Top Car

56 TOPCAR.CO.ZA|January 2016Road test: Mercedes-BenzGLE 450 AMG Coupecertain angles, the sporty rear end is wellresolved, complete with AMG GT-likebootlid spoiler. At nearly five metres long,it’s a big car, but a substantial three-pointedstar an chors the front end while wide-setair inlets and sculpted flanks accentuate itswidth. Depending on your point of view itis either sleek and sporty, or big andbrawny. Like or loathe it, it’s without doubtan arresting design.Intuitive inter iorClimbing into the cabin with help fromthe running boards – not ideal for off-roading – I was prepared for a typicallyOTT Mercedes-Benz interior treatment.Instead, the majority of the interior has atoned-down, conventional feel. R32k for therear entertainment package seems a littleunnecessa ry, especially as there isn’t muchspac e for rear passengers to begin with but,``````there’s a lot to like about the cabin. It’scomfortable and ergonomically sound,including the easily mastered ce ntralcontroldial. Don’t think for a second thismeans the GLE Coupe fails to enga gethough. That happens as soon as you tapthe starter button.``````EKG sound systemMerc’s new 3.0-litr e bi-turbo V6 firstimpres sed me on a 230kph cross-countr yblast on the Autobahn, and driving it onceagain on local soil only underlines thatnotion. A corker of an engine, its 270kWand 520Nm – accessible across most of therev range – drives all four wheels through anine-speed automatic transmission. It’sonly hampered by its mass of 2.2-tonnesand the sheer number of closely stackedcogs that have the electronics moments of``````Intuitive interfaceandclearinstrument cluster rateshigh onsatisfactionindex