Tank-like, thirsty, expensive and a little bit silly. Shamelessly fast, too
Only takes five, but what fun you’ll all haveRemember when SUVs first entered mainstream motoring and we were all convinced it was the end of motoring as we knew it? Funny how perceptions can change after the insertion of major horspower into a chassis that can take the heat. That’s kind of what has happened with SUVs.
Which brings us to the 2019 gen-four GLE V167 and C167 AMG GLEs that are the subject of this buying guide. Although the new GLEs were revealed at the 2018 Paris show, the AMG 63 version of the SUV wasn’t announced until the LA Show in November 2019, followed a few months later in early 2020 by the Coupe version. The engine for both was the AMG-built, mildly hybridised M177 version of Mercedes’ M176 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, an engine rapidly achieving iconic status.
In gentle use the gearchange, coasting and stop-start functions all worked with a syrupy smoothness, underpinned by the deeply satisfying knowledge that steam catapult acceleration was just a toe-twitch away. Through AMG’s Selectable Performance exhaust, which was standard on the UK cars, the 63’s soundtrack was, and still is, one of motoring’s most adrenal, if that’s a word.
There are a few common problems associated with the M176/M177 4.0 V8 engine itself, and although they might seem relatively trivial from a distance they often ended up being very expensive to put right because of access difficulties. Thermostat failure is perhaps the best known issue. Replacement wasn’t quite as easy as it was on your dad’s old Austin A35 because that didn’t have an intercooler that needed to be removed to get at it.
Regular AMG 63s had 400mm steel front discs with six-piston calipers but according to the official M-B launch release and brochure high-performance composite brakes were standard on UK-spec S cars. A £1,150 towing package with an electronically folding towbar increased the towing weight maximum to 2,700kg, or 3,500kg – we can’t tell you which because the official information is again vague and/or contradictory.
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