2020 Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe 4MATIC - Best SUV Coupe?

An interesting powertrain, a sleek body, and ample tech make a tempting automotive cocktail.

Formulas are helpful things. For example, we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that combining two hydrogen molecules with one oxygen molecules makes water. We also know that if we add an additional oxygen molecule, we get hydrogen peroxide. When it comes to chemistry, putting A plus B together is always going to equal C.

The same is generally true for cars. Take the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE53 Coupe, a vehicle that marries several familiar bits and bobs, from its mild-hybrid 53-series powertrain to the sleek new body of the GLE Coupe to the redesigned underpinnings and smart technology of the standard GLE. We had a pretty good idea the result of this particular formula would be quite appealing before we even turned a wheel.

After two days of puttering through the Austrian Alps, tackling snow-covered terrain and icy roads, and enjoying a few blasts on the Austrian Autobahn, our prediction was quite right: the new GLE53 Coupe is a welcomed addition to the redesigned GLE-Class family.

We’ve sampled Mercedes-AMG’s 53-series powertrains in a number models in the past year or so, and it’s consistently stood out at as a star in the AMG line. Driving the GLE53 simply reinforced that feeling: the combination of a 48-volt mild-hybrid architecture; a lagless, turbocharged straight-six engine; and an excellent nine-speed automatic transmission yields the best powertrain in the Mercedes-AMG stable since the legendary M156 6.2-liter V8 went out to pasture.

Yes, that’s right. With all due respect to the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 and the most powerful production four-cylinder in the world, this right here is the current pinnacle. Maybe not of power or torque, but certainly of refinement, versatility, and likability.

Admittedly, the engine (cover) isn’t much to look at, but the engine itself is a gem on the road. We won’t dig into the nitty gritty here – it’s been done before – but there are a few things that make this engine so great. For a start, it’s simply a 3.0-liter straight-six that makes wonderful noises. This engine sounds delicious and revs eagerly, with the best noises reserved for the tippy-top of the 6,500-rpm rev range. Without its supplemental power sources, this engine alone is good for 429 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. Honestly, we’d probably be crowing about it even without its mild-hybrid architecture.

With a starter-generator, dubbed EQ Boost, mounted between the engine and the nine-speed automatic transmission, the GLE53 gets an extra 21 hp and a massive 184 lb-ft of torque. Not only does this system and its 48-volt architecture power the aforementioned compressor, it also provides ample assistance to the gas engine, as well as seamless start-stop functionality and engine gliding, both of which improve fuel economy without damping performance.

On the mountain roads sprinkled between Munich, Germany and Hochgurgl, Austria – a route that started at 1,500 feet and ended north of 7,100 – elevation never hampered the setup. The GLE felt eager and engaged, whether going uphill, down, or around a bend. The gliding function was especially good on the mountain roads, decoupling the engine from the transmission to save fuel, and then combining the two again without any perceptible lag in acceleration.

But settle down and ask the GLE to simply commute, and the powertrain is all too willing to oblige. Power is predictable and ample, with seamless acceleration that’s always on deck. The sonorous sounds of the straight-six – adjustable independent of drive mode with a rocker switch on the center console – fade in normal driving unless you really bury the accelerator pedal. If you’d like your AMG to simply shut up and play the everyday driver, the 53 series is the way to go.

The standard nine-speed automatic transmission was equally at home on the mountain roads. In Comfort mode, it managed shifts unobtrusively, holding gears as needed while we climbed steep inclines, but kicking down eagerly when the engine was tasked with max acceleration. Despite the presence of a torque converter, the gearbox was plenty fun in manual mode or in the Sport and Sport Plus driving modes too, firing off rapid upshifts and willingly dropping multiple gears with a few pulls of the wheel-mounted paddles. Best of all, in manual mode, the transmission won’t automatically upshift at redline, giving drivers a smidge more control over proceedings.

Unsurprisingly, the roads of the Alps are cold, slick, and snowy in early December. But a Slippery drive mode is available at a twist of the drive mode knob mounted at the steering wheel’s five o’clock position or a tap of the rocker switch on the center console.

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