Mercedes unveiled the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLE53 at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show as the most potent six-cylinder GLE that you can buy. It has over 400 horsepower, a performance- and efficiency-enhancing mild hybrid system, and sporty AMG touches to go with the extra shot of electrified performance. As with all AMG 53-badged models, the GLE53 is powered by Mercedes’ new straight-six engine with two turbochargers. It’s essentially the same unit found in the AMG 43-branded models, the difference being the extra oomph provided by the mild hybrid. And, since it’s the fastest and most powerful model in the range that doesn’t have a V-8, it is very well equipped and features unique AMG design touches.

Mercedes has so far not announced or revealed an AMG 63 version of the all-new GLE, so until then; this GLE53 4Matic+ is the best performing model in the lineup. In fact, Mercedes hasn’t even mentioned a hot, twin-turbo, V8-powered GLE yet, so it might not even make one - Mercedes has also done this for the CLS, a car that can no longer be had with a V-8.

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Mercedes-AMG GLE53 Exterior Design

On top of that mix of new Mercedes and old GLE design elements, the automaker has grafted on several AMG-specific touches to set the GLE53 apart from lesser models.

Firstly, it has a Panamericana style grille, with vertical bars (fifteen of them), a deeper and more purposeful looking front bumper (in the current AMG style), a sportier rear bumper with big exhaust tips sticking out, and unique AMG rims. The design of the new GLE is overall much more successful than that of the car it replaces, and this sporty AMG makeover improves things further.

Mercedes designers really outdid themselves with the new GLE, and it doesn’t have one awkward angle.

Mercedes-AMG GLE53 Interior Design

It’s optional, but it’s part of a pack that adds the red center mark on the steering wheel (like you see in some racing cars) and the red seatbelts, among others. I think the combination. It looks absolutely terrific, and it really exudes sportiness through the use of a thick-rimmed, flat-bottom steering wheel and a big swathe of carbon fiber across the dash. This is an option worth getting if you want the interior of your fast GLE 53 to feel proper and sporty.

Even cars without this option still look good and offer a more sober, grown-up ambiance. Other noticeable elements include the big and very chunky grab handles on the tunnel between the front seats or how the car’s two 12.3-inch displays have been integrated into the dash and flanked by a huge air vent on either side.

The steering wheel is from the latest line of AMG helms, and it’s identical to what is fitted to all current AMG 53- and AMG 63-badged models. It not only has a flat bottom, like many modern wheels but also flat sides in the exact places where you grip the wheel.

Mercedes-AMG GLE53 Drivetrain and Performance

It is not a more powerful version of the engine that powers AMG 43-branded models, as that engine is a V6. However, it does have additional motivation compared to that engine thanks to an electric compressor.

There’s also a special starter-generator that adds another 22 horsepower and 184 pound-feet (250 Nm) of torque for short bursts thanks to the use of a 48-Volt electric system. It also helps to fill the torque gap between gear changes to provide a more seamless acceleration experience. Power is sent to all four wheels via Mercedes’ 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system that, most of the time, sends most of the power to the rear tires. The transmission is an AMG TCT nine-speed Speedshift automatic.

The GLE 53 also comes with standard self-leveling air suspension that works in conjunction with the available driving modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, as well as Trail and Sand.

Mercedes also claims that it provides slightly better fuel efficiency, with an expected figure of 25.2 mpg. Top speed is electronically governed at 250 km/h or 155 mph.

This model isn’t exclusively designed to stay strictly on-road as its ride height can be raised by 55 millimeters. The driver can do it independently of the drive modes, but the car does raise itself automatically in the two off-road modes.

Mercedes-AMG GLE53 Pricing

Mercedes currently sells the previous-generation GLE 43 model from $68,150 and the hotter V8-powered GLE 63 from $103,050. This means the new model with its in-between powertrain will probably start at around (or slightly above) $80,000 when it goes on sale later this year.

Mercedes-AMG GLE53 Competition

BMW X5 M50d

Rival manufacturers are still filling the same niche in their model range with sporty diesel models, like the BMW X5 M50d, a model that blends surprising efficiency with even more surprising performance. Its engine is a 3.0-liter diesel that’s boosted by no fewer than four turbochargers to reach nearly 400 horsepower and bestow the X5 with fast sedan levels of performance. And, since it is a BMW, the performance doesn’t stop when you encounter a corner as the X5 (especially if it’s equipped with rear-wheel steering) will feel agile, nimble, and much smaller than it actually is. This is the mark of a good car, one that feels like it shrinks around you, and the X5 does this better than all comparable rivals.

Read our full review on the 2019 BMW X5 M50d

Audi SQ7

The GLE 53’s second rival is another fast diesel, the Audi SQ7. It has a bit more power than the BMW, and its output is closer to that of the Mercedes. It has a 4.0-liter V-8 engine with twin turbos and an electric compressor to keep the turbos spooled up and ready to boost at all times. It makes 435 horsepower, sprints to 62 mph (100 kph) in 4.8 seconds and, according to Audi, it uses a claimed 7.5 l per 100 km - equivalent to 31.4 mpg in the United States.

But both the Mercedes and BMW are much newer models and, while the Q7 still looks good and fairly fresh, they both edge it on modernity and gadgets. It is probably the last of its kind with a diesel engine, and it’s really fast, so if you buy an SQ7, you could be buying a future classic SUV that’s both rare and really fast.

Read our full review on the 2019 Audi SQ7

Final Thoughts

With this AMG GLE53 4Matic+, Mercedes aims to offer the new GLE with all the apparent AMG bells and whistles, but without the fire-breathing V-8 engine. The straight-six it comes with, in conjunction with the electric boost and the adaptive suspension should make it a fairly competent sporty SUV on-road, but with the ability to raise its suspension, it should also go further off-road than any GLE before it.

It certainly looks the part with the AMG wheels, bumpers, and other elements, both inside and out. And, while the engine is not a V-8, it certainly packs enough performance to rid one of one’s driving license very quickly. We’re still waiting for Mercedes to reveal an AMG GLE63 with a V-8 before we draw our final conclusions on this tempting six-cylinder AMG SUV.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GLE 43 4Matic+.

Read our full review on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE.