Mercedes-AMG GLE53 vs Volvo EX30

What's the difference?

The GLE Coupe isn't going to click with a traditional enthusiast but will appeal to a new age of mainstream performance buyers. It's a total tech showcase and you can feel all of those 48-volt benefits from behind the wheel.

Love it or hate its shape, then, you have to appreciate how Mercedes has gone to the nth degree on the details on an SUV it probably could have sold on looks alone.

There’s a lot to like about the Volvo EX30 Cross Country. It’s an impressive AWD EV. Nice to drive, comfortable and offering the extra driver confidence an AWD system brings.

It also looks good, has a decent stack of features onboard and has plenty of appeal for owners, especially in terms of servicing costs.

As an EV tourer, it has a reasonable driving range and offers enough in terms of AWD flexibility to appeal to those people who may like the idea of an all-electric adventure machine.

But it is small, has a limited scope of off-road capability and pricing is ranging upward for what it offers.

Hate the very concept of a large SUV coupe or not, you have to at least agree this second-generation GLE Coupe looks infinitely better than the model preceding it.

This time the Coupe version was front of mind from the outset of the GLEs development and is significantly different from the wagon version in more ways than just a sloping roofline.

The wheelbase has been cropped in 60mm compared to the wagon, and the GLE Coupe is a full 7.0mm wider and 39mm longer than its predecessor.

All this adds up to an imposing and more resolved SUV Coupe. I especially like the way its bootlid flicks up into a spoiler, and how the tail-lights round out the profile nicely.

Still, there's always going to be something a little off about the proportions when it comes to a coupe SUV this big, and it's certainly a re-imagining of what a sporty vehicle should look like.

This car's cabin is almost as confronting as its exterior. Up front you're met with an assault of chrome, a ventilation overload and a totally dominant expanse of screens.

This all hints at the advanced tech which lies beneath, but the real wood and leather trims also elevate the cabin to something you might expect at the tall asking price.

It may appeal to a particular taste and makes the BMW X6's cabin look almost conventional.

This Cross Country is 4233mm long (with a 2650mm wheelbase) 1850mm wide, and 1567mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 1910kg.

It’s a slick-looking compact SUV with more than its fair share of hints at its off-road aspirations including raised suspension so it perches higher off the deck than its regular EX30 stablemates (190mm of ground clearance). It has dark coloured front and rear body panelling, dark wheel-arch extensions (built to cop any loose gravel or dirt while all-wheel driving on well-maintained bush tracks), and if you get on the ground to check, front and rear skid-plates.

Quirky touches include an impression on the front bumper section of a topographical map depicting the highest mountain range in Sweden (as well as the apparent co-ordinates to that location), and interesting doodles under the lid of the front boot (what I like to call the 'froot' whereas as you might call it the frunk for front trunk).

Overall, the Cross Country has a spartan-style cabin. No, I don’t mean there are swords and shields and oiled-up blokes in loin cloths here – just that there’s a clear, basic layout that leans more towards functional than flashy.

It also has a fixed-in-place panoramic glass roof that has no sliding cover built into the ceiling and I’m not a big fan of having my noggin exposed all of the time.

In some ways, the GLE Coupe makes the most of its extra dimensions, but in other more obvious ways, it's quite compromised.

Benz tells us there's now 40 litres of combined cabin storage, and with the large door bins, centre console box, convertible cupholders, and glove box, I'm inclined to believe them.

The brand also told us much of the extra 39mm of body length has gone into the rear passenger space, and this seems true when it comes to legroom.

You definitely notice the decline of the C-Pillar, though, making an otherwise large space feel slightly claustrophobic, particularly with the 53's dark headlining and heavily tinted rear windows.

The almost absurd ride height does make peering over the bonnet a chore at times, although I enjoyed the adjustability and comfort afforded by the front two seats.

In terms of connectivity, front passengers get a plethora of USB-C jacks, a wireless charging bay, and a 12V power outlet. There's no USB-A connectivity, so you'll want to stock up on converters.

Rear passengers benefit from dual USB-C ports in a fold out tray, and also score dual adjustable air vents. Two extra climate control zones can be optioned for rear passengers ($1450), and there's also an exorbitant option package to include two screens and wireless headsets for the full business-class experience in the back seats ('Entertainment Package' - $6000!).

You might be surprised given this SUV's shape, but a lot of thought was also poured into the design of the boot area. Thanks to a large footprint, the GLE 53 Coupe's boot is large at 655 litres, five litres up on its predecessor. It's still a whopping 170-litres down on the wagon version, though.

The boot lip has been lowered significantly to increase ease of use, too.

Our test car did not have a spare wheel, with only an inflator kit or run-flat tyres to be working with. This is despite a large area under the boot floor which, to my eyes at least, could easily have fit a space-saver spare.

Inside, the driver misses out on a digital instrument display but the centrally-located, vertically-mounted 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as pretty much every control and gauge you could wish for and, as driver, you quickly get used to checking that screen for your current speed etc.

It also offers a way to open the glove box (that sits below the screen) and quick ways to switch off driver-assist aids, such as 'Lane Departure Warning' and the 'Driver Alert System', which could otherwise be a bit annoying. Unfortunately, you have to switch off those systems every time you get back in the car.

The screen is where you’re also able to cycle through drive modes, vehicle settings and the like. The front seats are power-adjustable set-ups and they are heated but not ventilated. There is plenty of durable plastic inside the cabin as well as a denim-like 'tailored wool blend' seat upholstery and soft-touch surfaces.

In terms of space, well, as befitting a compact SUV, there’s not a lot of it for gear or people. The aforementioned glove box is small, there’s no centre console (only sliding cupholders above, and a narrow receptacle below with a wireless charging pad) plus the door pockets are thin and shallow.

And second-row passengers don’t fare too well, either. It’s squeezy back there – even for a Hobbit-sized bloke like me – and there are few amenities.

No fold-down armrest with cupholders, no directional air vents and that panoramic glass roof doesn’t have a sliding cover so those in the front and back cop the full brunt of the summer sun. I can vouch for the ouch too because I had this Cross Country during record-high summer temps in NSW and my gigantic forehead (due to a hairline that keeps creeping rearward) suffered a roasting. That’s about the only circumstance – no sunroof cover and extreme heat – in which it’s okay for someone to wear a hat while driving.

In terms of storage, with both rows in use, there’s a listed 318L of volume in the rear cargo area and 1000L when the second row is stowed away. The rear cargo area has a light and bag hooks and there’s a charging cable and tyre-repair kit in the shallow underfloor storage space.

It’s well worth noting that this vehicle, despite being marketed as an all-wheel drive vehicle with adventure potential, doesn’t have any spare tyre onboard.

At the front of the Cross Country, there is seven litres of cargo volume in what I call the 'Froot' (front boot) rather than the 'Frunk' (front trunk).

The Volvo EX30 Cross Country is top-of-the-range in the three-variant EX30 range and it has a manufacturer suggested list price of $69,990. It’s the best variant in the range if you’re keen to travel beyond the bitumen. For reference, at time of writing, the 2026 Volvo EX30 Single motor Extended range Plus is $59,990, before on-road costs, and the Extended Range Ultra is $66,290, excluding on-roads.

Standard features include a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and over-the-air software updates), wireless charging, AWD, three driving modes, a Harman Kardon stereo with front sound-bar, a 360-degree camera view, semi-autonomous parking assist and 19-inch alloy wheels.

It also has LED headlights and tail-lights, a digital key (Bluetooth phone unlocking), heated steering wheel, power tailgate and a fixed panoramic glass roof (but no sliding cover).

In terms of off-road-specific features it has a 'Performance' drive mode (which optimises all-wheel drive), 'Hill Descent Control' and front and rear skid plates.

Exterior paint options include 'Cloud Blue', 'Crystal White', 'Onyx Black', 'Vapour Grey' and 'Sand Dune'.

For reference, vehicles that you might consider rivals in the same realm as the Cross Country – such as the Kia EV3 (about $63,950 MSRP for a top-spec GT-Line), Zeekr X (about $64,900 MSRP for the top-of-the-range all-wheel drive variant), and Skoda Enyaq (about $65,990 MSRP for the 85 Sportline) – are a few grand cheaper while packing as much, if not more, features onboard and managing to look and feel more premium than the Volvo. The Cross Country's price is creeping up for a vehicle that is quite spartan inside. More about that soon.

Here's where this car gets particularly interesting. It's a hybrid. But not your gran's Prius. It's hybrid in a way which will make you re-think the technology.

Residing under the bonnet is a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo, straight-six engine mated to a very complex looking nine-speed (torque converter) automatic transmission.

One of those two turbochargers is driven by an electric motor rather than the exhaust (in order to provide its peak benefits at the lowest possible rpm), and there's also an electric motor inside the transmission which takes the load off the engine at low speeds and between gears.

This isn't where the 48-volt tech ends, with the GLE 53 also sporting active anti-roll bars and dampers, which significantly adjust the ride and body-roll on-the-fly.

All four wheels are driven via Benz's 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive system.

The EX30 Cross Country has a twin-motor electric set-up, producing a combined 315kW and 543Nm. It has a single-speed transmission and a 69kWh battery.

Drive modes include 'Standard', 'Performance' (taps into all-wheel drive and is the preferred mode for light off-roading) and 'Range' (defaults to rear-wheel drive to get most out of battery).

It does not have any off-road driving modes (like Sand, Mud or Snow) but it does have 'Hill Descent Control'.

Claimed 0-100km/h time is just 3.7 seconds.

It's a performance car, so fuel consumption is probably not going to be front of mind for potential buyers. That said, the hybrid tech delivers a surprisingly good number.

The official combined cycle consumption number is ambitiously under 10L/100km at 9.3L/100km.

After three days of (roughly) combined testing and about 300km of distance travelled, our car was showing a dash-reported 14.1L/100km. Not near the claim, but is it really bad for a performance SUV weighing 2447kg? I would argue, not.

The GLE 53 requires the top-shelf 98 RON hydrocarbons to fill its 85-litre tank, giving it a maximum theoretical range of 726km between fills.

Official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) energy consumption is listed as 19.1kWh/100km. On this test, I recorded 18.4kWh/100km, which is impressive, especially considering I took this Volvo on some tracks that pushed the limit of its capabilities.

For reference, the 2026 Subaru Solterra AWD Touring has claimed energy use of 16.0kWh/100km, but I've yet to test it to gauge its real-world energy consumption, under pressure in tough (for an AWD) conditions.

The EX30 Cross Country has a 69kWh battery and according to Volvo can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 30 minutes on a fast 175kW DC charger.

It took me about 18 hours to get it from 20 to 80 per cent on a household socket (16 amp/3.6kW).

It has a listed driving range of 417km (WLTP) on a full charge. Official driving range is “up to 417km (WLTP)”.

This Benz feels about as imposing from behind the wheel as it is to look at. Straight away, you'll notice you tower over the road. I felt as though I was sitting high enough to be on the roof of passing hatchbacks, so there's nothing traditionally 'sporty' about it from the get-go.

I know you're probably thinking visibility is average with that roofline, and you'd be right. You just can't see much, full-stop, out the back.

Thankfully, an array of sensors and very wide-angle mirrors help with overall visibility, so you won't have to be too paranoid about unseen vehicles in your blind spots.

I'm pleased to report all the technology which goes under this SUV's skin is evident when it comes to the drive experience.

The hybrid tech is ultra-slick and impressive in every department, from trawling in traffic to the curvy stuff and the open road.

The responsiveness of this powertrain is something to be experienced (with the pre-spooled turbo) and the way the hybrid motor in the transmission smooths out shifts removes all the worst characteristics of a traditional torque converter automatic.

One thing to note about the GLE 53 – while it's quick, it's not quite a fire breather. There's no getting around this car's almost two and a half tonne weight, and while I love the smooth feel and note of the 3.0-litre straight six, it's simply not as thunderous or full of theatre as I imagine the 63 S will be.

Despite its height and weight, the altered steering ratios and 48-volt driven suspension and anti-roll systems cause a suspense in belief when it comes to the corners.

And grip levels are certifiably absurd with those gigantic rear tyres also pitching in to do their part to help something this large deny gravity and physics.

It's not all amazing though. You really feel every millimetre of this SUVs width, and at the end of the day there's no getting around it. It just doesn't feel anything like a sports machine in the traditional sense.

When it comes to ride quality, the GLE impresses, but has its limits. Sure there's air suspension at work, but it offers up nowhere near the ride quality of the more comfort-tuned GLC 300e I recently tested.

Seems as though there's an inevitable cost to keeping the GLE feeling well and truly planted at all times.

On the freeway the GLE Coupe is ridiculous in the way it can basically drive itself, so this offers up a real plus for those looking for a balance of performance and sensibility for longer trips.

This compact, all electric SUV has a ton of power and torque from the get-go. It’s impressive on almost all surfaces and it really is fast.

It has listed kerb weight of 1910kg and a turning circle of 11m, and this is a highly manoeuvrable vehicle.

The driving position is at best low and sporty, and there’s adequate visibility, even though it is pinched in places, especially looking back towards the rear of the vehicle.

This is a smooth and refined compact SUV that's nice to drive on- and off-road.

The Cross Country punches well above its weight in terms of power and torque and throttle response is great. It even errs on the side of too energetic, but steering is precise, the transmission is slick and the brakes have plenty of bite.

You’re able to change driving characteristics on the main screen by cycling through the drive modes (Standard, Range and Performance). Performance is a key mode when you hit the dirt because that fully engages and optimises the all-wheel drive system to give you that sure-footedness on looser surfaces.

Range is aimed at optimising the vehicle’s energy efficiency and Standard is not too bad for general day-to-day driving conditions.

When you do get off road, it handles minor corrugations well. It also deals with deeper, more severe potholes reasonably well. It’s pleasantly surprising that it stays so settled and composed while you're going through some lumpy and bumpy stuff.

The Cross Country is not an off-road animal as such, it can handle things when the road surface becomes more traction-compromised than you may normally face. But with limited ground clearance (even if it’s 19mm higher off the ground than the regular EX30 for a total of 190mm) the Cross Country is not a rock-crawling beast.

It doesn't have any off-road driving modes, however it does have hill descent control. But that's really for mild inclines and downhills where it has to hold a safer speed than it may otherwise achieve.

In terms of dimensions, it's not that well set up for off-roading. You don't want to take this anywhere near four-wheel drive only terrain. But having said that, it is more than capable of handling light to moderate off-road conditions – mild corrugations, some deeper potholes here and there, loose gravel, loose stones, those sorts of things.

In fact, there's no reason why you can't drive this vehicle on well-maintained tracks in dry conditions to your favourite campsite in a national park, even if it's a bit slippery.

The suspension set-up – Macpherson strut front, multi-link rear – is well suited to on-road driving. And while the Cross Country tends to feel a bit firm in places, it remains composed and settled when things become lumpier and bumpier, say, for instance on dirt tracks and gravel roads.

Its raised suspension (compared to the regular EX30) is on the firm side of things and it become a little jittery when the road becomes more corrugated and less well-maintained. But otherwise it is mostly well settled, well composed and ride and handling is nicely controlled.

This Volvo’s towing capacity is 1600kg.

Its all-season tyres – Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance SUV (235/50R19) – are on 19 inch rims and that’s not a package well suited to off-roading of any kind, really. There’s always the option of swapping them for some all terrain tyres on an 18-inch rim and that combination would instantly make this Cross Country even better for mild to moderate off-roading.

The Volvo EX30 Cross Country has the maximum five-star ANCAP rating from testing in 2024.

It scored 35.27 out of 40 (88%) for Adult Occupant Protection, 42.03 out of 49 (85%) for Child Occupant Protection, 50.36 out of 63 (79%) for Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 14.48 out of 18 (80%) for Safety Assist (includes AEB, driver monitoring and lane support system).

As standard, it has seven airbags and a comprehensive suite of driver-assist tech including AEB (with pedestrian, vehicle, large animal and cyclist detection), 'Lane Departure Warning' (intrusive in operation, but easy to switch off), a 'Driver Alert System' (also over-reactive but easy to switch off), adaptive cruise control, hill descent control, a 360 degree camera view (with a 3D view) and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

As mentioned, it’s missing any real off-road driving modes but then again, the Cross Country isn’t built to tackle anything too rough and tumble.

There is a ISOFIX child seat attachment on each outer seat in the second row and top-tether anchor points on all second-row seatbacks.

Mercedes has recently made a jump to the front of the luxury segment, offering an industry-wide standard of a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Here it is only rivalled by Korean newcomer, Genesis.

Service intervals occur once every 12 months or 25,000km and prices can be pre-packaged at a discount.

A three-year service plan can be had for $2800 ($3500 if you choose to 'fix' the price), four years can be had at $3800, while a full five-year plan will set you back $5200. Not cheap, but then, neither is the car itself...

The Volvo EX30 Cross Country is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty (with roadside assistance included) and an eight-year/160,000km warranty applies to the battery set-up.

A five-year/150,000km servicing plan applies and is free – and that is well worth noting here. While free/complimentary servicing is not unheard of in the EV space – it's offered with Audi e-tron, Polestar 4 (Long Range AWD), Genesis (GV70), BYD (Sealion 7) and more – the fact Volvo offers it on a variant that may spend at least some time on unsealed roads is commendable.

Servicing appointments are set for every 24 months/30,000km, whichever occurs soonest.

Volvo Group Australia has more than 40 dealerships as well as numerous Volvo-approved workshops across the country.