Ahem....GLE63 S Coupe
Discussion
I suspect this will be a controversial purchase given this exact car was almost unanimously disliked by the PH massive (following a rather one-sided negative PH editorial on one), but I'm almost as excited about this as my imminent GT 
To be fair, I was one of those people who never really 'got' performance SUV's, at least not until I tried an ML63 last year when I was desperate to get out of our (very disappointing) F80 M3. And I've been converted ever since.
I've had all types of cars and however much people like to claim how pointless these SUV's are, the depth of engineering, quality, luxury and mind-boggling performance from something so big and heavy is impressive when compared to pretty much anything else. The size and weight that creates some downsides in terms of agility also brings benefits to refinement and solidity. The view that all cars need to be agile sports cars and these SUV's have no place for enthusiasts because they can't be fun, can't be oversteered blah blah blah is irrelevant when they're intended to be used as luxurious, fast and practical road cars. Indeed, after a year in our ML (almost a record for me) I reckon this genre makes for some of the best all-rounders for road use. People will then argue that the diesel versions can do the same but lets be honest, the simply don't do they? These are as relevant compared to their diesel equivalents as a C63 is to a C220.
Anyway, we swapped our ML63 a few weeks for an E63 and immediately regretted the decision - not that anything is wrong with the E63, indeed it's a superb thing to drive, but I just missed the sheer excessiveness of the fast ML. Rather than buy another ML, I really like the look of these (as I do the X6)
and I also looked at the RRS Supercharged and Cayenne Turbo. Quite frankly, the RRS build quality felt brittle compared to the ML, and the Cayenne....well, they're just a bit familiar these days. The GLE Coupe is based on a car that I really liked but otherwise it's brand new, different to almost anything else and is highly controversial.....I particularly like the fact that most people despise it (keeps it rare at least)
And this is the one we're picking this up next weekend
No idea what it'll be like to drive but I suspect it'll share the ML's amazing refinement, freakily flat handling, rude exhaust note (which is oddly much louder than the E63's), sports car baiting straight line performance and vault-like build quality. It appears to be far more luxurious than the ML with wall to wall nappa and plenty of surprise and delight toys....climatised cup holders that change colour according to temperature and 4 seat massage settings anyone?
I now await the onslaught of abuse
To be fair, I was one of those people who never really 'got' performance SUV's, at least not until I tried an ML63 last year when I was desperate to get out of our (very disappointing) F80 M3. And I've been converted ever since.
I've had all types of cars and however much people like to claim how pointless these SUV's are, the depth of engineering, quality, luxury and mind-boggling performance from something so big and heavy is impressive when compared to pretty much anything else. The size and weight that creates some downsides in terms of agility also brings benefits to refinement and solidity. The view that all cars need to be agile sports cars and these SUV's have no place for enthusiasts because they can't be fun, can't be oversteered blah blah blah is irrelevant when they're intended to be used as luxurious, fast and practical road cars. Indeed, after a year in our ML (almost a record for me) I reckon this genre makes for some of the best all-rounders for road use. People will then argue that the diesel versions can do the same but lets be honest, the simply don't do they? These are as relevant compared to their diesel equivalents as a C63 is to a C220.
Anyway, we swapped our ML63 a few weeks for an E63 and immediately regretted the decision - not that anything is wrong with the E63, indeed it's a superb thing to drive, but I just missed the sheer excessiveness of the fast ML. Rather than buy another ML, I really like the look of these (as I do the X6)
and I also looked at the RRS Supercharged and Cayenne Turbo. Quite frankly, the RRS build quality felt brittle compared to the ML, and the Cayenne....well, they're just a bit familiar these days. The GLE Coupe is based on a car that I really liked but otherwise it's brand new, different to almost anything else and is highly controversial.....I particularly like the fact that most people despise it (keeps it rare at least) And this is the one we're picking this up next weekend
No idea what it'll be like to drive but I suspect it'll share the ML's amazing refinement, freakily flat handling, rude exhaust note (which is oddly much louder than the E63's), sports car baiting straight line performance and vault-like build quality. It appears to be far more luxurious than the ML with wall to wall nappa and plenty of surprise and delight toys....climatised cup holders that change colour according to temperature and 4 seat massage settings anyone?
I now await the onslaught of abuse
Edited by Palmball on Sunday 26th July 14:28
I wouldn't say it was a 'great' deal because there's no support on them. You could get way more off an E63 for example. It's probably not fair to the dealer to post the detail publically as they do look after me and shouldn't have even sold me the car, but fair to say it was more discount than being advertised on the various discount sites.
I believe I got my fair share of the margin which was the best I could do with no manufacturer funding but the effectiveness of that all depends if MB start supporting it later in the year, which I suspect they will
I believe I got my fair share of the margin which was the best I could do with no manufacturer funding but the effectiveness of that all depends if MB start supporting it later in the year, which I suspect they will
DJRC said:
Bloody ell Palmy, you haven't even got your "new" car yet before another new one is on the way!
I'll defend you on the fast SUV front. Like you we went from the grunty ML to the grunty E and I don't miss the big old buss in many respects but can't fault the E really. I'm just still annoyed Merc dumped the twin turbo diesel unit - it's a monster
Ha, well this is actually the other half's car. Bless, she doesn't know what she'll be driving from one week to the next. But she'll not see it until the GT comes along....just 4 weeks to go I'll defend you on the fast SUV front. Like you we went from the grunty ML to the grunty E and I don't miss the big old buss in many respects but can't fault the E really. I'm just still annoyed Merc dumped the twin turbo diesel unit - it's a monster
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Ha, yes ours is the first customer GLE63 on the road in this country (and will probably remain as such for a little while) so other people look a bit perplexed because it's new, it's bloody huge and, err, unique looking. It's definitely a marmite car and is probably being recognised as the Jurassic Park car given Merc appeared to have paid for that whole film!We picked the car up on Saturday and immediately, within a few hundred yards of the dealer, I just knew......this car is something really special. I absolutely love it - it's like the ML but feels different in a number of ways. For instance, the view out is like nothing else - you actually sit higher than in the ML but the roofline is lower so it has a unique feel. The quality....simply wow. Rock solid and very rich material quality.
This is potentially my favourite car to date - let's see if that's the case in a months time but then I loved our ML63 (I had that forever by my standards) so it bodes well. I wonder whether as a day to day car I end up preferring this truck to the GT (obviously once over the GT's honeymoon period).
I'll share a few notes on how it drives in the next week or so but suffice to say that I'm like a big kid with the numerous surprise and delight features it has - it's full of gadgets that I've never had before, don't need now but are good fun nonetheless. One of my favourites is the Mercedes star projection from the wing mirrors at night.
I also like the ambient lighting and how it flows across the dash
DJRC said:
Ambient lighting is cool. Love it driving mine at night.
The star projection thing though? Maybe in Hong Kong or Shanghai. Even in London thats looking a bit dickish :P
Anyway "forever" for you basically means next month
The star projection thing though? Maybe in Hong Kong or Shanghai. Even in London thats looking a bit dickish :P
Anyway "forever" for you basically means next month
I never said 'forever'....jeez, I wouldn't be so silly as to put something so preposterous in writing
Butter Face said:
Muzzer79 said:
Palmball said:
One of my favourites is the Mercedes star projection from the wing mirrors at night.
I was liking it right up to the point that I saw that.Sheesh... >wince<
Still, each to their own - glad you enjoy it.
Congrats on the car OP!
Sheepshanks said:
Serious question - unless you only use it for going to an assigned parking space at work and back home again, where the heck do you park something like this (in terms of its size)?
Or do you just have to shrug off the inevitable door dings and scratches etc?
I'm fairly careful where I park and try to leave enough space but to be fair, it's ever been a problem. My SLS was just as wide (as is the upcoming GT) but it was a lot lower so the GLE is childs play to park in comparison. Or do you just have to shrug off the inevitable door dings and scratches etc?
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