Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe (C167)

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe (C167) as launched in 2020: the sloping-roof five-seat body with the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, an EQ Boost 48-volt mild-hybrid system, a nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, rated at 612 PS. It is not a guide to the upright GLE 63 S SUV, which has its own entry in our catalogue and a different roofline, nor to the lower-powered GLE 63 without the S badge, which PistonHeads puts at 571 hp. We also touch on how the January 2023 update and the 2026 Euro 7 update differ, because an advert that says only "GLE 63 Coupe" can describe any of them. We store the category as SUV and the body style as SUV Coupe.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: the Mercedes-Benz AG press release of 19 February 2020 as reproduced on Motorshow.me, PistonHeads' coupe reveal report of the same date, and the government recall checker. We also read evo's reveal report (18 February 2020), Cars.co.za (19 February 2020), PistonHeads' January 2023 update report and its June 2026 Euro 7 report, and PistonHeads' 2021 review of the SUV. We flag every point that rests on them. Mercedes-AMG's own vehicle page returned a 403 error to us, so we did not use it. Prices are history, not valuations, and we give none.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol, 3982 cc, with an integrated EQ Boost alternator-motor on the 48-volt system. The press release says 4.0-litre V8 biturbo.
• Power: 604 bhp. Mercedes quotes 450 kW, which it prints as 612 hp, and that is metric horsepower (PS), not bhp. Our conversion is 612 PS x 0.98632, about 604 bhp, and 450 kW x 1.341 gives the same. evo prints 603 bhp and PistonHeads prints 612hp without a unit, so you will see all three figures for the same engine. The press release says it peaks at 5750 to 6500 rpm.
• EQ Boost: an extra 16 kW (22 hp) under load, plus 184 lb ft according to PistonHeads and evo. The press release lists it in addition to the 450 kW, not inside it.
• Torque: 850 Nm from 2500 to 4500 rpm per the press release. PistonHeads prints 627 lb ft from 2500 rpm, and 850 x 0.73756 is about 627 lb ft, so the two agree.
• 0-100 km/h: 3.8 seconds per the press release. PistonHeads gives 3.8 seconds for 0-62 mph, which is close to the same measurement.
• Top speed: 280 km/h, electronically limited, per the press release. See the next section.
• Drive: AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive with fully variable torque distribution, with the AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G nine-speed automatic. PistonHeads says more torque goes rearward in the sportier modes.
• Consumption: 11.5 l/100 km combined, about 24.6 mpg (imperial) by our conversion, and 263 g/km CO2 according to the press release. PistonHeads prints 236 g/km, which looks like transposed digits, so we use the manufacturer's figure.
• Size: PistonHeads says the car seats five, has a 650 litre boot and weighs about 2.3 tonnes, and evo also estimates 2.3 tonnes. Neither is an official kerb weight.

The 280 km/h question

The press release lists 280 km/h with a footnote that the speed is electronically limited, and a second footnote that the optional AMG Drivers Package gives 280 km/h too. That wording is ambiguous: it does not state a lower base limit, so we cannot tell you whether a car without the package stops earlier. PistonHeads says the car beats the BMW X6 M's 155 mph limit by 19 mph, which is about 174 mph, and 280 km/h is 174 mph. One catalogue site we saw in search results lists 250 km/h for this model, but we did not read the page. Treat 280 km/h as the manufacturer's claim, check the build sheet or VIN for the Drivers Package, and do not assume any individual car will reach it.

What makes the Coupe a different car from the SUV

The two bodies share the engine and most of the mechanical package. evo describes the Coupe as outwardly identical to the SUV apart from the sloping roofline, with 22-inch wheels, quad exhaust pipes and aggressive lower air intakes. The press release gives 22-inch light alloy wheels as standard, whereas PistonHeads says the regular 63 uses 21-inch wheels and the S one inch larger. For a used buyer the tyre size matters: large low-profile tyres on a car of about 2.3 tonnes are a running cost and a ride-quality question that we cannot quantify from our sources.

The chassis is AMG RIDE CONTROL+ air suspension with adaptive damping, active roll stabilisation that the press release calls AMG ACTIVE RIDE CONTROL, an electronically controlled rear differential according to evo, and seven DYNAMIC SELECT programmes: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Individual, RACE, Trail and Sand. The press release also describes AMG DYNAMICS agility modes linked to those programmes. There is a wrinkle here: PistonHeads' 2023 update report calls AMG Active Ride Control a new option on the 63, while the 2020 release already names it, so we cannot say for certain whether your car has it. Ask for the equipment list.

How the Coupe differs by year

PistonHeads reported on 31 January 2023 that the GLE 63 S kept 612 hp, with software changes to the 4MATIC+ system, the differential, the stability control and the suspension, a new grille and a revised cabin. It said the SUV and Coupe were both updated but gave no Coupe-specific figures. On 16 June 2026 it reported a Euro 7 version of the V8 for the GLE and GLS, with the Coupe alongside the SUV, a second-generation mild-hybrid unit and a new sports exhaust, and 612 hp and 627 lb ft unchanged. That report gives 0-62 mph in 4.2 seconds or less, slower than the 3.8 seconds here, so do not quote this guide's performance figures for a 2026 car. We kept the year range open-ended, because the Coupe is still sold, but everything above describes the launch specification.

Questions to ask before you buy one

We found no source with reliability data or a list of common faults for this model, so what follows is our own inference from how the car is built, not a finding from the sources. Treat it as a checklist, not as evidence.

• Confirm the generation and the update: pre-2023, 2023 to 2025 or the 2026 Euro 7 car. Ask for the VIN and the original equipment list, including the AMG Drivers Package and whether Active Ride Control is fitted.
• Drive it through every DYNAMIC SELECT mode if you can, and watch the dash for suspension, 48-volt or hybrid system warnings. The car relies on air springs, a 48-volt system and a complex all-wheel drive set-up, all of which are expensive to diagnose.
• Check the 22-inch wheels for kerb damage and the tyres for uneven wear, and ask what the previous owner paid for a set.
• Ask for a full service history from an authorised dealer or a specialist who works on AMG cars. A car that has been remapped or has an aftermarket exhaust is no longer the 612 PS car in this guide.
• Check that the car is a genuine S. PistonHeads and our other sources describe the 63 without the S badge as a 571 hp car, so a badge alone is not enough.
• Run the registration through the recall check described below.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We did not run the government recall checker, because it needs a registration number, or the make, model and year, and we are not looking at a specific car. The page says the registration check shows safety recalls that have not been checked or fixed, plus MOT history, and that the manufacturer tells you directly about non-safety recalls. We did not find a recall notice we could verify for this exact car in our sources. A web search showed US recall notices that cover GLE 63 models, but we did not read them and US rules and cars can differ, so we do not rely on them. Absence from our sources is not a clean bill of health. Check the registration yourself and ask Mercedes-Benz which campaigns apply to the VIN.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page shows a silver GLE 63 S Coupe photographed in Stuttgart on 19 December 2021 by Alexander Migl, published on Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0. We cropped and resized it, and we blurred the number plate. It is a pre-update car and shows the shape only; it tells you nothing about the specification of any car you may be considering.

Verdict

The Coupe in this guide is a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 petrol with 604 bhp (612 PS), 850 Nm, a claimed 3.8 seconds to 100 km/h and a limited 280 km/h, with all-wheel drive and a coupe roofline, roughly 2.3 tonnes of car. It is a fast, heavy and complicated machine whose value depends on its specification, its history and a correct reading of which update it is. If you are shopping for one, confirm the year and equipment from the VIN, run the recall check, and get an independent inspection by someone who knows AMG air suspension and the 48-volt system. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a proper inspection to decide.