2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 Coupe Review: Devil’s in the Details
Key Points in This Review
- The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 Coupe is a segment standout with impressive style and amenities.
- Be careful which wheels and tires you pick; the optional 22-inch rims make for an overly firm ride — even with the Coupe’s available air suspension.
- Good power, useful technology, and plenty of comfort and convenience features are highlights of the GLE450 Coupe.
A week spent in a 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 Coupe was a lesson in paying attention to details. Driving non-Coupe versions of the GLE450 SUV both before and after the Coupe cemented Mercedes’ mid-sizer as an excellent vehicle; it’s a segment standout writ-large, but the Coupe — specifically the GLE Coupe I drove for this review — proved that you need to establish your priorities before you pick one off the lot.
Related: Is the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 a Good SUV? 4 Pros, 4 Cons
I’m not referring to the dimensional downsides of the goofy “SUV coupe” segment, which in this Mercedes’ case sacrifices a few inches of backseat headroom and 10.8 cubic feet of maximum cargo capacity. Nor am I referring to my test car’s butter-smooth turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine or its inspired choice of $6,500 Cote d’Azur Light Blue metallic paint and optional Bahia Brown interior, both of which would be welcome on my personal GLE spec.
Choose Your Wheels Wisely
You’re not planning on hitting the canyons in your new GLE Coupe, are you? Yeah, I thought not, which means you can skip the 22-inch five-spoke AMG sport wheels that my test car wore, complete with wide-ass 285-millimeter front and 325-mm rear summer tires. With its 20- or 21-inch wheels, the GLE rides on a cloud formed from heavy cream, achieved by the tranquilizing combination of (relatively) thick sidewalls and an optional air suspension.
Even with that adaptive and adjustable air suspension, the 22-inch wheels create an overly firm ride with intrusive secondary body motions. Certain stretches of segmented highway surfaces instigated a bouncy resonance that had my (non-enthusiast) passengers commenting on the jostling and noting tire judder during low-speed maneuvers. It’s absolutely forgivable on an AMG product, not so much on a standard Mercedes SUV.
It’s a Familiar GLE Otherwise — and That’s a Very Good Thing
Everything — and I mean everything — else was typical GLE excellence. The 450’s 375 horsepower and 369 pounds-feet of torque make a great case for skipping the AMG GLE53; Mercedes conservatively claims a 0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds in the 450. Merging on the highway with three folks in tow felt no different from doing so with an empty cabin. A characteristically long list of standard and optional creature comforts, like heated and ventilated massaging front seats, a primo Burmester sound system and a panoramic roof kept said passengers both occupied and chill.
Meanwhile, twin 12.3-inch screens for the driver display and center infotainment system were as hi-fi and satisfying to use as those in any other Mercedes, and though the GLE is due for a comprehensive redesign soon, I do hope its row of dedicated physical climate buttons stick around (they won’t) along with the regular, non-recessed door handles (not a chance).
Want the GLE Coupe? Great choice, but stay away from those big wheels, no matter how stylish they seem.
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