Yahoo Autos 6 thoughts about the 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 SUV
DETROIT — I would have scoffed at the 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 SUV a few short years ago. It’s not an AMG. Those have raucous 6.3-liter V8s. They’re sports cars or sedans. They’re definitely not SUVs. I would have been wrong.
After a week in this GLE and a decade watching AMG’s evolution, I’m convinced the proper notion is not what isn’t an AMG. Rather, the proper mindset is how do you use your AMG?
Here are six thoughts on the 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLE SUV
1. This is an AMG
It has everything you need. A rockin’ engine that sounds the part thanks to the AMG quad exhaust. Big 22-inch wheels. A hunkered-down stance — it’s almost slammed. A huge grille. The power and design work together to create an AMG experience that’s authentic in any era. I was ready for plenty of cognitive dissonance as I rationalized why the GLE grocery-getter should be worthy of an AMG badge, but it quickly dissipated.
2. It starts with the motor
The 53 runs an AMG variant of Mercedes’ well-received straight-six engine. The turbocharged unit with hybrid assist technology makes 429 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, enabling sprints to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. Teamed with the nine-speed automatic transmission, it’s quick, eager, filled with character and refined when you want to just cruise. I had to make an emergency stop on the side of Interstate 75 to secure a door that wasn’t closed. Once battened down, I then needed to merge with traffic from a dead stop. I twisted the knob mounted in the steering wheel to Sport, mashed the gas and was doing the posted speed in no time.
If you really need to, you can step up to the biturbo 4.0-liter V8 in the GLE 63 and the more AMG-sounding 603 hp, but I don’t really think it’s necessary for how most people will use a GLE. When smaller engines began to proliferate AMG’s engine lineup in the early 2010s, some enthusiasts cried foul, arguing anything but the 6.3-liter naturally aspirated V8 codenamed M156 was blasphemy.
Really? I’d rather live in the moment and enjoy a modern vehicle for all it offers. Sure, those 6.3-liter AMGs were legends. But memories can get gauzy. Case-in-point: Those motors were actually 6.2-liters (6,208 cc)
