After ending 2015 as India's largest-selling luxury car manufacturer with 15 new model launches, Mercedes-Benz is back with the first launch of 2016. This time, it is the hot new GLE Coupe in its all-conquering AMG guise that has landed on Indian shores. Imported as a Completely Built Unit (CBU), the GLE Coupe is priced at INR 86.40 Lakhs, ex-showroom Mumbai. It isn't cheap but what makes it more value for money is the fact that the BMW X6 M Sport, its immediate rival, is priced significantly higher.
Thanks to the X6, this whole 'SUV/Crossover Coupe' thing caught the fancy of premium car buyers big time forcing rivals including Mercedes-Benz to come up with similar models of their own. As its nomenclature indicates, the GLE Coupe is based on the regular GLE SUV but gets a couple-like roofline and a sloping rear, a design trait that premium car buyers can't seem to love enough. Distinguishing the GLE Coupe at the front is a big single-slat grille and a muscular bumper with massive air dams. A prominent character line cuts across the profile passing through the door handles while the humongous 21-inch AMG alloys fill out the wheel wheels completely and some more. The horizontal taillights are lifted straight off Mercedes' sports cars and look fabulous while the roof spoiler, dual exhausts and chrome-finished skid plate hints at the potential lying under the GLE Coupe's hood.
Powered by a 3.0-liter, bi-turbo V6 petrol engine, the GLE Coupe churns out 362 horsepower and a whopping 520 Nm of torque. It is paired to a 9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic transmission that offers the driver five different modes to choose from. These include Individual, Comfort, Slippery, Sport and Sport Plus. With such power and torque, expect this vehicle to be a stonker on roads!
Luxurious, high-quality interiors have been a Mercedes-Benz forte and the new GLE Coupe does little to change that. Being an AMG, its sporty nature has not been tamed down too as evident by the three-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel, brushed stainless steel pedals and sporty front seats. The infotainment system is the familiar 'floating' unit with a 8-inch display. The updated COMMAND system has navigation, voice commands and WLAN hotspot functionality too apart from the regular stuff. Safety suite includes six airbags and a host of active safety features like Crosswind Assist, Attention Assist, Adaptive High Beam Assist Plus, Adaptive Brake Lights and Preventive Occupant Protection System dubbed PRE-SAFE.
The GLE 450 AMG Coupe is the twelfth AMG model launched by Mercedes-Benz in India. If sales of the AMG-badged Mercs in 2015 is anything to go by, the GLE 450 AMG Coupe will be a hot property in many a luxury households in India. Should the BMW X6 M be worried? Hell yes!
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