Browse over 9,000 car reviews

Mercedes-Benz GLE400 vs Mercedes-AMG GLE53

What's the difference?

VS
Mercedes-Benz GLE400
Mercedes-Benz GLE400

$67,800 - $99,800

2020 price

Mercedes-AMG GLE53
Mercedes-AMG GLE53

$95,888 - $151,898

2021 price

Summary

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE400
2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE53
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Diesel Turbo 4, 2.0L

Twin Turbo 6, 3.0L
Fuel Type
Diesel

Premium Unleaded/Electric
Fuel Efficiency
6.9L/100km (combined)

9.4L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Unpleasant ride
  • Four-cylinder diesel performance
  • Challenging styling

  • Feels every mm of its size
  • Compromised rear visibility
  • Hardly the most practical choice
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE400 Summary

This is the first real Mercedes-Benz GLE. It's the second version of the SUV, but the last one was really just a big update of the old ML, and it never really soared to the heights it could have as a result of that.

But this new version - the 2020 GLE - is exactly that. It's new.

The exterior is new. The engines are new. The underpinnings are new. The interior - yep, you guessed it - new.

The big question is, though, is the GLE a competitor now? Can it stand up against the BMW X5, Maserati Levante, Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport, Volvo XC90 and even the VW Touareg?

Let's find out.

View full pricing & specs
Interested in a Mercedes-Benz GLE400?
2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE53 Summary

You might have some traditional notions of what a 'sports car' is.

Low and light, slick and aerodynamic, purely mechanical and centred around the driver. These notions may have held true for a long time, but in an age where Lamborghini makes a Touareg-based super SUV is there room for those parameters to move?

Especially with consumer sentiment indicating the somewhat oxymoronic idea of a low-slung coupe SUV with an AMG powertrain is more than just a niche.

Mercedes told us the previous generation GLE coupe was a major success, amassing up to 25 per cent of the model line's sales split, and its research indicated  a buyer of this massive SUV was drawn to its "performance, style and technology" and was even "a motorsport fan."

Sounds like this buyer would have once been looking for a 'sports car' and like it or not, performance coupe SUVs are here to stay. But does the new GLE 53 Coupe really make for a compelling experience behind the wheel? We found out at its local launch.

View full pricing & specs
Interested in a Mercedes-AMG GLE53?

Deep dive comparison

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE400 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE53

Change vehicle