Having had the car for 7 months and driven 11k miles on it, thought I'd give it a full review before this gets traded for the 63s when it gets here.


Exterior/Look:

Car looks gorgeous and this is one of those cars that doesn't get boring on you after owning, you still enjoy seeing it and walking up to it. What surprised me was how much attention it gets when driving around town and even when parking in lots full of audis/bmws/porsche's etc, this one stands out. Had multiple occasions of getting out the car and having people walk up and ask about it or point and talk about different elements of the car to the people with them.

Interior/infotainmnet:

This is the best interior being made by the germans in this segment hands down when we factor everything, the aesthetics, functionality, seats, and infotainment. Shopped this against audi/bmw/porsche and they're not in the same level. The dual screen infotainment is done so well and just blows them away. While there is a learning curve, once you learn how to use it, it really is next level. The functionality and customization it allows you to have while being easy to use (once you learn it) is phenomenal. The dual screen layout and ambient lighting are taken to an even higher level at night. Shopping for a urus as well and this interior just stands out which is ridiculous factoring it's several times the price of this car. Mercedes really is the king in this segment right now. Just make sure you get the panoramic roof, espeically on the SUV, it adds a lot to the experience when driving day and night.

Handling:

Phenomenal. It is out of this world. I've taken this car up to 145MPH and it handles like a nimble agile sports car. This is without the dynamic package too! Even putting it in ESP sport and tearing it up it still handles and grips so well, I'm seriously amazed at the performance that comes standard with this car, the way it responds perfectly to input at low and high speeds while maintaining grip and avoiding body roll is truly impressive. Day to day driving the handling is just as impressive. Switching between comfort to sport or sport plus tightens up the response and gives you the ability to decide what car you want to drive at the flick of the wheel.

Brakes:

Since this doesn't have the dynamic plus package this has the standard small silver brakes. These are perfectly fine if you are doing city/DD driving, performance wise they are too weak. They don't have strong stopping power and overheat pretty quickly under the load of this big tank. It would be better to have the upgraded brakes on here for this reason, but if you don't plan on driving it like that you can easily skip them as these are perfect for everything else.

Performance:

Here I'm talking about the acceleration and overall performance of the car as a "fast sports SUV." Unfortunately this is where I have to knock it down. With a 0-60 times of 5.3 seconds (you can get 5.0 seconds) it feels slow after owning it. When I first got this car it felt faster than it was (new car honeymoon) but after owning it and driving it, it doesn't feel fast at all. It feels like a solid DD but definitely not an AMG when it comes to speed/performance, especially when you factor how many cars on the market can easily blow past 5.3 seconds 0-60. Granted this is an SUV but the M50i is doing 0-60 in 4.1, I'd like to see Mercedes do the same with this in the next refresh and to be honest there would be no reason to go faster for a DD and especially if the price point stays the relatively the same.

Transmission:

This is another area I have to knock this car down. Since I got the car I've had what many people experienced which is that massive LURCH when your slowing down and the car shifts from 3rd to 2nd gear. When I first had it, it would happen more often and would almost throw you against the steering wheel. Now it has smoothened out to the point that it happens very rarely, but it is still something that is not acceptable for a car at this price point. After doing research, I found that many people had to bug their dealers about this and eventually got it diagnosed correctly as metal shards in the transmission leading to a complete warranty replacement. If you have this issue and plan to keep this car for a long time I recommend you do the same.

The transmission also has a hard time finding the right gear to shift down to when you press the accelerator pedal hard and you are already driving. When you do this from a standstill in any mode, it works like a charm, the car revs up hard and shifts later up to redline depending on the mode. The issue I'm talking about is when you are already driving. If you have been driving and driving comfortably, meaning not accelerating hard, the transmission down regulates the accelerator pedal to the point that you will press it down hard and it will shift down but not to the right gear to give you significant acceleration. This is not just in comfort mode, although it is the worst in this mode, but even in sports+, it will down regulate which is bonkers. I've had situations where I almost got rear ended trying to get into traffic because I slammed the pedal to the ground in comfort mode and the car did nothing for a second before it lazily started to move. The transmission simply does not respond well to how hard you press the gas pedal when you've been driving slowly and comfortably. I don't understand what mercedes was doing with this system since it messes with the driving experience. If I'm in sport, I want sport response regardless of how I've been accelerating. The worst culprit is comfort which will literally do nothing for a second before it moves so be aware of this and it can happen even when you're at a standstill sometimes. Even in sport+ I've had periods where you'll slow down or start accelerating gently for a period then when you go to slam the pedal down it will not immediately find the right gear but do this lazy dance. You then have to manually downshift and then resume hard acceleration before the transmission now knows you're driving style is "performance."


Long rant, but don't use comfort in traffic if you want to merge quickly, you might get rear ended.

Sound System:

The base burmeister is underwhelming and without using surround sound effect it sounds very bad. If you are an audiophile please get the high end 3d or you will be sorry. In addition to the cool led tweeters you get many more speakers and a real sub + a greatly improved music experience and it is worth having that installed from the factory and done properly.

Comfort/Ambiance:

The car is very comfortable and quiet with the acoustic comfort package and even with the AMG performance exhaust, when you turn it off it immediately turns into a serene luxurious driving experience where you can turn on the music, massage seats, enable the autonomous driving and sit back and relax. All that's missing is the car serving you a drink. If you value a quiet & comfortable cabin the ACP is a must. DD driving in this is great, in comfort mode it drives well and is comfortable UNLESS you are riding in the backseat. The ride in the backseat is night and day from the front. You feel every bump much harder, it is not as smooth and comfortable. You definitely feel that this car was optimized for the two front seats and the rear are an afterthought when it comes to comfort. Since I don't ever sit in the back it's not my problem, but get your kids a helmet if you live in a bumpy city like me.


Issues/Maintenance/Cost:

The two other issues/bugs I had with the car was twice the bluetooth failed to start and I had to turn the car off wait a while and turn it on and another recently where the AC wasn't working, it would not blow cold air unless it was in low and that was because I tried adjusting it while the car was starting. I turned it off, waited for the computer to turn off, turned it back on and it was working perfectly and has been ever since. These software type of glitches are annoying and should be sorted out. The same can be said for the sensors, there are a lot of phantom detections where the car detects your next to something or a car will drive by then 5 seconds later flash red all around you. Thankfully these don't happen all the time but they happen enough to be noticeable.

I had a bad rattle that I would hear at 4k RPM when accelerating hard. Took it in and it was found to come from the rear left door panel, had it replaced completely and it went away. Another ongoing issue is the rear right window must be reset quite often. It will not come up automatically when it bugs out and you have to do the reset process for it to work properly, which is annoying, probably can take it in for a fix but something to be aware of as well.

Service A + Alignment was $560 best price from a stealership near me with others quoting $750-800.

Had a nail go into a rear tire sidewall that I replaced for $780 since i drive extremely fast and the last thing I want is a blown tire in the middle of nowhere at night.

Other than that the car was great.



Overall:

Given everything, even with the slow performance of the 0-60, this car is phenomenal, love it, and it's a great DD/SUV addition to any fleet especially for what you're getting at this price segment, no other competitor comes close, strongly recommend this car.

 

I've been having the same 3-2 shift shock on my 2021 GLE63S.

Thanks for your letting us know that the cause may be metal shards in the tranny.

 

Did you end up getting GLE 63s? I am trying to buy new 2024 GLE 63S SUV with some hefty discount, but dealer is only offering 10k off msrp.
Our next option is 2025 GLE 53S SUV , I think 0-60 is 4.7 sec..

 

Huh, metal shards? How come?

 

Hmmm that post was 3 years ago.

 

Yes I did, worth every penny. The active ride control suspension, upgraded brakes, and engine are night and day difference. Just make sure it has the options you want since simple things like 4 zone climate control are an option.

 

I'm sure there are no complaints about the 0-60 times of the 63! I've had mine for just over a year and I still have a huge smile on my face every time I hit the gas and hear that exhaust roar. I had a 53 on order when my 450 lease expired and I was lucky to land an incredible deal on the 63 and never looked back. The only issue I have now is where to go from here? Absolutely nothing out there interests me ....

 

Great upgrade!

 

I am still going through break in period. But did something very foolish by engaging the gear and unknowingly drove it about two minutes on the low gear on the high rpm. I am hoping the rev limiter saved me. winding high pitch noise was there until I flipped the switch to the comfort mode. But no more noise or alarm. Other than that, wow.. this car is amazing. I do have one complain. There is no side step other than the black carbon fiber on the side. How do you jump in and out? I am 5'10" and my wife is 5' 6" . And there is no handle you can grab..
I can't get the self parking to work right for my garage. Are you using the self parking? I have put 180 miles on it now and also purchased 11 year 120k mile extended warranty for the safety.
I was told not to go above 85 mph until 1000 mile mark. But rpm wise, I hit the 6000 rpm on the low gear already..

 

I read your posts and went with 2024 GLE 63s instead of 53s. 2024/2025 is faster on 53s.. Now I am still under 1000 mile break in period and need to keep it easy
and below 85mph. When I am parking in my garage, it want to take off with so much power. In the beginning, it was bit scary. I now have 230 miles total and loving every minute. Little tall on getting in and out. My seat will probably wear out bit faster with me sliding in and out. Other than that, it is lovely car.
Thank you for the through review.

 

You might try the setting "Lower on getting in," which lowers the car to Sport+. (Or Sport, depending on the model, but it's lower.)

Use the "Car" button on the console to access the menu. Before you turn the engine off.
Unfortunately you have to do this every time, as it's not a permanent setting.