In all, though you won’t likely do any off-roading with your GLE Coupe, it’s nice to know you’re covered for an easygoing and relaxed experience if you do.

On the highway, the GLE rides like it looks like it rides: with a big, heavy and solid character. It doesn’t float on an elastokinematic cloud like a big squishy Lexus or Cadillac, and most drivers in locales with less-than-perfect roads should probably avoid the 21-inch AMG wheels, which look majestic but cause a degradation of ride quality on rough surfaces. On smooth roads, it’s largely comfortable, but discernibly on the stiff side.

Drivers can fiddle with the calibration of the engine, steering and suspension, the latter two being ideal candidates for some fine tuning. At highway speeds, your writer found the Comfort mode sets the shocks too soft for the quick and light steering, which results in a tendency for the GLE Coupe to feel startled by even mild steering inputs, lurching around with each one. Switching the steering to its heavier sport setting helps, adding some weight to the steering system.

A 3.0L turbodiesel V6 with AutoStop and a nine-speed transmission is the entry powertrain, and for most drivers, is the way to go. Other than a slight (two second) delay for startup in cold weather, the diesel engine operates without compromise: it’s smooth, very quiet, and packs effortless low-end torque that’s dispatched in two unique ways, depending on the position of the drive selector dial.

In comfort mode, the throttle is lazy, and the nine-speed automatic upshifts often and early, the tachometer needle flitting around under 1,500 revs while the GLE Coupe surges quietly along on a torque tidal wave. Call on sport mode, and gears are held longer, more of the engine’s torque is served, and the GLE Coupe downright scoots when given the boots.

Output is rated at 249 hp and 457 lb-ft though fuel mileage landed at just 11.2 L/100 km on my watch. That’s a powercurve meatier than a case of Baconators, and all with a fuel bill some 2 L/100 km better than a (considerably less powerful) Honda Pilot or Nissan Pathfinder, for where and how I drive. My mileage figure tied a recent test drive of a Santa Fe 2.0T, driven in similar conditions. All said, the diesel engine gives you more power and saves you money, which basically makes you a genius.

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