2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Road Test and Review

Twin-turbo V8. 603 horsepower. All-wheel drive. 22-inch tires. 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph. These look like the stats of a supercar, but we’ve actually been talking about an SUV: the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S, the quickest and most powerful SUV Mercedes has ever built.

AMG is Mercedes’ in-house performance division. It’s been increasing the performance of the brand’s SUVs for about 20 years, and the popularity of its products continues to climb. Last year about 10 percent of all Mercedes sold were AMGs and about half of those were SUVs. Now AMG has created a high-performance version of the German luxury brand’s recently redesigned five-passenger mid-size GLE, which was all-new just last year. The seriously powerful Mercedes-GLE 63 S competes with the BMW X5 M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

AMG adds horsepower, sport-tuned suspensions, and larger brakes to mainstream Mercedes-Benz models, and it has been increasing the performance of SUVs since 1999. The previous version of the GLE 63 S, which was packing 577 hp, ceased production in 2019.

Just as its predecessor, the new 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S is built in Alabama. It’s assembled right alongside all other GLE models, though its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine is hand-assembled in Germany and then shipped to Tuscaloosa. A nine-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and 21-inch wheels and tires are also standard. Its base price is $114,945, including a $995 destination charge, which is very competitive for this class. While the BMW X5 M Competition packs 617 hp and costs about the same, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo costs about $13,000 more. The 600-hp X5 M is a relative bargain at about $106,000. With options, our test vehicle cost $131,935.

For those who put style over practicality, Mercedes will also offer the GLE 63 S Coupe, which competes with the BMW X6 M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe. These SUVs aren’t really coupes, of course, but they do feature radical fastback rooflines that sacrifice cargo space for a racy coupe-like appearance.

Like the seven-passenger 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63, the GLE 63 S Coupe will share the majority of the GLE’s hardware, including its 4.0-liter V8, all-wheel-drive system, air suspension, and high-tech interior. As it did back in 2019, we expect it to cost about $2,000 more. Again, that’s considerably cheaper than the Porsche, and about the same as the BMW X6 M Competition.

The AMG’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 is rated at 603 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. That’s 26 more horsepower and 66 more lb-ft of torque than its predecessor’s 5.5-liter — and the engine delivers its peak torque at just 2,500 rpm, so the GLE jumps off the line.

Use its launch control feature, which unleashes its power at 2,800 rpm, and the GLE 63 S takes off like a carnival ride, planting you back in the seat and holding you there as its nine-speed automatic snatches quick upshifts at 7000 rpm. When you consider this SUV weighs well over 5,000 lbs, its acceleration is astonishing. Mercedes says it hits 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds and can touch 174 mph given the real estate. This is also the first AMG V8 to get the company’s 48-volt EQ Boost system, which is a small electric motor mounted between the engine and the transmission. AMG calls it an integrated starter generator and it applies its 21 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque momentarily to increase response, improve fuel economy, and smooth out the drivetrain. The result is an extremely smooth and refined driving experience and a start/stop feature that’s almost imperceptible.

Throttle response is quick and there’s explosive passing power on the highway. The nine-speed automatic transmission is alert, changing gears quickly and cleanly. There are also standard paddle shifters for manual gear selection, and the engine matches revs perfectly when you ask for a downshift.

The GLE 63 S offers seven driving modes, including Sport, Sport+, Race, Sand, and Trail. Each modifies the tuning and response of its engine, transmission, steering, and suspension. In Sport, Sport+, and Race modes, its suspension firms up to improve the SUV’s handling, while it rises about 2.2 inches in Trail and Sand modes to improve ground clearance. In every driving mode, the GLE feels solid and is one of the smoothest-riding SUVs in this class. Even in Race mode, despite its huge wheels and tires, the GLE 63 S soaks up most roads beautifully, and in Comfort mode, it rides with amazing compliance.

Despite its comfortable ride, the 2021 AMG GLE 63 S never feels floaty or disconnected from the road. It’s always planted and stable, especially at high speeds. This is also the first SUV from AMG with liquid-filled active engine mounts. They stiffen automatically when you toss it into a corner or get aggressive with its accelerator increasing response and driver feedback. When you’re just cruising, they stay loose to keep things comfortable and isolate you from engine vibration. This technology is also used by Porsche in its Cayman and Boxster sports cars.

AMG has also fitted the GLE 63 S with its new electrically operated Active Ride Control roll stabilization system, which eliminates body roll. The result is an SUV that never feels tipsy despite its height and weight — one that’s easy to drive fast and that offers incredible amounts of grip. Its handling is extremely predictable. It excels in fast wide-open corners, soaking up bumps and undulations without getting skittish. And in tighter twists and turns, it understeers mildly at the limit so you know you’re reaching its grip threshold.

To add intensity to the SUV’s exterior, AMG adds a grille with vertical louvers, a more aggressive front bumper with massive black air intakes, a rear diffuser, and four rectangular exhaust pipes — two on each side. It also flares the GLE’s wheel arches to cover its huge wheels and tires.

Inside, the cabin is mostly standard GLE, so it’s beautifully appointed, impeccably assembled, and packed with high-tech features. AMG adds a fat three-spoke steering wheel with aluminum paddle shifters, heated and ventilated sports seats that are comfortable on long drives, and a few acres of Nappa leather. Wood or carbon fiber trims are available. Unlike other GLE models, a third-row seat is not available. If you want all this high-performance hardware with seven-passenger seating, you have to step up to the GLS 63, which costs about $20,000 more. But five fit in the GLE comfortably thanks to generous rear-seat space. Storage is also plentiful and well thought out. There’s a large center console bin, big door pockets with slots for water bottles, and other cubbies for wallets and phones. There are also two big front cupholders.

The 2021 Mercedes GLE 63 S also offers 33 cubic feet of space behind its rear seat, which folds in a 40/20/40 split. That’s large for the class and just a bit less than you get in the BMW X5 M. Both offer more than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

With its rear seat folded out of the way, there’s 72.6 cubic feet for cargo. Again, that’s about the same as the BMW and more than the Porsche. Every Mercedes GLE 63 S comes with a power liftgate, and the liftover height is low, which makes loading easier. However, we still prefer the unique clamshell tailgate design of the BMW X5 and the Land Rover Range Rover. It’s more convenient for tailgate parties, offering a place to sit and a platform for food and drinks.

The new 2021 Mercedes GLE 63 S also one of the safest SUVs out there. It’s rated five stars by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and it scored a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Outward visibility is outstanding, and parents of small children will appreciate its easy-to-reach LATCH connectors in the outboard seats and the easily accessed upper tether anchors on its seatbacks.

Mercedes does offer a long list of high-tech safety systems on the 2021 GLE 63 S, though unfortunately many are extra-cost options — which is surprising considering its six-figure base price. Blind-spot monitoring and a forward collision warning with emergency automatic braking and active braking assistance are standard. But Mercedes still makes you pay up for its Active Steering Assist, which intervenes too abruptly anyway, yanking the SUV away from the road lines. Active cruise control with steering assist is also available.

As long as SUVs continue to gain popularity, automakers will continue cranking them out in all shapes and sizes, and the high-performance luxury suv class is expanding fast. Today the list of SUVs with over 450 hp is shockingly long, and there are now about a dozen packing over 500 hp. Even manufacturers like Bentley and Lamborghini have gotten into the act.

AMG has been in this game the longest, however. It practically invented the high-performance SUV back in 1999 when it introduced the ML55, the fastest sport utility ever at that time. Over 20 years later, AMG’s engineers are still doing it right. The 2021 GLE 63 S is comfortable, stylish, family-friendly, and fast as heck. In the growing world of high-performance SUVs, it’s one of our favorites.