Hi All!

Let me start with a bit of background. I am DIY car guy. My current car is 2003 SL55 AMG that I have maintained on my own and fixed most common issues on it (many of them) on my own. My SL55 is in perfect shape, properly tuned and i love it. In the past, I had multiple used Audis, Fords, Toyotas, Lexus, Acura, Mazda, etc and had worked on all of them.
I do have my own STAR software running on a laptop. In other words, I am not scared to work on a Benz car if and when needed, but I would HATE to have a car that leaves me stranded on the side of the road. It has to be somewhat reliable and well built.

So, the reason I'm here -- I am looking to buy a "family friendly" car, and keep my SL55 as a weekend car. I have 3 young kids, so having a useful rear seat is very important. I am also looking for something "fun to drive", with very good power & solid handling, for all those times I am running errands, kids' projects, commuting or just taking a long road trip. I love driving, and I want the car I end up buying to put a smile on my face on ANY trip I take to. I usually get bored with cars easily, so I don't want to get a bland, super practical SUV and hate it in 2 years. It has to be comfortable but exciting, not loud but with character, ...and pleasant on long driving stretches too, and do well in the snow/ice (we do 4hr long ski trips).

For the last couple of months I have been looking at a variety of used German SUVs and after driving some Cayennes, X5s, Q7 (wife drives '19 Q7) and a few GLEs .... I am narrowing down my choices down to the Mercedes options - the GLE 43 or the GLE 63.

I am looking at the 2016-18 models. Obviously, the 43 is very different from the 63 under the hood. I know that the GLE 63 is much faster and also uses a lot more gas. I could not fully asses the actual ride quality in the GLE63 vs the 43 since my GLE63 test drive was rather short. It seemed comparable. Maybe i am wrong.

I know it's a long shot and not many people here may have done it, but for those of you who have driven these 2 SUVs (43 & 63) aside from the power and MPG difference, what other reasons can you give me for choosing one over the other? Any additional features/perks (aside from engine) that I get in the 63 vs the 43?

To be more specific, I am currently looking at a 2017 nicely equipped GLE 43 with under 50k miles and 2016 GLE 63 with 50k miles. The 63 is $8k more expensive. Both cars have similar options, but the GLE 43 is one year newer, a bit less miles and comes with Apple Carplay.
The 63 is black on black (not ideal color combo for me - how do you keep a black car clean?) It will come with a short powertrain warranty.
The 43 is silver with black int, but for some reason, it's been sitting on the dealer lot for 5+ months. Car drives well, CARFAX looks really good (1-owner, maintained), price is pretty good too, yet.... why it hasn't sold?!?! No warranty comes with the car, at all, unless I buy extended.

Again, engine aside, .... based on all the above, any other reason I should ignore the 43 and just get the 63? Or ignore the 63 and just get the newer/cheaper 43?

Thanks in advance!

 

43 engine has proven to be very reliable.

63 engine has loads of power but seems to have some mid-life issues - chains, cylinder bores, valves.

43 is a fast 350.

63 is a beast.

63 will eat tires, brakes and gas like no tomorrow.

The 166 platform is fundamentally sound - steering, suspension, brakes, driveline, body and electronics.

 

Also 63 is equipped with Active Curve as standard. This is a very rare option for 43. Besides the obvious - far superior engine and far superior brakes on 63 (I have both 43 and 63 so know the difference intimately) - Active Curve makes significant difference in both ride quality and and handling in favor of 63. Agree with chassis that 63 will eat through brakes (while creating enormous amount of brake dust which 43 does not) and tires like there's no tomorrow (to me it is worth it). Keep in mind that 63 was $30K+ more expensive when new and comparably equipped, so current $8K difference should not be an issues. Just make sure that 63 is a CPO car, if not 43 will probably be "safer" bet without a warranty.

 

Sorry, chassis, completely disagree. 400 IS a fast 350, 43 is a true min-AMG with significantly better handling and braking that 350, not just acceleration. (And the look: do not forget the standard "AMG"/sport 43 exterior which is optional and rare on 350).
I would say the difference between 350 and 43 is not much less that of 43 and 63.

 

Well I don’t see a complete disagreement, the power and acceleration are different. There is agreement on that point.

 

Better comparison would be the 43 is a souped-up version of the 400. I struggle a bit thinking the 43 is a true AMG. Yes, the badge says differently than my thinking but..... There is a pretty big difference between the 43 and 63. If you look at HP, the closer comparison is the 350 or 400. A 63 is in a different league than any of the other 166's.

 

None of the two options will be CPO, unfortunately.

The 63 will come with 4k miles powertrain warranty...with option to extend. It will be a Carmax car with clean history.
The 43 will be "as-is", unless i buy some 3rd party extended warranty coverage.

 

From my experience, you can get a CPO cheaper than Carmax's cost without a warranty. Their prices are very high. Don't be afraid to buy a CPO across the other side of the country and have it shipped.

 

I would be very careful about this. I just purchased a 2018 AMG GLE43 CPO from a dealer that is 120 miles away. I picked it up in the rain. When I drove it home and after I washed it a few days later I noticed some really crappy body work on the drivers door. It had a clear one owner CarFax no accident report so I'm thinking the one owner before me got it fixed off the books. You don't fix a 90k car with bondo and just paint the one damaged panel. I got an estimate from a local Mercedes certified body shop for 1700$ to fix properly, meaning replacing the door skin, and painting the whole side of the car. I called the dealer about this and they agreed to look at it. I once again drove the 240 miles round trip to have them look at it. The used car manager looked at it and agreed it needed to be fixed. I asked if they would like to see the estimate I had from the certified body shop to repair it correctly and they said no, don't worry we will take care of you. So I'm heading back up there on the 16th to drop it off to be repaired. Their giving me a loaner to drive back home with. I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't have a good feeling about this. So just like that when this is hopefully done and over with since I owned it I have driven the 43 mostly to go back and forth to the dealer. But I really like the car...

 

All great comments, very helpful and much appreciated.

Lets talk about reliability of the two models. Maintenance is one thing and i expect it to be required and $$ for a car of this caliber, especially the 63. Brakes, tires, fluids, belts, spark plugs - i am not worried about.

What i am concerned more about is weak points. Leaks? Design flows? Engine issues that require extensive labor and/or engine being removed from car (non DIY stuff), big failures, ticking bomb stuff, transmission issues, frequent sensor issues, etc?

A mechanic i know who works on a lot of AMG cars kind of gave me a 'warning' about the 63. He loves the engine (M157) and the TT power, but he has seen way too many engine issues to be comfortable to recommend it unless I have FULL warranty coverage on it...if i want to keep it a long time. And yes, i am planning to drive this car at least for 100k miles.

Any first hand experience with higher miles 43 or 63 models?

 

In my view the problem with any car with considerable mileage (to me 50K is certainly that) is that there are too many unknowns on how the car was previously used (was it ever raced a lot?, etc.), how exactly it was maintained (forget carfax), "broken in" initially, even what gas was used. I am Ok with keeping 63 passed the warranty period if acquired new or with very low milage(like mine - only 8K, was CPO and I knew the original owner), but am not in this case (too many variables - the new 63 engine alone is more expensive than the car). I would pass on both and would look for CPO 63 only because it provides ability to extend CPO coverage, but if a choice must be made between the two, the realibility uncertainty of 63 (not that there's certainty on 43 either) would make me very reluctantly choose 43.

 

There really is no comparison between the 43 and the 63 in terms of driving experience. I just bought a GLE63s Coupe for my wife, and the sounds and grin factor alone make the jump to the 63 worth the added cost. Cadillac had a great commercial about a decade ago that asked the question "when you turn your car on, does it return the favor?" In the case of the 63 exhaust note, not only will it turn you on, but it will excite any car guy within ear shot. There just is zero comparison if you value the grin factor, and judging by your choice of the 55, I'd say you get that point pretty well. I buy cars for clients with regularity, and swear by buying CPO for anything you intend to put miles on, and given the MB CPO unlimited mile warranty, it's a bit of a no brainer. I have ~$70k in maintenance receipts for warranty work on my CL550, and it runs like a top thanks to the warranty service over the years. So all of that is a long winded way of saying that I completely agree with the comments above, buy a CPO from a dealership anywhere in the country, extend the coverage for the additional two years, and have confidence in the purchase. I might add that I bought the GLE from Houston, and live in CT. The CL was bought CPO in FL and shipped up as well.

 

I've owned both the GLE43 and currently own a GLE63. Both are '17's. The GLE43 was new and the GLE63 was purchased about two months ago with 15K miles. I disagree that the GLE43 is a fast GLE350 as I owned a GLE350 before the GLE63. It's an all-around better car and yes, much faster. In fact, really fast but the GLE63 is a beast.

That said, the GLE63 has a lot of cool stuff on it and is loud even in comfort mode. My wife mentioned it's loud and the dog won't get in it unless forced. She goes in the basement when it rains so you get the gist. For the family, the GLE43 is a better choice. It's quiet enough in comfort mode but sounds very cool in sport plus. I never had a single mechanical problem with mine. The GLE63 had rear brakes replaced and it's in the shop with an intermittent gas gauge issue right now. Fortunately, it's still under warranty for another year. It sat a year on the dealer's lot when new.

 

What a great find a 17 GLE63 with 15k miles !

 

Sounds like my experience with the CL but I owned after the warranty ran out. The ABC costs made me never want to get any vehicle with that suspension. Glad, it seems, they have ditched the system on their new high end vehicles.

 

I test drove the 2016 GLE 63S for 24 hours, and it looks like it's not the car for us, especially this particual one.

The good:
I personally love the exhaust note. In every mode. It's almost a bit too loud for me, but I can live with it, especially if I am not in Sport+ all the time. It's addictive.
The power is definitely there. It's not as fast as my tuned SL55, but it's also a big SUV with a ton of space, etc
I love the brakes and overall handling. It handles in a way that you completely forget you're in a tall SUV. Almost unnatural, in a good way.
I loved the interior (black). Classy and well appointed, more upscale than the "loaded" GLE 43 I drove.

The not so good:
- This was a used 2016 GLE63s, single owner, frequently maintained, yet it did show its age quite a bit. I could hear some annoying clicks/squeaks from the driver seat. Buzzing in the rear door. Pass side rear sunshade was jammed, other random rattles here and there. Car was very clean, but i could see a number of small little details that needed attention, mostly cosmetic. There was also some disturbing grinding/drone sound when i was reversing. Not sure if it's sticking brake pads or something worse, but i could hear it coming out of parking spots. Not reassuring.
- My wife and kids were not happy with the exhaust tone and ride quality. They said that they want the car to be more like my wife's new Q7....or they won't ride in it with me.
- The brake dust was pretty crazy. I put about 100 miles, and yes, the wheels were visibly dusty, very dusty.
- Rear tires were very close to wear marks and dealer did not care. I care, however, since they are not cheap.
- The car was not CPO. The only warranty I can get for it is CarMax's MaxCare but i am not sure how useful that would be when I start sending claims for big item repairs on an AMG.
- I did a ton of research on the M157 engine and there are some pretty serious and very $$$ repairs, none of them DIY, that are looming at higher miles. Lots of scary stories with this engine. This car already had 50k on the clock. I don't want to end up with a $15k engine repair/rebuilt 20k miles from now. And i want to keep the car I get for at least 3-5yrs....or about another 100k miles. You get the idea.
- Unless I can afford a brand new GLE63s or very low miles CPO, I think i should stay away from them, despite all my home mechanic skills/tools. Maintaining my SL55 AMG is one thing, but taking care of the much more complex (and seems much more problematic M157 engine) AMG SUV, are two different things. Plus... the SL55 AMG is my "fun car", extra car. The SUV will be my "daily driver", do errands with car, go to dinner with wife car, drive to ski resorts in bad weather car, etc. I can't have it in the garage for 2+ weeks.

Looks like I will be focusing on the GLE 43 AMG or some other similar options, still fun, but more family friendly. Not a ton of good options, unfortunately. Looks like I am limited to the GLE 43, Cayenne S/GTS or maybe BMW X5 with a V8? Like I said, I want the extra power+fun in a family friendly package.

Thank you all for your feedback. I think you all were spot on in your recommendations and cautions.

 

There's no way to justify the 63 other than just wanting the top trim and willing to pay for it. It's a great car. I have a GLE 63 and love it but it's not for everyone and I also don't drive that much, 5k/year.