons. While you are busy with this, the stability control system will monitor the markings and will not lower the exit into the oncoming lane.
Special attention should be paid to the retractable touch display, which will appear when the ignition is turned on. On it you can view full information not only about the car itself, but also about its position relative to the horizon and even the cardinal points.
If you call any adjustments, then the adjustable zone is immediately highlighted in the cabin. Everything is simple and straightforward, but the abundance of functions and settings is a little confusing and even a little scary at first.
Moreover, on the center console, as always, there is no lever, nothing at all, even remotely resembling a gearbox selector. It is under the steering wheel. And in its “rightful” place they installed a “rotary actuator” (that's how it is called), which controls the Dynamic Select system. There is a winter mode, a mode of ascent and descent from the hill. In general, for all occasions, we will also briefly talk about this system below. On the AMG version, there is also a Sport + mode, which disables most of the assistants.
Specifications Mercedes GLE Coupe 2015
In Russia, several options for diesel and one gasoline engine are offered, and we will start with it. It is a 3-liter V6 that develops 333 horsepower. Its torque is 480 Nm. So, a similar diesel engine develops 249 horses (European version 258) and (attention) 620 Nm. This is enough for 2.3 tons to be fired from the spot like a bullet from a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
As a transmission, a 9-speed automatic is used, which was presented at the Mercedes Coupe S.
If you want an AMG version, you get a 5.5-liter V8 that develops 557 horsepower and 700 Nm. Well, if you want even more, then there is also the Mercedes GLE Coupe AMG 63 S, which develops 585 horses and 760 Nm with the same engine. This is 10 more forces than the M version of the BMW X6. However, both accelerate to hundreds in 4.2 seconds, so to speak, parity.
Suspension, traction control system
The car can have a conventional multi-link suspension, or pneumatics. In the size table, the ground clearance is indicated for different configurations. Pneumatic, just the same, can lift a car up to 255 mm, lower it to 185 mm.
As for Dynamic Select, with one rotation of the "washer" the owner can set the desired response mode to the gas pedal, brake pedal, steering weight and many other dynamic parameters.
Mercedes-Benz GLE
But that's not all. There is another version of the GLE, this is a full-fledged crossover, so to speak. If we draw parallels between competitors, it's like the BMW X5 and X6. They are built on the same platform, however, differ in bodywork. Perhaps this is the main difference that exists, except for the engine. We will talk about him now.
Specifications Mercedes-Benz GLE 2015
First of all, I would like to say that in Russia an in-line four will be available for this body, the power of which is 204 horses. But, according to the manufacturer, only 8% of the quota of all sales is allocated to them. The main one will be the GLE 500E. It will be a car with the 333-horsepower engine described above, only it will be aggregated with a seven-speed automatic. Moreover, it will be assisted by an 86-kilowatt electric motor. It is powered by a huge battery that "devours" a good part of the trunk. Is it worth it - it is up to the buyer to decide, by no means to us. Mercedes GLE 500E can be refueled, or can be charged from a regular outlet, such a recharge should be enough for a 30-kilometer trip. Why exactly 30?
This is exactly the mileage of the average German, according to Mercedes research. According to the manufacturer, the battery has a minimum capacity of 8.5 kWh.
In total, 442 horsepower and 650 Nm are obtained, while the time from start to hundred is 5.3 seconds. If you believe the statements of "Mercedes", the fuel consumption of such an engine will not exceed 3.7 liters per hundred. Hard to believe, the first test drives determined the consumption at around 9 liters. It must be admitted that for a 3-liter petrol V6, this is still an excellent result.
Prices Mercedes GLE 2015, configuration, interesting points
So, the starting price in Russia for a Mercedes GLE Coupe will be 4 million 250 thousand rubles ($ 65,000? 70,000). Many will say that the X6 is cheaper, moreover, by an order of magnitude. However, even in the database, the buyer gets a lot of "goodies", so there is definitely a draw here.The AMG 63 S version will cost about 7.64 million rubles ($ 120,000).
As for the ill-fated 30 km. This was conceived in order to make one car for all occasions. For example, you can charge your car at night (by the way, in Germany there is a night rate that is much lower than the day rate), and during the day you can drive on electric traction. If you are planning a long trip, then the power reserve even of 400 km does not solve anything, because the charging time of such a battery is much more than 6 hours. But even if the charging time is brought closer to this figure, then it is not always possible to charge the car. In addition, half of the travel or vacation time spent on charging the car battery. This is where the internal combustion engine comes in, which makes the Mercedes GLE a comfortable "home on wheels".
When it comes to competing with BMW, this is no longer a car battle. This is a battle of tastes. There is no winner in it, because it is everyone's personal preference. The difference is, in fact, in a small set of functionality, as well as in the front of the car. Here everyone decides for himself.
Other photos of Mercedes-Benz GLE450 AMG Coupe:
Photos of GLE 63 S:
Mercedes-Benz
