What's this then?
At first glance it appears to be a BMW X4.
Warning! Warning! Copyright lawyer klaxon!
Indeed, indeed. Upon closer inspection, this is clearly the new Mercedes-Benz GLE, a car that not only opens up an entirely new and previously untapped section of the car market (ahem), but one that also introduces Mercedes' new (and occasionally confusing) naming system.
You see, this is basically an ML coupé, in much the same way (but which it strictly is not legally similar in any way, m'lud) that the BMW X6 relates to the X5 - same chassis, engines and, to a large extent, interior, but with a sportier, less practical body atop. We had been expecting it to be called MLC, but Mercedes has recently launched an entirely new model badge policy that will in future see all 4x4 and SUV models badged with a G, in honour (sort of) of the original G-Wagen.
So, the GLE uses an ML chassis and engine, but trims cabin space down to just the four seats, takes away some rear legroom and boot space, which allows Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH to claim that "the GLE 450 AMG Coupé is our first sports model, and further highly emotional and performance-oriented models will follow in the near future. The new product line from Mercedes-AMG has allowed us to make true sports car technology and the fascination of motorsports more accessible. Every vehicle from Affalterbach honours the brand promise of Driving Performance."
So what's the techy bit?
Right, they're all four-wheel drive (for now) and the basic and presumably most popular engine will be the 350 CDI V6 diesel, which, when strapped to the front of the new 9G-tronic nine-speed automatic gearbox, has 258hp. Mercedes isn't making any specific emissions or fuel economy claims as yet, but presumably the diesel will be a fair bit more efficient than the 3.0-litre V6 petrol Bi-Turbo 400 CGI and a whole bunch less thirsty than the range-topping GLE 450 AMG with its twin-turbo 365hp V6 petrol engine. The GLE 350 and 400 get a 50:50 front:rear torque split, while the AMG version gets a 40:60 front:rear split to make it feel sportier.
Making it sportier still is optional Airmatic air suspension with a new Active Damping System (ADS) added to which is a gadget called Active Curve System, which uses a set of decoupling anti-roll bars to make the ride soft on the straight bits, but which stops things getting too floppy in the curves.
Want more? There's more: how about a new Dynamic Select system, which allows the driver to switch between Individual, Comfort, Slippery, Sport and Sport+. This doesn't just alter the expected suspension, steering and throttle settings though - it also plays with engine sound, lighting setup and instruments. That should keep you from getting too bored on the school run.
It's also not entirely impractical. It can tow a (braked) trailer of up to 3,500kg (£5 if you ever see a GLE actually towing anything...) and if you fold the back seats flat there's a not insubstantial 1,650-litre boot to play with. Just to make sure people know you're flashing the bling though, you can have wheels of up to 22-inch diameter. Wicked, innit?
The GLE will get a full public reveal at the Detroit Auto Show next month, and will be on sale later in 2015.
Neil Briscoe - 10 Dec 2014