Mercedes AMG GLE 63S
577 HP 5.5L V8 BITURBO Coupe
175 MPH, 4.0s 0-60, 561 Ft-Lbs
The only view most people will ever see of a 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S Coupe, 13 May 2018. 23/60.7 cubic feet cargo capacity, 193.6" long, 5,379 pounds, 9.3 pounds per HP, 38.7' turning circle.
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April 2019 Car Reviews All Reviews
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S Coupe, 26 October 2018, 9:14 A.M. iPhone Xs Max wide 4.2mm wide camera, f/1.8 at 1/6,897 at Auto ISO 25, Snapseed and Perfectly Clear. bigger.
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S Coupe, 14 December 2018, 4:51 PM. Nikon Z7, Nikon 24-70mm f/4 Z set to 49mm, f/4 hand-held at 1/8 at Auto ISO 250, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution file or camera-original unprocessed © JPG file.
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S Coupe, 14 December 2018, 4:52 PM. Nikon Z7, Nikon 24-70mm f/4 Z set to 52mm, f/4 hand-held at 1/8 at Auto ISO 280, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution file or camera-original unprocessed © JPG file.
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S Coupe, 21 May 2018. Canon 5DS/R, Tamron 100-400mm at 125mm, f/10 at 1/30 hand-held at Auto ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.5. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original file.
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S, 21 May 2018. Canon 5DS/R, Tamron 100-400mm at 125mm, f/11 at 1/40 hand-held at Auto ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.5. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original file.
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S, 11 August 2018. Sony RX100 Mk VI at 200mm equivalent (71.5mm actual), wide-open at f/4.5 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 125, flash ON, Perfectly Clear v3.5. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original file.
2018 Mercedes GLE 63S Coupe, 19 February 2019. bigger.
Mercedes AMG GLE 63S Coupe, 12 November 2018. Canon 5DS/R, Canon 580EX II flash, Sigma 60-600mm set to 85mm, f/9 hand-held at 1/200 at Auto ISO 400, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resoluton or camera-original © file.
Introduction
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The brutally powerful Mercedes AMG GLE 63S Coupe has a unique combination of insane performance and cavernous cargo capacity.
We actually got one of these crazy things when I needed something to haul all my gear between jobs and my wife was torn between getting a new Mercedes GLS SUV to replace her perfectly good GL550 SUV, or getting a new S560 sedan to haul our family. While the GLS SUV offers all the power and cargo capacity she needs, everyone also wanted the suave silent comfort and limitless power offered by the automotive masterpiece that is the S560 sedan.
Practicality said that the GLS SUV was the way to go for raising a young family (we have to throw bicycles and furniture and dogs and Heaven knows what else life throws at us each day in our car as well as my location gear), but my wife didn't want what was the same thing as her GL550 SUV, and she didn't want to look like a mom while driving it. We were trying to figure out how haul all this with just a big sedan like the S560 when we saw this GLE 63S Coupe in the dealer in exactly her colors. We popped the back hatch, saw a huge deck about the same size as our cavernous GL550 SUV, and were sold.
We love this beast because of its limitless power (0-60 in 4.0 seconds and 175 MPH top speed), loud engine and it carries everything everyone needs. My wife thinks it looks cool. The ultimate bargain hunter, she negotiated a price well under dealer invoice so we drove it home the same day. We call our GLE 63S "Thumper," which is cute enough for wife approval and describes how it rattles the neighborhood and the bloody beat-down others would get from my wife on the track.
For people who still drive like they are 16 years old, this Made-in-USA hotrod lets all the neighbors know Momma's home. It burbles, roars and backfires like the beast it is. It is nothing like the watered-down 6-cylinder imitations like the AMG GLE 43. It may look similar on paper, but the GLE 43 has not much more than half the power, torque or displacement and is night-and-day different in actual driving. You gotta drive this real 63S to appreciate it; specifications say nothing. The 63S goes like a wild beast at any throttle opening; there is no turbo lag and it always goes hot and heavy with the slightest provocation — and this is in the COMFORT driving mode.
Late Summer 2019 update:
This car was a lemon; it would stop running for no good reason while we were driving it.
Our dealer tried to fix it working directly with Mercedes engineers in Germany. They gave up after months of trying and Mercedes bought it back. The best we understood the problem was that its computers thought that it was in a car with different options than we had, and when the computers would become confused as to what car they were trying to control, did the right thing and simply shut off the engine rather than keep going. Oh well.
I caught that it would give us odd warnings like "DO NOT EXCEED 12 MPH" as we adjusted the suspension modes, which from careful reading of the printed manuals became obvious were only valid in the off-road raised-suspension mode - that this AMG model didn't have!
The great news is Mercedes took great care of us. We just asked their customer service and they took care of the buy-back. That's why we drive Mercedes; it's all about the support. We also have a great relationship with our servicing dealer (who isn't the selling dealer seen above), taking all our cars there for service so they had records of all that went wrong.
Every company has problems; what separates good from bad companies is what they do when they have one.
We love Mercedes. We just bought a 2022 S580 to replace this.
History
In April 2014 Mercedes made a prototype of this coupe that was used in the movie Jurassic Park.
It was first mentioned in a January 2015 press release as the new 450AMG.
It was first sold as a 2016 model more formally announced and specified in Fall 2015.
Good
Instant pavement-bending torque and power with no turbo lag. Hit it and GO!
No need for a "Sport" mode, but it has two.
561 foot-pounds of torque starting at 1,750 RPM!
23/60.7 cubic feet cargo capacity with the rear seats up/down.
Made in USA. It's assembled in Vance, Alabama of 61% US and Canadian and 27% German content. The Ford Mustang has only 52% US and Canadian content, and God only knows where the other unspecified 48% comes from in the Mustang. This is also a heck of a lot louder and more fun to drive than a Mustang GT. The Mustang has been a great car, but not American enough for us.
Faster than anyone will ever need, and most importantly the brutal biturbo V8 belts out power instantly at any RPM. Its turbos never lag and it doesn't need to kick-down to move like the little V6 in the GLE 43 does.
Massive traction from full-time 4-MATIC all-wheel drive and giant high-performance summer tires. It's tuned to an AMG 40/60% torque split.
While EPA rated at 14 city/18 highway MPG, you don't buy this car to drive like a worm. We get 11 MPG average overall on premium (9 MPG local and 15 MPG freeway), which is the same as our Porsche Cayenne Turbo S got. I have no idea how they got those fairy-tale EPA numbers. 577 horsepower comes from burning a lot of gas very fast, which is why we bought it!
Not just king of the dragstrip, this AMG GLE 63S corners fast and flat. In addition to its AIRMATIC air suspension it has an ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM which electronically increases the stiffness of the anti-sway bars while cornering, and lets them decouple on the straights. This lets it corner flat and improve the ride.
Thermally-decoupled exhaust tips don't get hot and aren't sharp. If the razor-sharp bologna exhaust tips of the
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S didn't cut you, their searing hot temperature would burn you.
7,200 pound towing capacity.
Huge glass panoramic sunroof.
First-aid kit and free lifetime roadside service included.
Red gauge needles.
Multiple sun visors.
Bad
The ludicrously large 325/35 ZR 22 rear tires are only made by two companies in the world right now, and they only come in summer UHP style. There are no all-season or snow tires available unless you consider buying a second set of wheels in a smaller size. These are so insanely wide that even Mercedes' press material author saw "325" and thought it had to be a mistake and instead reports the rear tires as 235mm wide!
These tires are too wide to go through the track at most hand or automated car washes, so you have to pay a detailer to do it all by hand every time, or use a car wash at which you stop and the machinery moves back and forth over you, or find a car wash with an unusually wide track. The rear tires actually measure 13" wide, the same as the track at most car washes.
Water collects inside both outside mirrors which leaks out after a car wash, so keep a chamois handy to wipe the doors later to prevent streaks. Likewise be careful in cleaning the 360º camera lenses under each outside mirror. Dirty drops of water can dry on them which will muck-up the 360º camera display.
Missing
No spare tire. It comes with UHP summer high-performance tires, not run-flats. It has a can of fix-a-flat and a tire pump instead.
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S window sticker. bigger.
Dimensions, Weights and Capacities
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Size
193.6" long.
78.7" wide (83.8" with mirrors).
67.7" tall.
Turning Circle
38.7 feet.
Wheelbase
114.8"
Curb Weight
5,379 pounds.
Payload
1,543 pounds.
GVWR
6,823 pounds.
Towing
7,200 pound trailer weight.
720 pound tongue weight.
Climbing
80% grade (39º upward tilt)!
Ground Clearance
8.0 inches.
Fording Depth
19.7" (50 cm).
Approach Angle
22.4º
Departure Angle
24.5º
Breakover Angle
16.4º
Fuel Tank
24.6 gallons (93 liters).
Fuel
Premium 91 octane minimum.
Engine
5,461 cc (5.5 L or 333 CID).
577 hp at 5,500 RPM.
561 ft-lbs torque 1,750 ~ 5,250 RPM.
6,500 RPM redline specified, 6,350 RPM marked on tachometer.
4 valves per cylinder.
4 camshafts.
Two turbochargers.
Aluminum alloy block.
3.86" (98mm) bore x 3.56" (90.5mm) stroke.
10.0 : 1 compression ratio.
Premium fuel, 91 octane minimum.
Model number: M157.
Engine hoses and covers, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Transmission
7-Speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT Automatic (PDK double-clutch; no torque converter).
Order code: 427.
Ratios
1: 4.38
2: 2.86
3: 1.92
4: 1.37
5: 1.00
6: 0.82
7: 0.73
R1: -3.42
R2: -2.23
Axle: 3.69
Exhaust
Fromunder view, rear to front. 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
AMG exhaust tips, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
If you bend down and look inside you'll see that the exhaust system doesn't touch these tips. The real exhaust stops a couple of inches ahead of them, then there's an air collector to mix atmospheric gas with the exhaust before it flows through the tips. Since this is a real car with a real engine the tips otherwise would be so hot that you'd burn yourself on them; this design keeps them cool so you won't hurt yourself if you brush across them.
Wheels & Tires
Front: 285 / 40 ZR22 tire on 10 x 22" wheel. 41 PSI recommended, full load at 174 MPH, cold. (36 PSI medium load to 155 MPH).
Rear: 325 / 35 ZR22 tire on 11.5 x 22" wheel. 44 PSI recommended, full load at 174 MPH, cold. (33 PSI medium load to 155 MPH).
Front wheel and tire after a wash, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Interior
Primary and secondary sun visors. The main visor slides out along its pivot. 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Rear seat, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
The head resters flip backwards if you press the button so the driver can see better of they're unoccupied.
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
The button to the upper left of the cup holders selects cooling or heating. While the cup holders are heated or cooled and light up amber or blue while they're doing it, they don't get anywhere near cold enough to cool your drink.
Gauges & Displays
Gauges, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
The scale is nonlinear. It covers 0~60 MPH in the first 90º, then 60~120 MPH in the next 108º and then 120~200 MPH in only the last 72º. There is one spacing from 0-60 MPH (1.5 degrees per MPH), a slightly broader spacing from 60 MPH to 120 MPH (1.8 degrees per MPH) , and then half that spacing from 120 MPH to 200 MPH (0.9 degrees per MPH).
AMG dashboard display. The big number is the gear. 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Extra gauges display. 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
To see these, use the main COMAND dial to select Vehicle > DYNAMIC SELECT > Engine Data, and voilà, they appear on the center screen!
I add the "Vehicle" option to my favorites that pop up when I hit the ★ button to the top right of COMAND dial to get here faster.
While most modern Mercedes have these displays, normal ones don't go anywhere near 700. The wimpy 6-cylinder AMGs only go to about 500, not 700.
Radio
AM, AM HD, FM, FM Stereo, FM HD, SXM.
Apple Car Play.
Two USB player inputs.
Single CD slot - but it can record your choice of 12 CDs to its internal storage to play as if you had a 12 CD changer!
Bluetooth.
Driver's door Bang & Olufsen speaker grille, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Driver's door Bang & Olufsen tweeter and lens, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
The Bang & Olufsen system is excellent. Unlike most fancy-pants car stereo brands like Burmeister, Marc Levinson and harmon/kardon, B&O is one of the very few brands that actually pioneered and continues to advance state-of-the art loudspeaker systems. The other brands are just recycled names of guys who left those companies years ago and only made electronics, not advanced speakers or transducer systems which are the hard part of auto sound. B&O has continued to be a real innovator in Hi-Fi for many decades and decades, and pioneered active loudspeaker systems which are used today in all recording studios, concert venues and most other advanced car audio systems.
I tested my system with solid response to 16 cycles, at which point my dogs freaked out from the subsonic signals and I stopped.
This crazy tweeter is a cloth dome pointing up inside a special plastic lens to spread the sound evenly across 180º.
Cargo
Cargo Volume
23 cubic feet, all seats up.
60.7 cubic feet, rear seats folded down.
Cargo Depth
36.6" specified, 41" typical and 53" maximum, all seats up.
65.9" specified, 68" typical and 71" maximum, rear seats folded down.
Cargo Width
41"
Cargo Height
About 27" (30" max.).
Liftover Height
36.3" (GL550 is 32.5").
Cargo area with all seats up, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Cargo area with all seats up, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
More than enough cargo room for everything the family needs, even with the seats up.
Cargo area with one seat up, one down, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Cargo capacity with both seatsa down, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Completely assembled bikes easily fit with the back seats folded. 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Suspension
Front left suspension, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Front left suspension, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Right rear suspension, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
Rear active sway bar mechanism, 2018 Mercedes AMG GLE 63S. bigger.
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