The new direction is working, Stuttgart has just really picked up speed: the leading position in the battle for the global supremacy of premium manufacturers has been recaptured, new models are being launched on the market every week - the completely new design and technology line, it works best.
Test: Mercedes-Benz GLE 350d Coupe
The best example of this is the GLE 350d Coupé. He is bursting with self-confidence, deliberately playing the card of the powerful emotional statement that this vehicle class seems to be about. Impress. Represent. The new Mercedes Coupé can do that surprisingly well. Mainly because classic restraint has always been the epitome of every Benz. Make an impression, leave prestige and awe on the other road users, but that is more likely to occupy the fat niches today and the GLE Coupé drives up accordingly.
With 21 inch tires, at the back over 30 centimeters wide, the fully equipped test car is so meaty in the arched wheel arches that you almost miss the spoilers, air intakes and racing grilles of the AMG Line trim if there weren't a few wheel arch extensions , Windkanten and other high-gloss details. In general, the same applies to the GLE Coupé, as for any other Mercedes-Benz, that the really fine details can only be drawn from the price list for an additional charge.
Interesting: you decide on profound effects of the vehicle character alone on the crosses set there. The Airmatic package, for example, brings this real sovereignty, this decoupled gliding, the striving to hover above the things you would expect from a Mercedes - and that despite the powerful rims. Of course, that also applies to things that you can not necessarily grab like an air strut, such as the driver assistance package Plus, the automatic climate control in the rear, LED Intelligent Light System and not least the Comand online system.
The power of this concentrated system competence of the GLE 350d Coupé is reflected in how playfully you suddenly deal with it. His size does not bother you when parking, he does it all by itself, he looks for you in the blind spot and keeps the track in the narrow motorway construction site. Not even the diesel engine you perceive more than such. And that although it is still the old aggregate from its predecessor. Meaning: 3.0 liter V6 direct injection, 258PS with 620Nm. The reason for this is the new 9G-Tronic, a marvel of modern mechanical engineering. It glides imperceptibly through the speed levels, keeps the diesel engine solid in its fleshy torque and yet in terms of speed so that you hardly ever hear it penetrate to you.
Despite the chariot look and the practicality that the flat roofline and this coupé rear bring, there is still a lot of old-school Mercedes-Benz to be found. Sure, he's no longer on par with the competition in terms of handling, fuel consumption, even connectivity technology - 3.5 tons of trailer load, well above 600kg payload, and that incredibly confident feeling of driving a Mercedes-Benz, But make him still a recommendation. And if you like the confident appearance, you will like it anyway.
