This is a review for the 2017 AMG GLE 43 Coupe.

Exterior:
Obsidian Black Metallic. Different from Black when you are up close and personal but not that much from five or more feet away, so, save the 700 + dollars.

The car looks beautiful when the wheels are turned outside. As my friend put it best, “the car means business, take my fun seriously”. The wheels, oh the wheels, it is impossible to comprehend the size (at least for me) until you see this in person. I went with the 22” and the rears are 325/35/R22, they are massive and impressive. The headlights are impressive, I come from a 2106 E 400 with the lighting package, to see it standard here was nice. The adaptive headlights are cool and useful, not having to worry to turn the Hi-Beam on and off, small things make a big difference. The rear side of the car is pretty intimidating. I am 5’8”, I am dwarfed by how high the rear of the car sits.

Interior: Sport Black Leather with Red Stitching. Seats are very comfortable. The red stitching pushes the character up a notch. Everyone commented on the red stitching saying how well it goes with the black. There was no learning curve for me on the technology, transitioning from the E 400. Like the hard buttons to access everything. Technology blends well without it being too much of a focus, unlike my wife’s 2014 MDX which can be overwhelming for a few folks.
Back seat room is adequate and comfortable, no complaints. Entry and exit is also easy. Don’t bother spending money on the running boards, IMHO, not worth it. Heated and Cooled cup holders do work, although it takes a full half hour for a bottle of water to start cooling. Center console area adequate for storage. Two USB ports in the console area. Second one supports Apple Car Play and speaking of car play, total disappointment. Fact that you cannot do anything with the command system when car play is in play is just plain ridiculous. This is not even a Beta in my opinion. Car cools really fast. I didn’t get the 3-zone climate control and I was a little concerned earlier, not anymore. When set to auto the car blows cold air at the maximum in the initial few minutes to cool the cabin and the slows down completely. You can turn the wheel up/down to control air flow in the read cabin. Air vents only in the center for the rear passengers, nothing on the pillars, another question I had asked in the forum. Trunk storage is not as bad as I thought it would be.

Ride Quality: Is really good. The car is heavy, you feel it but there is always enough power to spare and you never get a feeling that the engine is working harder than it needs to. Passing power is adequate. 9G is great, don’t get the feeling that car is hunting for the right ratio. Stay with Comfort or Sport in stop and go traffic, Sport + on the open highways. In the sport and sport + mode, you do hear the hum of the engine, while music to my ears, my wife questioned that. Braking is fine although at times you feel a little awkwardness on your feet, not sure what it is, nothing major or cause for concern.

Sound System: Bang & Olufsen. Someone in another post mentioned that you need to get the B&O only If you play your music loud. I have to disagree. Loudness does not equate Fidelity. The sound is amazing in this system. My E 400 had the HK system, although not a 1-1 comparison, the HK (IMHO) is no match for the sound quality of the B&O. Hotel California (Hell freezes Over), you can actually hear Joe Walsh’s guitar. Lots of other examples: Dire Straits, Roger Waters: The Wall – Live in Berlin, Diana Krall etc. I wish I was more eloquent to describe the Sonic bliss, but alas, I realize, luxuries like this cannot be explained, only experienced. Is it worth the extra 4K, I don’t think so, I would pay 2 K more as a premium, tops. I still worry about the lack of spare because of the B&O, can’t believe they can’t solve this problem. But when I turn the music on, I am comfortably numb.

Gripes:
No grab handles in front or Back. Not sure why they decided not to do this. Bad move.
No Dead pedal in the front, feels like your left foot is dangling without one.
Car Play is surely a disappointment
Totally not convinced about the Heated/Cooled cup holders in the front.
No wipers in the back, even a tiny one would be helpful when it is pouring.

Closing: This is a fantastic machine. Looks great, sounds great, rides great. There is exclusivity in this model. Will I recommend this, Absolutely!

I hope someone finds this info useful, If there is anything specific, let me know and I will be more than happy to share the info.

 

Nice write up! +1 on car play being AWFUL.

 

No dead pedal? Do you mean no left foot footrest? That is inconceivable to me! I test drove several GLE's and did not notice this...It's a really big deal to me.

 

Super write up, thanks for that. For the rear tires, you mean 325/35/22 right?

 

Fixed, thanks.

 

I thought the climate controlled cup-holders were a useless ($250 CAD) joke, but I keep finding myself using them, it's now a running gag between my wife and I. Why not use them if they are there? I expected the temperature to be colder, and the base to be cooled/heated as well as the walls, but in the end, it comes down to whether your container has a "full contact" area on the cup holder walls to exchange the heat.

 

Great review...waiting for our 2017 GLE43 Coupe...eta late Oct. we are going from 2012 ML350 BT Obsidian black. IMHO the Obsidian black is far superior to other blacks. Like its namesake, it gives a great depth of colour. Moreover after 4+ years there are no swirls. It is difficult to adequately describe the brilliance of this black especially when freshly polished. Of course this is always subjective.

Thanks for taking time to share your experience

 

01. Soft close doors, am not really sure this works. The doors close softly once they make contact with the body. I feel like a fool telling people, just close the doors so it touches the frame, then it will close automatically. Seriously, if MB can figure can lock all doors with a button on the handle, can't they extend it to close the doors softly once I touch (another) button in the handle. Is it too much to ask or am I missing something.
02. Sun glasses holder. I am glad they added one, my E 400 didn't have one. But man, do they really need to make it so shallow, My Oakleys need to be placed in ONE particular way so that the darn holder closes.
03. Washing. This is a chore as much as I love it. can't reach the windshield fully or the rears. Forget wiping the top of the car dry. Need a stool or a ladder.

Still loving it and would recommend it. A head turner always, people come to you to tell you it is a nice ride, on the spooky side, someone came to me and asked me money for gas !

 

No Swirl marks? Is there something in Obsidian black that prevents the light scratches? I thought it is just a similar paint with metallic dust.

 

Ha ha, I think it goes with all SUV. they are taller than sedan

 

In a way, I am glad that 2017 GLE 43 Coupe has the same engine as the 450 AMG line. So I don't kick myself in the head for not waiting a year.

But, I am surprised that MB didn't use the same engine/turbo/ECU program as the new E43 that's coming out next year, which has 3.0L V6 biturbo engine - 396 hp, 384 lb-ft of torque.

I can see that C43 uses the current engine with smaller turbos and a different ECU program since it is a smaller car. But GLE is a big, heavier car than E43. MB should have used the same E43 engine on it.

 

Luxury car manufacturers once used nano technology in the paint that gave a hard ceramic type finish. While fact checking to reply to your question, it looks like this technology is no longer used and I am not sure what the new paint technology is. I know that only certain paint shops are approved by MB to repaint Mercedes Benz vehicles. In general I have seen the other shades of black and they have swirls even on newer vehicles. The washing and care process plays an important role in this outcome.

On our obsidian black I always hand waxed using the McGuire 3 - step wax. It seems to be relatively easy to work with. I take time and care to have separate wash/rince water buckets and never cross contaminate the buckets used to clean the lower rocker panels/wheels and the rest of the vehicle. I use warm softened soapy water with cold rince. Drying and polishing is done with clean soft microfibre cloths. The cloths are changed frequently to mitigate the chance of picking up even the smallest abrasive material that will contribute to swirls and/or scratches. You may conclude that this is not a quick process but the payoff is worth the result and subsequent in between washes are easier with the the brilliant shine staying strong. Hope this helps.

 

Wait - you have oakleys?

 

Awesome write up. I also ordered a GLE43 coupe from Indianapolis MB dealer. They told me the car is about to be built last 10 days of October, and is delivered first 10 days of November. I am not sure about the information they provided to me, anyone would help me verify that? I am so glad my dad is buying a GLE43 for me, while I am just a college boy, I can't wait to see and drive this car. It looks so gorgeous and is beautifully stylized.

 

Does anyone who own a 2017 GLE 43 Coupe tell me if you have AMG menu on the instrument cluster? It is something that I would like to have on my 2016 450, be able to check engine oil, transmission temp, coolant temp without having to check engine data on my comand every time!

 

Wow, nice writeup and if I understand correctly, the AMG GLE43 has no spare tire.. or only the B&O equipped coupes ?

 

You should have asked for the 63S! ha ha. JK. 43 is a very nice car already.
20 years ago, I got a Mitsubishi 3000 GT as a high school graduation present. Back then, it was already a very nice car for high school kid. Did not know much about BMW and Mercedes, thought they were old man's car..

 

Good for you guys! The only thing I got as a college graduation gift was a pat on the back. The GLE43 is an amazing gift. You're lucky to have a car like that in college. Enjoy it and be careful!

 

Baobay

Are you Chinese?

 

No I'm not. My wife is Taiwanese. Baobay was the name of our first dog.

 

I am Taiwanese, too. Ni Hao!

 

Ni Hao.
I love Taiwan. Amazing county. My wife is from Tainan.
Most of the Mercedes there are diesel and V4 since they get hit with heavy taxes based on the engine size.

 

Does the 2017 GLE 43 Coupe have the Performance Exhaust standard? The 2017 C 43 options/pricing is now on mbusa showing:

AMG Performance Exhaust System for $1,250

Computer-controlled vanes near the tailpipes of the AMG C63 exhaust system also let the driver escalate its sound at the push of a button.

 

I am originally from Kaohsiung. Just south of Tainan.

Yes, Taiwan and Asia has more smaller engine models. With taxation being 100%, the price on a 300, or 320, 350 is enough to buy AMG 63s models here!

 

Wow did not know so many Taiwanese here. I am from Kaohsiung also !