Page 19 - Dainfern Precinct Living 6 2021

LIFESTYLE
MOTORING

MERCEDES AMG

GLE63S 4MATIC+ The two extra buttons on the left
are for the exhaust and suspension
settings. Race mode with performance
exhaust creates noise levels that must
BY ALAN ROSENMEYER ow do you describe a large, be rated as noise pollution!
luxury family SUV that’s
capable of sprinting from 0 to Obviously at this price level the GLE
Super SUV, H100km/h in 3.8 seconds and comes packed with almost every
possible luxury, safety and go-faster
to a top speed of 280km/hour? Then,
Hyper SUV on the other hand it’s quite capable option that you can imagine.
of pottering around town in sheer
or just plain comfort although it never lets you Yet there was still room for a few
optional extras on the test car. The
forget its true potential.
Multicontour front seats with climate
manic? As the second largest SUV in the control are superbly comfortable but
do an amazing job of holding you in
Mercedes range, the GLE is a very
substantial vehicle. As the runner-up place when the inner cowboy takes
in the SA Car of the Year in 2019, over. The Driving Assist Package
it has a proven track record. We Plus ups the governed maximum
have previously tested both 300 and speed from 250km to 280km, totally
400 diesel versions and the 400 in meaningless in reality but priceless
particular was definitely not lacking in when it comes to bragging rights.
power or performance. The 63s is a
completely different ball game though. It’s almost pointless to quote fuel
economy with a car of this level.
The V8 engine is a proper AMG Firstly, if driven with verve on a
creation. Hand built by a single man regular basis, you had better have
a fuel card with no limit. I tried
in the AMG factory, it blasts out
CLICK https://www.youtube.com/ 450kW and 850Nm, delivered to all to restrain myself as much as
4 wheels through the AMG Speedshift possible during this test although it’s
FOR VIDEO watch?v=fKZOd2fnwHs 9-speed automatic transmission. impossible to pull-off from a robot
Again, the transmission can be docile slowly in any mode. The on board
in normal driving or almost neck- computer showed 12.9 l/100km
snapping when in angry mode. for my test period. This included
our standard open road cruise to
The AMG steering wheel looks like Hartebeespoort.
a standard Mercedes wheel until
you notice the extra knobs near the The GLE63s is one of those cars that
bottom. Twist the knob on the right makes no sense YET, it’s a car that is
and you can change from Comfort to incredibly desirable. At a standard price
Sport, Sport+ and then Race mode. of R2.9 million before extras I think I
10 Twist the other way and you see need to go and sign a few Government
Slippery, Sand and Off-Road for the tenders or invest in cryptocurrency
All-wheel drive system. before I place my order.

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DPL