Lumma Design has made quite a name for itself by developing aftermarket programs for premium SUVs in the market. Over the past few years, we’ve seen the German tuner work on models like the BMW X6 and X6 M, Range Rover Sport, and Jaguar F-Pace. It’s an impressive list that just got a little more impressive with the presentation of Lumma’s new tuning kit for the Mercedes GLE Coupe that features an extensive list of upgrades on the coupe SUV, including power enhancements that give the GLE Coupe – in this instance, the 450 AMG – an impressive output of 449 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque.

Some of you might think that the power gains aren’t all that impressive since the GLE family has AMG variants, including the AMG GLE 63. You’d be right in a sense, but it also doesn’t paint the full picture of the versatility of this particular model and how Mercedes was able to create a lineup of GLE Coupes that differentiate themselves effectively from one another.

The GLE 450 AMG Coupe for example slots in quite nicely as an entry level AMG model that’s best offered for customers who aren’t too keen on going the full performance route with the AMG GLE 63. In fact, Lumma’s CLR G800 program for the 450 AMG is able to bridge that power and performance gap between the two variants, ensuring that owners of the lower rung GLE Coupe can have their cake and eat them too. It may not get all the way there as the AMG GLE 63 Coupe still packs 557 horsepower, but at least it’s in the ballpark.

Add all the cosmetic and aerodynamic enhancements that are also included in the CLR G800 kit and you get a program that’s actually quite appealing for owners of the GLE 450 AMG Coupe.

Continue after the jump to read more about the Mercedes GLE 450 AMG Coupe CLR G800 by Lumma Design.

Exterior

Truth be told, Lumma Design’s CLR G800 program has actually been around since 2015, but like most cars in the industry, updates happen in order to make it more appealing to the current market. And so, here is the freshened up aerodynamic body kit, and from the way all the pieces fit together, the kit fits the GLE 450 AMG Coupe like a glove. The kit itself is comprised of some important components, including front and rear spoiler lips, a roof spoiler, air inlet covers on the front and rear doors, and a rear diffuser frame. All these parts except for the rear diffuser frame are finished in carbon.

On the cosmetic side, Lumma’s vanity was kept at a minimum here with the only exception being the tuner’s logo replacing the Mercedes logo on the coupe’s grille. That’s prime real estate right there. Speaking of which, the front grille bars themselves are also finished in carbon while a handful of attachments throughout the body come in either gloss black or Ferrari Rosso Corsa, two colors that provide unique contrasts to the car’s body color.

The last piece of the exterior upgrade puzzle is the new set of Lumma’s very own CLR Racing black smoke wheels. Just behind them are brake callipers lacquered in a similar Ferrari Rosso Corsa color and wheel spacers that help ensure that the GLE 450 AMG Coupe runs smoothly.

What other tuners are offering

It’s true that a lot of tuners have prepared their own versions of aftermarket programs for the Mercedes GLE Coupe. Most of them though are for the AMG GLE 63 Coupe although there have been a handful of kits that have been prepared for the lower rung variants of the GLE Coupe. One of which comes from Brabus and it’s really not much. In fact, it’s only made up of a new front grille and the new set of 22-inch alloy wheels. That’s it.

If customers want an alternative to Lumma’s CLR G800 aero kit, the company to go to is TopCar, the Russian tuner that has etched its own name in the tuning scene as a company that’s not afraid to go out on a limb with its programs. The Inferno program for the GLE Coupe is a good example of TopCar’s full capabilities. The kit comes with a new front bumper with a new front spoiler flanking the bigger intakes. There’s also a new front lip divided into six sections, an altered carbon fiber front grille that features modified vertical bars that have also been divided into sections, and a reworked hood, among others. Flared wheel arches on the front also make the SUV look more menacing and to tie everything up, the whole aero kit is available in either non-carbon fiber or carbon fiber version.

Note: photo of the Mercedes GLE Coupe by TopCar.

What Mercedes is offering

There’s also another option for GLE Class Coupe owners as far upgrades to the exterior of their coupe-SUVs are concerned. Instead of going the aftermarket route, owners can go directly to Mercedes, which itself is offering a number of packages for the GLE Coupe. One interesting package is the Night Package, which adds high-gloss black touches on the mirror caps and grille louvers of the vehicle. It’s not much but gloss black goes with everything so it’s an option worth considering.

Note: photo of the Mercedes GLE Coupe Night Package.

Outside of the Night Package, Mercedes is also offering stand-alone accessories for the coupe SUV. These include hood fins and door handles made from chrome, wheel hub inserts, hubcap inserts, tire valve stem caps, and license plate frames in case that kind of thing is to your liking.

Interior

Interior upgrades aren’t that extensive for this program so if you were expecting any bespoke dress-ups from the CLR G800 kit, you’re going to be disappointed. Fortunately, the cupboard isn’t barren here either since Lumma has a few pieces on offer. There’s a black anodized aluminum pedal set with a red Lumma signature and floor mats and a trunk mat with their own red leather mounts. That’s about it.

What other tuners are offering.

Let’s go back to Brabus for a second because the tuner is offering similar upgrades to the interior of the GLE Coupe, namely the aluminum pedal pads, custom door lock pins, and floor mats. Most tuners actually go this route with the interior of the cars they build programs for so it’s not entirely a new thing.

Note: interior photo of Mercedes GLE Coupe by Brabus.

That said, there are also some tuners that treat a car’s interior like a blank canvas, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly the case with TopCar. The same Russian tuner that presented an extensive aero kit for the GLE Coupe also has an interior upgrade program that includes, among other things, crocodile leather, carbon fiber, wood trimmings, and 24-karat gold. Yep. 24-karat gold. That’s just how TopCar rolls. Even better (or worse, depending on your taste for the flamboyant) the Russian tuner’s interior program is available for the entire GLE Coupe range, including the flagship AMG GLE 63 S Coupe.

Mansory is another tuner that fits into this category. Sure, it doesn’t offer 24-karat gold, but it is capable of drowning the coupe-SUV’s cabin with full, two-tone leather to go with carbon trims and a redesigned steering wheel. These upgrades are actually just small items of a catalog that’s bigger than what Mansory showed when it presented its program for the GLE Coupe at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Take a look at that in case you’re interested.

Note: interior photo of Mercedes-AMG GLE by Mansory.

What Mercedes is offering

It’s perfectly understandable if you want to keep the interior of your GLE Coupe in standard form. It already looks good enough of on its own. But if you did want some extra upgrades, you can also go directly to Mercedes to get them. There are no packages to speak of, but the automaker does offer leather and trim options that come at an added cost. You’ll need to pay extra for it as you’re supposed to, but if you want to get the most expensive of these options, you can get the designo Porcelain/Black Nappa leather for just under $5,000 and the AMG carbon fiber/Black Piano lacquer wood trim for $1,750.

Drivetrain

This is at the heart of a lot of these tuning upgrades and it’s no different with Lumma’s CLR G800 program for the GLE Coupe. The tuner didn’t elaborate on the specifics of its programs, opting only to say that it uses its own Powerbox software tune to get the job done. The rather subdued increase – “only” 87 horsepower and 91 pound-feet of torque – might be a disappointment for some customers, but overall, it’s still good enough to offer an increase in output to 449 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque for GLE 450 AMG variant of the GLE Coupe.

The final number is interesting because at least one tuner has a similar software upgrade that nets an identical increase in output.

What other tuners have done

That tuner just so happens to be TopCar, which actually offers tuning kits for across the entire GLE range. It’s interesting though because it’s program for the GLE 450 AMG arrives at the same 449 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque numbers from its own software tune.

It’s unclear if Lumma’s engine tune has the same versatility as that of TopCar’s but the latter also has kits on offer for the AMG GLE 63 and AMG GLE 63 S variants of the coupe-SUV. The former gets a new output of 675 horsepower and 626 pound-feet of torque while the latter nets an output of 708 ponies and 678 pound-feet of twist.

Then there’s Brabus, which has its own tune on offer for the vehicle, one amounting to an increase in output to 404 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque on account of the tuner’s own PowerXtra B30-410 tuning module.

The numbers are where they should be relative to each other. That’s why these offerings are particularly tricky because differentiating one from the other ends up being a matter of preference. Sure, the output Brabus got out from its tune falls a little short of what Lumma and TopCar were able to do, but it’s still Brabus. That name itself is worth more than an ounce of respect.

Check out how these kits stack up against each other in the table below. At the very least, you’re going to get a clearer picture of how these kits stack up.

Pricing

Lumma Design has made no mention of how much it’s CLR G800 tuning kit is going to cost so the best way to go about it is to contact the tuner directly. That said, kits like this typically run a gamut of different prices depending on how much the wheels and the software tuning module costs. Some tuners like Brabus actually charge for the whole thing, donor car included. That explains why the cost of its GLE Coupe program goes up to around $130,500. Then there’s TopCar and it’s propensity to go all-out with its own kits. Customers who end up getting the Russian tuner’s programs should prepare to break the bank because they don’t come cheap. In fact, the tuner’s aero kit alone costs $18,600, and that’s the non carbon fiber version. If it’s the carbon fiber kit, that’s going to cost $22,000.

Competition

Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 by Wheelsandmore

Brabus, TopCar, and Mansory aren’t the only tuners that have built kits for the Mercedes GLE Coupe. You can actually make a case that the coupe-SUV is one of the most tuned cars from the past year and one of the first to have a go at it was Wheelsandmore. Not surprisingly, the most defining feature of this program was the engine upgrade, which the German tuner worked on by adding special turbochargers, downpipes with sport catalysts, special F1 air filters, and a valve-flap controlled sport exhaust system. The end result is an insane 800 horsepower and 848 pound-feet of torque, enough to turn the GLE Coupe into a bonafide monster on wheels.

Read the full review here.

Mercedes GLE Coupe 350d by Chrometec

Proving that the entire GLE Coupe family is a tuning magnet, the 350d variant of the coupe-SUV also received an upgrade from Chrometec. The modifications and the subsequent results aren’t as eye-popping, but the tuner was still able to coax out an extra 42 horses and 59 pound-feet of twist from the 350d’s 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine, helping it increase its output to 300 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.

Read more about the here.

Conclusion

The popularity of the Mercedes GLE Coupe is a testament to its appeal in the aftermarket tuning community. Whether it’s the 350d, 450 AMG, or the AMG G63, there’s enough programs to go around for owners of the GLE. Lumma’s CLR G800 program is a perfect example of a well-rounded program for the coupe SUV. The aero upgrades are subtle enough to aid in improving the car’s performance, but also dramatic enough to enhance the model’s appearance. Likewise, the engine upgrade offers enough room for improvement to make a noticeable difference in how the GLE Coupe runs. It’s a good kit to have, provided that there’s no overdramatized appearance to scratch. Should that be the case, TopCar might be a better alternative