CAR WARS! High-Performance Luxury SUV Edition: BMW X6M vs. Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S Coupe

From an aesthetic perspective, I like the Mercedes. It looks more modern and cleaner than the BMW.

I'd be interested to know what the ride differences are between the two. I wonder if Mercedes went a bit softer in the suspension tuning since it is an SUV and since the C63S and GLA45 are such spectacular cars in their own right and against their direct competition. It seems odd that this GLE63 would fare this way against the X6 M.

I agree with this compare because I saw both cars and yes the GLE is inferior to the X6 (and you can not turn off all the nannies as in the Porsche Macan)...and I agree with that decision for 2 reasons: a car so big as that requires a lot of expertise to drive it fast and most of the users won't have it, and second based on the first point, the accident rate would be to high for bad of the brand. If you have the expertise, buy the X6. In my case I prefer the GLE cause I thing based on my own observations it is better OFF ROAD, also a lot softer; yes, it is bigger and have more space than the X6, specially in the back seat and rear compartment and last but no least, it is a more isolated and aesthetically looks a lot better to me than the X6. Both cars are great but definitely they where designed and built with different buyers in mind.

GLE all day, the kidney grille on Bimmers higher end models somehow seems to cheapen their appearance overall like the all new 7 series...

wow . That was an a** kicking. I thought it would be closer, yet in the performance Sport activity coupe the X6M dominates. No one is driving either vehicle like this Off Road. The lap time was 3,5 seconds slower on the AMG benz, 7 ft longer braking distance, .05 lateral g less and 1 mph or so on the slalom & almost 6 mph on the quarter mile. What is the point of the Mercedes?

BMWm4: is to cozy and pamper the customer. So you think that no one will drive them off road but will in a track? really?. The MB is also bigger inside and more higher so the outcome is logic. Here in my country any High car like those will know the mud soon or latter and definitely the most popular are the Toyota Land Cruiser and Range Rovers. But in Germany , I bet everyone would like to drive a Cayenne Turbo or the excellent X6M, but again off road and you are looking for something more sophisticated the GLE will be the best choice for me....But also in my HO, BMW did best Sport oriented vehicle and MB did a best luxury oriented vehicle (which reflect the philosophy of the manufacturers and is ok).

not really as the Mercedes has less headroom. A little more leg room in the back seats. Yet this comparison was on the best Sports M vs AMG car on the road. If I am going off road, then I am getting a Rover or a Jeep.

You miss my point. The philosophy of both is different. There are users that like of road cars but won't buy G or a Defender or Range Rover because they hate style of those cars. No matter how hard MB works, most of their cars will be more luxury machines, in same way no matter how hard BMW works, their cars will always be more sport oriented than luxury machines. When MB wants put performance over luxury the result usually is a product so good that BMW has nothing to go against: SL (any model), CL (S coupe), AMG GT, GL, S sedan, and the sale numbers are my ground to support that. Beyond the M2, M3, M4, M5, X5M, X6M, BMW has noting to really good lately for just one stupid mistake: Trying too hard to become on a luxury company. All latest reviews of M cars are not as good as they use to be because the weight and performance of their cars. BMW is putting a lot of useless stuff that add unnecessary weight to their cars. As an example: Soft closing doors mechanisms in the M5, cameras, infrared systems, autoparking, and the list goes on. Most of that stuff is useless for real drivers and also inflate the price of the cars. MB in the other side still believe that is possible to build a car with M drive characteristics but will that luxury gadget that add usually from 200 to 600 pounds extra over some BMWs and that's also silly. There was a time when you were able to differentiate BMW from MB in more than one way....today sadly no. If want a Sport car I will get an AMG GT but if the budget is limited then M4 or C63s is ok for me cause both have almost the same numbers, or an SL63 or 65 over the M6 coupe. S coupe does not have any BMW counterpart unless they build the 9 series (most likely no) MB dare BMW in the sport arena, but BMW can't do it in the Luxury field, so those are the buyers of the GLE63s.

have you seen and driven the New 7-series? If not, you need to.

I do understand your point. SL any model vs the 650i convertible in a performance test, the Mercedes will lose. In a luxury test, that is the SL forte. The CL ( s Coupe ) is a luxury car. It is not a performance car. Not even the S 63 AMG as the handling is not anywhere near on par with the M6 coupe or convertible for that matter. The Mercedes GL has no equal as BMW has yet to put anything to compete with it. Yet if you are just basing things and performance on numbers, then the 3-series owns the entire segment and it is not even close. Even the 4-series has no real competition from Mercedes as the E class coupe is technically a c-class as it is built on that chassis. And the New C-class coupe that is coming out really competes with a 2-series with BMW as they are about the same size.

Basically in a nut shell that all cars are mixing luxury, comfort, and sport in all their cars. Some do parts of it better than other & that will always be the case. BMW is always geared more towards sport, even the New 7-series which is leaps and bounds a more luxurious & technology advanced car than anything in the segment. Plus is flat out fast. Still shocked that the car can propel as fast as it did with a similar performance time as the M5 non competition car. Mercedes & Lexus is towards luxury. Lexus has done a pretty good job with their F-sport lineup in attracting a younger buyer.

Not sure where did get your info in Instrumented test the SL63 was By far a more better car than the Coupe M6 (which was the last in the test against 3 other cars) SL was the second: http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/final-scoring-performance-data-and-complete-specs-page-6-1 . Now in my opinion , the test is not fair because the M6 is heavier and bigger than the SL and lost even against standard SLs vs standard 6 series also result as a defeat (but in the in this case in performance and luxury). CL is out of the BMW league for now and yes I agree with you, a car with so many gadgets is a luxury coupe and AMG badge won't Matter, but in my point of View only this AMGs are Sport Cars: C, SL, E, GT, A and CLA. In the case of BMW M only the 3, 4, 5 and 6 coupe are sport cars, all others are enhanced versions for more demanding drivers. The X6M did an excellent job in performance compared to the GLE63. But M3, M4 or M5 well sadly most of the magazines and reviewers took the crown from BMW. Last ATS was better than the M3 in most of the numbers and the C63 lose ground for milliseconds in the track, because in the road or in a drag strip M3, M4, M5, M6, bite the dust against any AMG in same category. Once again, this is a fault of the engineers at BMW cause their cars are getting fat with so many gadgets. There is only one car in the BMW which basically is the one who hold the sales records of them and is 3 series (almost the half of the sales can be attributed to it). There was a golden age when you can say for sure BMW is the Ultimate Driving Machine, now that is not true any more and I can paste several links here that can show you that, However (and that is final) the beauty is in the eyes of the Beholder. I prefer MB over BMW any day but there is no MB (Again my point of view cause I know others will see different) M4 is my favorite in that category but...I really miss the wonderful sound of the last V8, but I recognize that was a weak engine so the new 6 cylinders was a wise decision, Is a great car specially in the exterior. Inside the C takes the lead but outside does not excite me, specially the but that looks like the Kim Kardasian's but when she reach 70 without surgery.

"View only this AMGs are Sport Cars: C, SL, E, GT, A and CLA. In the case of BMW M only the 3, 4, 5 and 6 coupe are sport cars, all others are enhanced versions for more demanding drivers. "

Technically speaking CLA vs the New M2 --- wont even be close as the CLA45 amg just barely bested the M235i the last time they faced.

C63 amg vs M3 sedan - that is about as close as it gets. Yes the C63 has more power, yet the performance numbers are pretty much the same. that is as close to a draw as it gets. The comparisons that the C63 won were so far due to being smoother and not as fun to drive. Who buys these cars without trying to have fun and occassionally going to a track? Otherwise just get the standard c400 and compare it to the BMW 340i. yet who wants to watch that destruction as the mercedes is not even close to the same performance ...

C63 coupe vs M2 for size and M4 in price - this car fits right between the 2. The M4 is the reigning champ in this segment and yet so far the comparison is still leaning towards the M4 coupe

*** In both cases or most of the comparisons the Mercedes C63 is the S version. As the standard version with the less horsepower would not be really that close from a competitive edge. The S version has almost a 100 hp advantage and over 110 lbs of torque, yet it still cant outrun or out perform the better balanced M3/M4 and soon to be M2


Lets skip right to the big boys in the S63 amg & S65 amg vs the Alpina B7 and New 750i. The performance is about the same, yet the Alpina is a much better handling and performance full size car.

In the Sport Ute comparison unfortunately the X6M and X5m reign supreme and the comparisons are extremely lopsided.

BMW doesnt have a SLS so Mercedes wins hands down.

M5 vs E63 amg are 2 completely different cars. The M5, especially competition package is definitely the pure drivers car. The Amg is more the executive saloon. Cant wait to see what both BMW & Mercedes have up their sleeve with the next versions .....

The ATS is a small car. It is a well balanced car by cadillac yet not M3 or C63.

I find all the comments somewhat amusing as this test was solely about the best Performance SAV on the market and the X6m dominated in every fashion. I get it that you like the look and feel of the Mercedes. Yet personally I have driven most of the cars on a track and the differences couldnt be any more glaring between AMG & M.

Sorry I forgot the New M2 (which is cool) Still we need to see them in the updated version of the A45 or CLA45, and yes It barely won against the M235, and it just a 4 cylinder against a 6, but almost same power. I do not like the ATS but facts are facts, any other view is just subjective and not objective. By the numbers BMW is not what it use to be man: http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2015-bmw-m3-vs-2015-mercedes-amg-c63-s-2016-cadillac-ats-v-comparison-test-2015-bmw-m3-vs-2015-mercedes-amg-c63-s-2016-cadillac-ats-v-final-scoring-performance-data-and-complete-specs-page-5 Other more: For Size compare from your website:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1163814
The M2 is so small that If you see the profile it looks boxy, But in side by side the M4 and C63 are almost the same and all inside millimeters. Regarding drive on the track I have to agree , Ms are easier to drive. The last C63 was a Monster and require more expertise to drive than the M3 just because the power and torque and MB is not as good as as BMW putting the power down to the tarmac (but the numbers now say that they are improving a lot). The AMG Engines are by far superior, The V8 M3 was a a heavy and week (no torque) engine (but nice to rev it), the C63 engine was bigger but also almost 4 kg lighter which was weird considering that M3 was 2 liters smaller.

In that comparison that the M3 sedan wins, it shows that the M3 sedan is a little larger inside. Also, that Mercedes AMG will only bring their most powerful version to be competitive in the contest which happens to be 100 more hp and 115 lbs of torque greater than the M3

actually it is exactly what it used to be and more. It is more fun, less tame and a thrill to push the car around. The Mercedes is not at all. The AMG engines are not far superior and it is not even close. AMG is just about brute horsepower without balance. If balance and driving dynamics was easy then everyone would do it.

The C63 interior wise is No where near the same space as the M4.

Have you actually sat in or driven any of the cars you speak about? If you did, then you would understand that AMG is never going to be M & vice versa. M is pure. AMG has to use more power to provide perception of being better than it actually is. If AMG was so much better, then they would not have to up the horsepower by over 100 more than BMW to get same result....

You need to go and actually drive the cars you speak about...

Actually, I did with M4 and C63 and I prefer the M4 which does not blind me, I can see that the AMG engines are by far better, the Issue on MB is the fact that they add so many stuff that at the end most of the cars end with a lot of extra weight. As engineer I know the newton's laws and inertia will be ALWAYS bigger in the heavier car. Again, driving the C63 requires more concentration and definitively is not for beginners. M4 in the other side is a more enjoyable car even fun as soon as you know it. C63, yes it have a lot brute force that you enjoy when you want to drift or do burn outs without any worries about the engine. I recommend you to rise both cars and see below both, the Chassis on the MB is heavier and stronger, and is able to support almost any power, something that you has t be very careful in Bimmers because dampers are located usually in plates on body and with the years they break inside the car as was the case of Z8. Regarding the quality and durability of the cars and engines: the studies say that Audi will stand 7 years before it needs a major repair, BMW 9 and M 11. Now I do not give total credit to the studies because even a Lada is a good car if you take care of it by their manuals but also you can not ignore them totally. Germany does very Nice cars but when gadgets and electronics fail, you discover that till today...No one is able to reach the quality of the Japanese. You see and all Lexus and most of the electronics works fine; something that we can not say about ANY German car. I am 6.3 tall and drive an M4 or C63 is easy for me but in both cases the rear seat is bad (worst in the BMW), but in the M2... is for kids the wheelbase is too short, but no doubt about that the car will be a hit with drivers enthusiasts.