Say Hello to the New Mercedes GLE Coupe

By Jonathon Klein - December 10, 2014

Yesterday, Mercedes-Benz finally took the cover off its long-gestating BMW X6 fighter, the GLE Coupe. My initial impression is that it looks…interesting. I’m not sure how else to describe this crossover’s styling without incurring the wrath of ze Germans, but I will say it’s definitely not as sensual as that of a Ferrari.

The new GLE Coupe looks as if it were put together using the leftover parts from countless other Mercedes vehicles. Both the headlights and taillights are similar to those on the S-Class Coupe (something buyers of that car will not appreciate). The front end appears to be an elongated version of that found on the 2015 C-Class. The middle seems to be ripped straight from the new GLA. Basically, the GLE is like Frankenstein’s monster.

It doesn’t look as if this car were designed, but that the engineers were told they only had five bucks to put together a vehicle. They could’ve used any of the spare parts lying around the garage, but they only had 15 minutes.

The GLE will be the first Mercedes to use the company’s new SUV naming system. It will also be the first Mercedes offered in the AMG Sport trim level. With that Sportline designation, the GLE will receive the AMG twin-turbo V6, which makes 367 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque, before any other M-B does.

This visual mashup will also be available with another power plant here in the United States: a detuned twin-turbo V6 that makes 333 hp and 354 lb-ft. It’s rumored that Mercedes will show off a GLE63 AMG next year that will use the already-ubiquitous 4.0L twin-turbo V8 from the AMG GT, C63, and upcoming 2017 E63.

No matter what your views are regarding the GLE Coupe, it will probably sell like hotcakes. Mercedes broke into a huge demographic with both the CLA and GLA, and the company is eager to keep sales figures like the ones those models generated going. There’s nothing more popular right now than crossovers, and the three-pointed star knows it.

While many of us won’t like the styling, or, really, the entire car, it’s still going to appeal to a huge number of people. It will most likely outsell the BMW X6 because, compared to that, this is a Ferrari.