Sitting in yet another traffic jam, several heads above the rest of the traffic and around 24 hours after opening the door of the GLE Coupe for the first time, I found myself wondering — could this actually be the perfect car for Bulgaria?
The question of what the optimal means of transport for our country is has crossed my mind several times since I returned, supposedly permanently, to Sofia about a year ago. Gradually, I formed a fairly clear picture of what a person really needs here — and honestly, it is not that complicated:
1. You need an SUV. Yes, road quality is slowly improving, but the process is painfully slow and there are still potholes, craters, holes and countless imperfections that simply require a more serious suspension setup and increased ground clearance.
2. You need a big car. Size matters, especially on Bulgarian roads, where there is no shortage of insecure idiots. I drive many different cars and my observation is simple — the more compact your car is, the worse the treatment you receive from other drivers. The logic behind it is nonexistent, but the facts are facts.
3. You need a car that screams “money”. This may actually be the most important point. The car needs a design and badge that clearly show — even to people who understand nothing about cars — that it is expensive. The more expensive it looks, the better. In a society where mutual respect is often close to zero, money creates respect. So if you do not want to get bullied on the road and would prefer people to behave more politely towards you when they see what you step out of, buy a car that screams “money” (and no, a 10-year-old BMW 5 Series does not count).
This is where the GLE Coupe enters the picture, effortlessly covering all three points — a flashy exterior, high ground clearance and absolutely colossal dimensions. This is the car Mercedes created to challenge BMW’s monopoly in the “off-road coupe” segment, after BMW remained the only manufacturer offering such a vehicle for eight whole years.
So last year the Stuttgart-based company launched a more expensive and less practical version of the familiar GLE (previously called ML). A version they call a coupe, although the word itself has purely marketing significance, since the car still has five doors and framed side windows.
Design
After a certain period during which Mercedes models featured somewhat questionable styling, the company appointed Gordon Wagener — a German from Essen — as head of design. In complete contrast to the traditional German habit of producing slightly boring and awkward-looking cars, he transformed Mercedes’ current lineup into the most interesting German model range on the market.
The GLE Coupe embodies Mercedes’ new design language, combining elegance, aggression and class exceptionally well. The car has a powerful presence, but what I particularly like is that it achieves this without trying too hard or overdoing the “angry” styling elements. That restraint is exactly what gives the GLE Coupe its sense of class.
The most interesting part of the car is naturally the rear section, which features a sloping roofline. Unlike the BMW X6, however, the roof here is less aggressively shaped, resulting in fewer compromises in rear-seat headroom. The rear design itself looks harmonious and, combined with taillights inspired by the C-Class Coupe and S-Class Coupe, creates a very appealing overall look.
Overall, I am very pleased with the appearance of the GLE Coupe. It looked good in photos, then it impressed me when I first saw it on the street, and after spending some time with it, my opinion remained unchanged. The test car was also equipped with the optional AMG package, which I personally consider somewhat unnecessary because the GLE Coupe already looks impressive enough without it.
Interior
The interior of the GLE Coupe is essentially a modernised version of the cabins Mercedes offered towards the end of its previous design era — roughly five years ago. Because of this, it feels noticeably different from what you will find in the brand’s newer models such as the A-Class, B-Class, C-Class and S-Class, whose interiors I personally like a lot.
This means the atmosphere inside the GLE Coupe is relatively conservative. The dashboard has a classic, slightly old-fashioned shape that modern updates cannot completely disguise. Nevertheless, the cabin remains a pleasant place to spend time thanks to the quality materials and solid build quality. Still, I cannot ignore the fact that cars like the Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 or Range Rover Sport offer interiors that make you feel more special thanks to their immense attention to detail and stronger sense of aesthetics.
Despite belonging to this class, the GLE Coupe offers a surprisingly spacious interior. Up front it is obviously roomy, but even in the rear the compromises are minimal. There is plenty of legroom and, more importantly, headroom, meaning even passengers significantly taller than average can sit comfortably in the second row without bending their necks — something that is noticeably harder to achieve in the X6.
The car also features the typical Mercedes-style large storage compartments and door pockets throughout the cabin, while the seats themselves are very comfortable, although they could use slightly better lateral support and, at least for me, feel somewhat too wide.
As for gadgets and luxury features, the test car was equipped with a moderate amount of equipment — the Command Online infotainment system with navigation, audio and video integration and internet access, as well as a touchpad supplementing the traditional rotary controller. The touchpad certainly looks excellent, but I personally did not find it particularly practical. In fact, navigating through the menus is easiest with the standard controller, while the touchpad, despite its elegant appearance, feels unnecessary to me.
The car also featured the optional Harman Kardon sound system, which delivers very high-quality audio for a reasonable price. Among the luxury extras, I should also mention the soft-close doors — if a door is not fully shut, electric motors gently pull it closed. Completely unnecessary, especially in the GLE Coupe, whose heavy doors already close almost by themselves.
On the road
The car I tested was equipped with the entry-level engine, which also happens to be the only diesel available in the GLE Coupe range. It is a 3.0-litre V6 producing 258hp and 620Nm of torque, capable of accelerating the roughly 2,300kg “coupe” from 0 to 100km/h in 7.0 seconds while consuming between 6.9 and 7.2l/100km on average.
The car also featured Daimler’s new nine-speed automatic gearbox, as well as the active Airmatic air suspension, which can vary ground clearance between 180mm and 255mm.
Since I was relatively short on time, I decided to follow my “standard” route — Sofia, Zheleznitsa, Borovets, Pancharevo and back to Sofia. My plan was to drive calmly, smoothly and economically in Comfort mode.
The seating position is extremely comfortable and the car feels very tall. In fact, it is tall, and combined with the small rear window and heavily restricted rear visibility, it can sometimes be difficult to realise another car is following you. Interestingly, this visibility limitation becomes more problematic while driving than while parking, because during parking manoeuvres you can rely on the standard reversing camera or, if you are willing to spend more, the optional 360-degree camera system, which provides an excellent bird’s-eye view.
Anyway- Zheleznitsa. My first impression, already within the city, was how refined and isolated the car feels — typical Mercedes behaviour. Engine noise is heavily suppressed, while the engine itself is extremely smooth and well-balanced. I also noticed that road noise remained impressively low, despite the absurdly wide 315/40R21 rear tyres (the fronts are 275mm wide). Furthermore, potholes and uneven city surfaces were absorbed smoothly and effortlessly.
Unfortunately, once I left Bistritsa and continued along a road full of transverse bumps and corners, I quickly realised the car was less convincing there. One thing that stood out was how those short irregularities unsettled the body and caused a strange sideways wobbling sensation. There was no actual body roll, instead it felt as though the entire car was twisting slightly on the road surface. An unpleasant phenomenon in any case, especially for passengers prone to motion sickness.
I believe this was the result of a combination of high centre of gravity, uneven roads with corners and extremely wide tyres. In fact, I suspect the tyres were the main culprit. Their colossal dimensions create very high unsprung mass, meaning the weight of components not attached to the suspension, such as wheels, brake discs and suspension parts. This, in turn, negatively affects grip over successive uneven surfaces.
I switched the suspension into Sport mode, which improved the handling and reduced those unwanted movements, after which I continued my drive. Aside from that issue, the drivetrain made an excellent impression: smooth power delivery, fast and seamless gear changes and a constant sense of calmness.
The only downside here was fuel consumption. Despite genuinely calm driving on a Thursday evening with no heavy traffic, I returned to Sofia averaging 8.1l/100km, which felt relatively high considering my extremely relaxed pace. Again, the tyres play a role here, the additional 4cm of width compared to the standard setup increase rolling resistance, while the added weight requires more energy during acceleration.
One area where the car performed brilliantly was the headlights. It became dark while driving from Borovets back to Sofia, giving me the opportunity to test the intelligent LED lighting system fitted as standard. The headlights automatically adapt to the conditions, allowing me to drive on high beam while the system independently shaded areas around approaching or preceding vehicles. Excellent.
The following day I returned to the roads around Zheleznitsa, this time in Sport mode and driving more aggressively. During dynamic driving on smooth asphalt, the stability of the car is seriously impressive. Yes, you can clearly feel that this is a tall SUV, and you certainly feel the weight, but despite that, the way the GLE Coupe tackles corners is genuinely impressive.
Still, I believe the car naturally encourages a calmer driving style. Perhaps this would not apply to the AMG versions, but it certainly does here. The steering is also slightly lacking in feedback, though not to the point of becoming boring.
Conclusion
I believe the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe is currently the most visually impressive SUV on the Bulgarian market. It combines exceptional design and road presence with a surprisingly practical interior, quality craftsmanship and a strong premium image. I dare say the GLE Coupe is one of the best vehicles available today for fulfilling the “three points for happiness on Bulgarian roads” that I mentioned at the beginning of this review.
Naturally, all of this comes at a price. The test car cost slightly over €76,500, although a very well-equipped example could be configured for a somewhat more reasonable amount if some unnecessary extras — such as the AMG package — are removed and replaced with more suitable options.
Overall, I think Mercedes entered the SUV coupe segment successfully, even if slightly late. But then again — who actually buys these cars? Are they people seeking luxury and practicality? No — for them there is the X5 or the standard GLE. The audience for the less practical siblings, the X6 and GLE Coupe, is slightly different and undoubtedly includes people who want attention.
And in that respect, I think Mercedes have done a noticeably better job than BMW, whose current-generation X6 suffers from a lack of sufficiently attractive design, even if it scores higher in terms of driving dynamics. As for market success — we will wait and see. Let us not forget that Maserati recently launched the Levante, a model with real potential to disrupt the SUV coupe segment.
Eng. Tsvetan Iliev
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