2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S - Driven

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Exterior

If you are into the sloping roof coupe SUVs, then you’ll find the GLE 63 S attractive. It comes with a lot of signature elements on the body. Up front, you have the Panamericana grille with a huge Mercedes logo in the middle. The air dams on the bumper are wide and come with interesting elements on them. There is ample use of chrome all around the body, but you can get rid of it if you opt for the $750 AMG Night Package.

The side profile is what differentiates it from the SUV body style. The sloping roofline ends with a lip spoiler at the rear. There are four wheel design options on offer – two 21-inch and two 22-inch wheels. The 21-inch options are AMG twin five-spoke sets, one in the standard finish and one with black accents. The other options are a 22-inch cross-spoke set in the standard finish and in the matte black finish. The 22-inch wheels are priced at $1,500 and $2,000 for the standard and matte black finish, respectively.

The rear looks sinister with those LED taillights in action. The wide derriere features a quad-tailpipe setup at the bottom that gives the GLE 63 S a sporty appearance. There is black plastic cladding to break the overall monotony and reflectors are placed here as well. The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S is available in 11 different exterior shades:

• Black
• Polar White
• Obsidian Black Metallic
• Iridium Silver Metallic
• Mojave Silver Metallic
• Lunar Blue Metallic
• Brilliant Blue Metallic
• Emerald Green Metallic
• Selenite Grey Metallic
• Cardinal Red Metallic - $360
• Diamond White Metallic - $795

How Big Is The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S?

The GLE 63 S measures 195.3 inches in length, 84.9 inches in width, and 67.7 inches in height. Its rivals are also pretty much the same size. The BMW X6 M is 195.9 inches long, 79.5 inches wide, and 66.6 inches tall. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo measures 194.5 inches in length, 86.4 inches in width, and 65.1 inches in height.

In terms of wheelbase, the X6 M is the best. It has a 117-inch long wheelbase, which is 1.4 inches longer than the GLE 63 S’ 115.6-inch long wheelbase, and three inches longer than the Cayenne’s. The front and rear tracks of the GLE 63 S are 66.6- and 67.1 inches wide, the X6 M’s 66.9- and 66.5 inches wide, and the Cayenne’s 66.5- inches wide on both the ends, respectively.

How Much Does Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Weigh?

The GLE 63 S weighs 5,390 pounds, which makes it 15 pounds heavier than the 5,375-pound BMW X6 M, and 366 pounds heavier than the 5,024-pound Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

How Much Can The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Tow?

The GLE 63 S might be a luxurious vehicle, but that doesn’t mean it can’t lug around a trailer. The coupe has a towing capacity of 7,700 pounds, which is on par with the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and significantly more than the BMW X6 M, which can tow up to 6,000 pounds.

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Interior and Technology

Mercedes makes some of the most luxurious cabins today and the GLE 63 S is no exception. Step inside and you’ll be welcomed to a very plush cabin that reeks of luxury everywhere. The seats are draped in Nappa leather. The front ones are sports seats and are ventilated, powered, and have a memory function. You can opt for massage seats as an option, or get them as part of a package. The same goes for the heated steering wheel. The other standard features, though, include:

• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Panoramic roof
• Heated and cooled front cupholders
• Keyless entry

There’s a conjoined screen on the dash that includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen. The latter runs on the automaker’s MBUX infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It even supports voice commands and can be activated by saying, “Hey, Mercedes”. The company has provided a touchpad controller as well. Apart from this, the GLE 63 S also comes with:

• Navigation
• Burmester surround sound system
• Wireless charging
• Five USB ports

How Spacious Is The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S?

The Cayenne’s figures aren’t out, but we do have a few specs for the others. The hip room figures for the BMW and the legroom numbers for the Mercedes aren’t provided. In the first row, the Mercedes offers a headroom of 40.2 inches, a shoulder room of 59.3 inches, and a hip room of 60.8 inches. The BMW offers 39.3 inches of headroom and 60 inches of shoulder room. In the second row, the AMG coupe offers 37.8 inches of headroom, 58.5 inches of shoulder room, and 60 inches of hip room. The BMW offers a headroom of 37.5 inches and a shoulder room of 57.7 inches.

The X6 M offers a legroom of 40.4 inches in the front and 35.7 inches at the rear. Since the GLE 63 S has a slightly shorter wheelbase (1.4 inches shorter), you can expect the numbers to be a wee bit less than the BMW’s.

How Much Cargo Space Does The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Offer?

With all the seats in place, the GLE 63 S offers the best cargo space amongst its rivals. There’s 44.8 cubic feet of space available at your disposal, which is significantly more than the BMW’s 27.4 cubic feet of space and the Porsche’s 26.3 cubic feet of space.

Flip down the rear seats and the cargo space of both, the BMW and the Porsche, falls in line with the Mercedes. The Mercedes offers 60 cubic feet of space, whereas the BMW offers 59.6 cubic feet and the Porsche offers 59.3 cubic feet of space.

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Drivetrain

The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S is powered by a 4.0-liter, bi-turbo V-8 hybrid engine. It puts out 603 ponies between 5,750- and 6,500 rpm, and 627 pound-feet of torque between 2,500- and 4,500 rpm.

The mill is mated to a nine-speed SpeedShift automatic gearbox and a 4AMTIC+ all-wheel-drive system. Courtesy of this, it can sprint to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds and go all the way up to 174 mph before losing breath.

How Fuel Efficient Is The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S?

The GLE 63 S returns 14 mpg in the city, 18 mpg on the highway, and 15 mpg combined. Its rivals hover around the same numbers, too. The X6 M delivers 13 mpg in the city, 18 mpg on the highway, and 15 mpg combined. The Cayenne beats both these vehicles, as it returns 15 miles in the city, 19 miles on the highway, and 17 miles combined for every gallon of fuel consumed.

How Much Does The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Cost?

The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S starts at $116,000. This is the flagship GLE model. The other AMG GLE model is the 53 coupe, which starts at $76,500.

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Competition

BMW X6 M

The BMW X6’s most powerful and sportiest avatar is the X6 M. It rides on 21-inch double-spoke bi-color wheels wrapped in performance tires. You get the M spoiler and M quad tailpipes as well. The interior comes carbon fiber trim, leather dash, Merino leather upholstery, Anthracite Alcantara headliner, etc. The Competition package is also available and it adds a new set of wheels, different upholstery options to choose from, M Sport exhaust system, M seat belts, etc. All this at the cost of $9,300 more.

The BMW X6 M is powered by a 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V-8 that dishes out 600 horses at 6,000 rpm and 553 pound-feet of torque at 1,800 rpm. Power is routed to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It takes 3.8 seconds to sprint to 60 mph from rest – 0.1 seconds slower than the GLE 63 S – but has a slightly higher top speed – 177 mph vs the AMG’s 174 mph.

The BMW X6 M starts at $109,400.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo

The Cayenne Turbo looks a stunner and perhaps the most neutral when compared to the BMW and the Mercedes. It rides on 21-inch wheels as standard shod in all-season tires. It is loaded to the gills on the inside and comes with a comfortable cabin.

The Cayenne Turbo is packed with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 that puts out 541 ponies at 5,750 rpm and 567 pound-feet of oomph at 1,960 rpm. An eight-speed automatic gearbox channels power to all four wheels here. The Cayenne Turbo sprint to 60 mph from a standstill in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of 177 mph. Opt for the Sport Chrono Package and you’ll be able to shave 0.2 seconds off the 0-60 mph time.

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo starts at $129,900.

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S – Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

Some of the safety and driver assistance features offered as standard include:

• Active Brake Assist
• Adaptive Highbeam Assist
• Crosswind Assist
• Blind Spot Assist
• Parktronic with Active Parking Assist
• Surround View System
• Adaptive braking technology
• Advanced Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S – Packages

Mercedes offers four packages for the GLE S, which don’t include the maintenance and service, or connected services packages.

Warmth and Comfort Package - $1,050

• Rapid heating for the front seats
• Heated front armrests and upper door panels

Energizing Package Plus - $1,650

• Energizing Comfort (coordinates climate control, ambient lighting, audio, cabin fragrance, plus front seat massage, heating and ventilation)
• Air Balance cabin-air purification system
• Air Balance cabin fragrance system
• Multicontour front seats with massage

Air Balance Package - $350

• Air Balance cabin-air purification system
• Air Balance cabin fragrance system

Driver Assistance Plus Package - $1,950

• Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC
• Active Steering Assist
• Evasive Steering Assist
• Active Brake Assist with Cross-Traffic Function
• Active Emergency Stop Assist
• Active Speed Limit Assist
• Active Blind Spot Assist
• Active Lane Keeping Assist
• Active Lane Change Assist
• PRE-SAFE PLUS
• PRE-SAFE Impulse Side
• Active Stop-and-Go Assist
• Route-based Speed Adaptation
• Speed Limit Assist

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S – Warranty

Mercedes offers a standard new vehicle warranty of 4-years/50,000 miles on the GLE 63 S. There are Star Service packages available for different durations – 2 years/20,000 miles, 3 years/30,000 miles, and 4 years/40,000 miles. They are priced at $1,490, $2,060, and $2,850 respectively.