Mercedes GLE 53 AMG | $93,000 and No V8

The Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 53 SUV. This serves as the middle-ish high trim level for the GLE lineup. This is their full-size two-row SUV. This vehicle starts at about $86,000 and is very lightly optioned to $93,000. You can get this as either a coupe, which we did a review on in the full-blown 63 or twin-turbo V8 trim level a couple years ago, or as a standard SUV. Coupified SUVs are abominations, so definitely get the regular SUV. Quickly on exterior styling, unlike the BMW iX lineup and some of the new BMW styling, this Mercedes actually looks very traditional, and I mean that in a good way. The cabin, too, is a little older-looking at this point, but all the materials are excellent. The design is not gimmicky, despite all the moon lighting, and the carbon fiber accents, which are optional, are a very, very nice addition. When it comes to usability, this is a standard two-row SUV. When it comes to both size and price structure, it's a direct competitor with the BMW X5. With the second row up, you have a large trunk area. It's nice and cabinous, again, because it's not a coupe-based SUV. And with the second row down, you have a lot of space to work with. Full-size adults will sit very comfortably in the second row. I, as a six-foot-tall driver, can get behind myself with no problems. I have a lot of legroom, good headroom. The seats are comfortable. The door storage throughout this vehicle is great. The storage solutions in the center console work well, and it's a very easy-to-live-with SUV. Seating position, you can get up nice and high. So if you're a shorter driver, you have good visibility. There are essentially no blind spots in this car. And if you're a taller driver, these seats, which are standard in the 53 AMG, are very comfortable. Yes, they're only heated and cooled, but there's good adjustment. You can get the leg bolster long enough. And they hold you in well when you're cornering, and the steering wheel is exactly where it needs to be. Control structure, yes, it's still MBUX, which is not the best infotainment ever designed. But what it does have, physical HVAC controls. Thank God. You have a physical volume knob, and it's a touchscreen. So no, you don't have to use this awful touchpad. Yes, MBUX is a little bit cumbersome, but I actually think the learning curve in this is definitely lower than the new generation of iDrive and some of its competitors. So what are the cons? Well, despite a very, very quiet cabin, the Burmester audio system, at least the standard Burmester audio system, is not excellent. The heads-up display is an additional extra. This car doesn't even come with adaptive cruise control as standard. Everything is expensive in this car. MBUX, not the best infotainment in the world. And very annoyingly, there's no easy way to skip tracks. You actually have to tip-tap your way through the infotainment. So some usability issues in this cabin. But enough of that, let's head into the shop and put this thing up on the lift. In the shop with the AMG GLE 53 SUV. So what do you need to know? Well, this is that middle-tier AMG light SUV. It isn't the full-blown 63, which is a twin-turbo V8, and it's not the four-cylinder. Because this is an AMG model, they've gone through this chassis to make it more sporty. So yes, this is on their modular architecture that they can scale out. It's multi-link front, multi-link rear. All of the suspension components are aluminum. It has air ride as standard, which has been calibrated to be sportier. It can raise itself when you want to go off-road or lower itself on the highway for easier ingress or egress. It has standard sway bars, not adaptive bars. And the all-wheel drive system is rear-biased, and it gives it a fairly sporting-feeling character. And it has an active-valve exhaust as standard, which will burble and pop when you ask it to. Drivetrain. This is their 3-liter inline-six, which we've covered in the past, with its integrated electric motor. It's a 48-volt architecture. It allows the electric motor to run the accessories. And also act as torque fill. It makes over 100 pounds of torque with the electric motor alone, and like 30 to 20 horsepower. Total system output is over 400 horsepower and slightly over 400 foot-pounds of torque, depending on who you ask. 0-60 is in the very high 4s or the very low 5s. It is a fast SUV, and it returns about 20-ish miles per gallon in our combined drive. And it puts power through a 9-speed automatic. All that though, I think it's time for us to take this for a very quick drive. It's not your fault. It wasn't your fault. Yeah, **** them. So, Mark, we've been talking about family. We've been talking about AMGs. We've been talking about inline-sixes. We're in the GLE 53 AMG. This bad boy, as tested, is like $93,000. As I mentioned at the beginning of the video, it competes with things like the BMW X5, Q7, and Cayenne. We have been in one of these as a coupe. We've been in one of these with a V8. We've been in basically all the Mercedes SUVs. What are your immediate reactions sitting there? What do you think of the ride and all of the garbage? I'll tell you one thing. I don't remember. I don't remember any of them. Why does this thing ride so bad? Because it's got enormous wheels. This is a weird vehicle because it handles great. I mean, obviously, we're on a straight road sitting in traffic, so I can't show you how this thing can get whipped around. But it handles well, but it rides like ass. I feel like I'm in a Kia, dude, for $40,000. How much did you say this thing is? $93,000. Oh, but it's got the little screens for the drive modes on the steering wheel. That makes sense. Oh, it makes all the difference, Mark. So you're saying this is an X5 competition? Yes. So what does it do good? Tom, you spend time with it. What is it doing good for you? It handles well, and it's really quiet. And that's pretty much it. I think the drivetrain, it doesn't get the best fuel economy. I've been using this as a real car as someone would, and I've been getting about 18.7 miles per gallon. And this is their 53 model, so it makes a little bit over 400 horsepower. It's really fast. So is this like an AMG AMG? Or is this like the AMG half NURF one? This is a NURF AMG. It does 0 to 60 in high fours, which is fast. The shift parameters and everything sounds very smooth. Yeah, the drivetrain is somewhat not charismatic at all, other than the burbles and farts, which are just a total gimmick in a vehicle like this. Who cares? It's very smooth between the electric assist motor and the inline six, and the way that the turbocharger kicks in. It does a good job. The nine-speed auto is really smooth. The shifts are crisp. It doesn't do any of the weird jerkiness of the earlier AMG autos that you and I have driven. It's just, I don't know, man. I'd rather have either the V6 from Audi or the V58 from BMW. Or because this is almost $90,000, you can get the N63 and the non-M X5. You get a V8 in that thing. Or you could almost get an SQ8 for this money. That's, yeah, that's a pretty affordable. A Cayenne. Yeah. So why, like, if you were, if your wife was and would this be the model? This would be the model for him. Well, I mean, what would you just get go soft? I mean, like, that's, that's my question. Is, does this model even have a place on a vehicle like this? Is it, are you going to rip me through these corners and blow, blow me away with me needing this half-ass AMG? No. Is that what it's still just understeers everywhere? It just understeers everywhere. You know, it like, six, seven tenths, it's fine. But once you start pushing it hard, this is just a weird product, right? I mean, I would either get the base one if you really like the way the GLE looks. I think it's a good looking SUV. Save your money. No, it looks okay. Yeah. It's not as hideous as an X5. You know, being honest, this is, you either get the V8 or you get the base model. This one, it makes no sense to me because it's, you have all the negative cons of big wheels and trying to handle halfway decently. And you don't get the good ride of a base SUV with air ride. And it doesn't go that fast. It's like this weird price point. Either get the base one or get the crazy V8. This to me has no real purpose. I'll just say what I need to say about it before you get into the final thoughts, Jack. I don't feel for at this price level, it's this weird mix of like Kia. It feels like a Durango in some ways with the upper dash and leathers and the way that the dash is configured. The only positives that I can draw with it are trans tuning is really kind of novel and crisp. And the fact that it is really quiet. The, it rides way too rough, even in comfort. And it just feels like you're getting nickeled and dimed to have standard features in here that you should absolutely have at this price point. I don't care if it's a luxury car. Yeah, when a Corolla comes standard with cruise control or adaptive cruise control, this thing at $93,000, it should not be an option. So Mark, with that, let's head into the final thoughts. Final thoughts on the AMG GLE 53 SUV. As you can clearly tell, Mark and I don't love this vehicle. We think it's too much money. It doesn't ride well. And it's sort of in a weird spot. It's a vehicle that I think is made worse by the fact that it's an AMG product without a V8. It's so too old and the interior space looks very Dodge Durango-esque. That said, it is exceptionally quiet. And that quietness, I imagine, carries into the cheaper GLE models. And that's what I would buy. I'd either buy the full-blown V8 and go full bullion mode or buy a less expensive GLE in the $60,000 range. With that, thanks for watching. I hope to see you soon.