CarNut01

GLE43_Sube

Well, let's see. Here's my list of why I purchased the Coupe:

• Style
• Exclusivity
• Safety Features
• Reliability
• Performance
• Handling
• All-wheel Drive
• Sport+ Mode
• AMG Exhaust Sound
• Harman/Kardon LOGIC7® sound system
• Fun Factor

I have to say, I don't buy cars very often. When I do, it has to be something that REALLY excites me. I mean REALLY! It can't just be something I like a lot. I have to be in love with the car. The Coupe fits that bill. I've always considered myself somewhat of an iconoclast. I carve my own path. I dance to the beat of my own drum. I prefer to be seen as a leader, not a follower. If everyone else is doing one particular thing, I'll do just the opposite just to be different. To those who know me, it shouldn't be a surprise that my choice in a vehicle didn't waver from this same philosophy. I love the fact that this vehicle is so unique. I catch people staring at my car while it's parked. They walk the full circumference in awe! While I'm driving, people pull up next to me, look down at the car, look back up at me and then give me the thumbs up. I must admit, that kind of attention does make you feel pretty special. These are the things that initially attracted me to the Coupe.

However, none of that would matter if I didn't also love the above features. It's like meeting an attractive person for the first time. At first, you're enamored. You love their eyes, their hair, their physique or their scent, etc., etc., etc. That's what first lures you in. But, if beyond your initial impressions you discover they're obnoxious, cruel, rude or argumentative, you quickly lose interest. They must be the total package. The Coupe "is" the total package. It's sleek, sexy, unique and it has the performance to match all of those attributes. Sure, if your primary goal is practicability, then the SUV might better suit your taste. But I don't buy cars to be "practical". I buy cars that get my blood flowing....cars that excite me. Personally, I don't care about the loss of a few inches in cargo space. I don't need it, so that's a nonissue.

Where I live, the Porsche and Land Rover are a dime a dozen. They're so common, I'm tired of looking at them. The Ford Explorer looks just like a Land Rover. Why would I spend $100,000 for a car that's constantly confused with a Ford? There are cars that cost far more than the GLE Coupe, yet still don't have the same exclusivity. I love that. In fact, I regularly check my local dealer's inventory to make sure they DON'T have a lot of Coupes. If the Coupe is too similar to your ML and you want a new infotainment system, you might have to wait for the next gen. I don't expect the dashboard to get an upgrade until the next generation is released. It wouldn't make sense for them to release a completely redesigned dash and then a year or two later redesign the body. I used to ALWAYS look forward to the next gen of any model car. Now, I'm not so quick to do that. Sometimes, they take a step backward in design. In an effort to be different, they end up ruining the design. Have you seen spy shots of the 2019 GLE SUV? Fugly!

I'm not sure I would have bought this car without the Active Curve System. Tipping the scales at almost 5,000 lbs. and having a high center of gravity, I doubt I would like the way it takes curves without the ACS. I would certainly recommend you test drive one with and without this feature. Also, there are no winter or all-season tires that fit the 22" optional wheels. You need to know that if you live in Canada.

I hope this helps you make a decision. Ultimately, it's a personal choice. I still find myself sneaking out to the garage just to take a look at this gorgeous beauty, and I've had her for almost a year now. All I can say is that "for me", I know I made the right choice. I have absolutely no regrets. In the end, that's all that really matters.....that YOU are happy.

CarNut01

CarNut01

GLE43_Sube

You're welcome. I guess you can tell by my reply that I am quite passionate about the car. I view professional reviews with a grain of salt. They're all subjective and they tend to expose the reviewer's biases toward/against certain brands. Also, those reviewers only have the car for a short period of time.....sometimes only hours. It takes months to learn all of the features of this vehicle. I saw one professional review where the person said this car didn't even have an external release for the rear hatch. That showed he didn't even bother to read the manual. Reviews from regular consumers carry a lot more weight with me. As far as dynamism, there's more power and vigor than you'll ever need. Was the 43 SUV you test drove the AMG version? If not, this is a completely different animal. I would strongly suggest you go on the MB website (link below) and search for a dealer that has the Coupe in stock. Even if you find one, you still need to actually call the dealer to confirm it's physically there. Sometimes, after a sale they don't immediately update their website. Other times, they'll list a vehicle as being "in stock", when it's only scheduled to be delivered. You have to test drive the Coupe before buying, even if it means taking a long drive to find one. The total weight, weight ratio, aerodynamics, wheel size, etc. are all different. Needless to say, this affects handling. Visibility? Front and side visibility is just fine. The first time you drive the Coupe, you'll notice the rear window seems small. The rear glass itself is huge, but because of the sloped angle, visibility is somewhat diminished. After your first drive, you'll be used to it. From there on out, it'll seem normal. You can see rear traffic fine and you won't be using the window at all for parking. Between the four cameras, parking sensors and headliner mounted LEDs, I don't use the rear window at all for parking. Even with these visual aids, I still turn around and look over my shoulders as well, as should everyone. There's no technology that will ever replace that.

https://www.mercedes-benz.ca/en/dealers

I almost never use the license-plate mounted trunk release. I forget it's even there. As you mentioned, the button on the remote is more convenient. No, the foot-activated rear hatch release is not available on the Coupe. They're nice, but I ALWAYS prefer to open the rear hatch before I get to the car, so I would never use that. I guess I'm impatient. I don't want to have to stand at the rear of the car and wait five seconds for it to completely open. For reasons of security, I do love the fact that the release is so well hidden. The average thief would not even know it exists, as did the previously mentioned reviewer.

If you do decide to get the car, I'll be right here to answer all of your questions. Good luck in whatever you decide to go with!

cadman_ks

In typical fine fashion, GLE43 knocked it out of the park again!

My list is pretty much the same as his:

Well, let's see. Here's my list of why I purchased the Coupe:

• Style - I love the fact that it's this HUGE car. I tell people that it's an SUV sized CAR. They don't understand what that means until they see it, and then they go, that thing's HUGE, and I just smile.
• Exclusivity - We live 30 miles from the dealership in po-dunkville, so there won't be any where we are. I personally have never seen another one in the city that we got ours in, a city of about 400,000, BUT my ex-brother-in-law told me recently that he had seen one in the city. I do know that there's at least one more in the city.
• Safety Features - We got every safety feature there was, except wipers and active roll (or whatever that's called). The wipers are probably a bigger safety feature than the suspension one
• Reliability
• Performance - Nice and quick for a 5000lb vehicle. I'm happy.
• Handling
• All-wheel Drive
• Sport+ Mode - 'Nuf said
• AMG Exhaust Sound - 'Nuf said
• Fun Factor - 'Nuf said

But, there's one more thing that both me any my wife LOVE about this vehicle. When people notice the car, and come and talk to you about. It's almost like some people see it, and they think it's a Lamborghini or something that they have never seen. We actually had a guy follow us into a parking lot recently, in a late model Vette, which was a GORGEOUS car (and I'm not really a Vette guy), and he tells us that he LOVES the car, and that he's never seen one in the wild before. My wife was Xmas shopping in December, and she had a lady come up to her in the parking lot and talk to her about the car. I LOVE that stuff! It's fun to talk to people who realize that the car is a unique vehicle...

jester1

Style - I love the fact that it's this HUGE car. I tell people that it's an SUV sized CAR. They don't understand what that means until they see it, and then they go, that thing's HUGE, and I just smile

It's stylishly chunky,but my wife's Volvo S90 sedan is much longer (a negative for her)

Like the seat height for a 'car',both for drivers vision & easier to get in & out.

Turns the corner like it's glued to the rode.I don't feel the lean.

Thought I'd be the only one in my area with one.Turns out a guy three blocks from me got the same model,same color.What are the odds

GLE43_Sube

The size can be somewhat deceiving. Sometimes I'll look at my car from a distance and it looks almost compact. Then, I'll walk up close and it looks like a beast.....aggressive, bold and monstrous! I read a review where they called it the "Frankenstein Monster" of SUVs. That's kind of appropriate when you think about it. Frankenstein was made from the parts of different dead bodies. So MB took the sloping roof line from an E-Class coupe, the front end from a GLE SUV and those massive 22" wheels from a fire truck. LOL. I love it!

cadman_ks

This is actually one of the reasons that we ended up with a GLE43. 2 vehicles ago, we had an MB E320 CDI. Absolutely FABULOUS car. The wife wanted to get rid of it, and get an SUV, so we ended a VW Touareg TDI. That was an absolutely fabulous vehicle as well, and of all of the 4WD/AWD vehicles that I have driven, the VW was by far away the best in AWD situations. Unbelievable. But, the VW got caught up in Dieslegate, and when they give you 65% of what you paid for it, and you've owned it for 6 years, you let them have it back, without any questions.

Fast forward to the GLE... When it became apparent that we were not going to keep the VW, we decided to go back to MB, since our first experience was so good. My wife wanted to go BACK to a car. I told her that I didn't want any part of a car anymore, after owning an SUV. I liked the higher ingress/egress. She wasn't convinced, UNTIL we went and sat in a 2017 E-Class. She was fine getting in, but struggled getting out, and so the search was on for another SUV. I found the GLE and fell in love, and the rest was history.

As you age, you really appreciate the higher seats in SUV's. It will be hard for us to ever go back to a "car"...

cadman_ks

I've had that very thing happen to me. As your walking towards it, it doesn't look all that big, but then you get there, and WOW! This typically happens when you park in a parking lot far away from other cars, so there's nothing to compare size against. In the sticks is the ONLY place that we park.

I love this!!! ^^^

GLE43_Sube

Absolutely! My feelings exactly. I will NEVER go back to a car. I always wanted the style and sexiness of a car, but loved the hatchback and height of an SUV. When they came up with the idea of an SUV Coupe, they must have been reading my mind. That sloped back, especially from a profile view, changes the GLE from a shoe box on wheels to a sports car on steroids.

jester1

"Do you also have the ACS? If so, I'm sure that's ACS kicking in. Without it, this would defy the laws of physics.
"

Got me.I just turn the corner at speed,& the GLE stays glued to the street.

CarNut01

GLE43_Sube

CarNut, thanks for the link. The final release was not that far off from the prototype, which is rare. Usually, there's a drastic difference between the two.