Mercedes GLE Coupe review

Unlike in the regular Mercedes GLE, full electric front seat and steering wheel adjustment is standard on all GLE Coupes, as is a memory function. That means it’s easy to get comfortable behind the wheel, especially with standard heated and cooled front seats (and even heated and cooled front cupholders).

The GLE Coupe also gets a 12.3in digital instrument cluster as standard. It has crystal clear graphics and can display a vast array of driving information. It’s a little trickier to customise than Audi’s Virtual Cockpit system, though, and you might find the touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel a bit fiddly to use. 

The lofty seating position helps to give you a good view of the road ahead. The windscreen pillars can partially obscure your view at junctions, but they don't cause a serious problem.

Rear and over-the-shoulder visibility are hampered by the narrowing rear windows and heavily sloped roof with thick pillars. Thankfully you get a 360deg camera system with park assist on all models, along with adaptive LED headlights, which allow you to keep main beam on for longer without dazzling others.

Next to the 12.3in driver’s display sits another 12.3in touchscreen that takes care of the infotainment. If you don’t want to prod and poke the screen itself, there’s a trackpad between the front seats and another on the left spoke of the steering wheel. This can prove tricky to use at first, but once you’ve got the hang of it you can control many functions without taking your hands off the wheel. Siri-style voice control, sat-nav and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are standard on all models.

Most of the GLE Coupe’s interior materials look and feel suitably expensive, and there’s plenty of soft-touch plastic on the dashboard. If you give the dashboard a bit of a poke and a prod, though – particularly around the climate-control panel – it doesn't exude quite the same impression of solidity as you’ll find in its Audi and BMW rivals. Still, it’s certainly not flimsy, and the difference isn’t something that would bother you on a daily basis.