It happens every so often that we see twins that are not identical, but fraternal. This is not limited to offspring and their birth, but is also present in the automotive world. You would think two vehicles that are supposed to be part of the same model name and only different by trims would offer a body size and shape that is identical. For most of the automotive world this makes sense if for no other reason than the machinery and equipment needed to make two different body styles is expensive and requires more labor than building several trims from the same body style.
Apparently Mercedes-Benz feels differently about their vehicles and has chosen the GLE name as the one that will represent a way two vehicles with basically the same name can be extremely different. The GLE is a large SUV that looks boxy although stylish and attractive while the GLE Coupe is smaller, sportier and appears to have only curves adorning its body shape.
Where do these two different vehicles with the same name come from? The GLE is the name for what used to be the M-Class SUV. Reading that probably made a light bulb illuminate in your head as you thought about how many of these larger boxy SUVs you have seen on the roads in your area. The GLE Coupe, on the other hand, is an all-new vehicle that seems to be completely different from anything else we have seen on the Mercedes-Benz line.
The GLE comes in with a lot of new added to the vehicle including new front and rear fascias, new lighting, interior upgrades, a larger infotainment screen, more ergonomics form the COMAND touchpad and a new plug-in hybrid model to bring the total engine choices for this vehicle up to six.
On the GLE Coupe the goal for Mercedes-Benz is to compete with the BMW X6. With the curves and style that appears to be a car that is lifted off the ground a bit this GLE Coupe seems to be a vehicle that has plenty of aerodynamic features to make it an SUV that will stand out for its style and not really give a damn about the practicality or versatility needed.
Under the hood of the new GLE Coupe you will only find two possible engines for you to find the one that is right for you. The first is a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 that can give you 362 horsepower on the GLE450 AMG Coupe while the AMG GLE63 S Coupe will bring in more power with a 5.5-liter turbocharged V8 that offers 577 horsepower. Both of these offers you the AWD of the 4Matic system to give you the most impressive drive you could ever expect from this pair.
Because this is the model that is built for speed the AMG Coupe will reach sixty mph in only 5.6 seconds while the S model will make the run in one and a half seconds faster. With both of the engines attached to the nine-speed automatic transmission this SUV has smooth shifting and sporty performance for you to full enjoy the ride that feels more like a sports car than an SUV.
On the GLE-Class the change to add a hybrid powertrain is one that gives you a turbocharged V6 engine paired with an electric motor. This gives you a total output of 436 horsepower and even offers 18 miles of range on the battery power. While this is really the only change in this SUV from it being the M-Class, the GLE will carry forward the size and style with class and grace to give us an SUV that has great size and continues to be a top performance player in the luxury SUV market.
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