BRAVE & BOLD

If you like the idea of making others feel intimidated as your car appears in their rearview mirror, look no further.

- MANAV SINHA

If you are like me, you are likely to have some reservations about modern cars. They often lack character and are soulless, for they seem to be designed by corporate strategists rather than passionate engineers. While in a world driven by PowerPoint presentations, surveys and market trends, a downright bad car is rare, a car with a distinct personality and memorable charm – things that you can’t easily quantify – is even rarer. And if you are like me, you’d agree with the sentiment, and if you do, the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe might just be the car for you.

ON THE FACE OF IT

I write FACE (in capital letters) because just look at it! Sure, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and all that, but love it or hate it, you can’t ignore the GLE 53. For 2024, Mercedes has given it a facelift, albeit a subtle one. The updates include a new front bumper, which is a tad more aggressive, a new set of adaptive LED headlamps with a good-looking Daytime Running Light (DRL) signature, the new AMG emblem on the bonnet, like other new AMG offerings, and new taillamps. Now, these updates haven’t done much to enhance the car’s appeal compared to the outgoing model. I mean, at the very least, a set of alloy wheels with an updated design would have been nice to make the facelifted car easily identifiable.

Overall, the GLE 53’s commanding silhouette, along with the imposing proportions and the fat 315-section tyres, never fails to turn heads on the road. I must say that even in Mercedes’ extensive SUV line-up, there is nothing quite like the GLE 53 in terms of sheer road presence, unless you consider something like the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, which, if you think about it, is a feat in itself.