Mercedes-AMG GLE63 vs Aston Martin DBX

What's the difference?

There’s little wonder the GLE63 S is back for a second go around, after  clearly putting the frighteners on the Audi RS Q8 and BMW’s X5 M Competition and X6 M Competition.

After all, it’s a large SUV that sacrifices little in the way of practicality (especially the wagon) in its pursuit of high performance.

And for that reason, we’re itching to go for another drive – with or without the family.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel and meals provided.

As with all Aston Martins the DBX is a seriously beautiful car with that high-end exotic but restrained exterior styling for which the brand is known. As with all Astons, too, the busy interior design may put some minimalism fans off and those high-placed shifting buttons pose a functionality problem.

As an SUV the DBX is spacious and practical. You could use this daily as a family car. I did and found it easy to adapt to.

The driving experience left me disappointed. I didn’t feel the same close connection with the DBX while driving that I have had with other super SUVs, such as the Lamborghini Urus and more affordable models offered by Porsche and Mercedes-AMG.

But then, you see those other cars everywhere, unlike the DBX which is a rare and beautiful creature, despite the flaws.

First things first, the new GLE63 S is available in two body-styles, with the wagon appealing to the traditionalists out there, while the coupe targets the style-conscious.

Either way, few large SUVs are as imposing as the GLE63 S, which is a good thing considering it wants to be taken seriously.

Up front, it’s immediately identifiable as a Mercedes-AMG model thanks to its distinctive Panamericana grille insert.

The angry look is punctuated by the angular daytime running lights integrated into the Multibeam LED headlights, while the chunky front bumper has large air intakes.

Around the side, the GLE63 S stands out with its aggressive wheelarch extensions and side skirts, with the wagon getting 21-inch alloy wheels as standard, while the coupe gets 22-inch items.

From the A-pillars onwards, the differences between the wagon and coupe body-styles start to become apparent, with the latter’s roofline much more steeply raked.

At the rear, the wagon and coupe differentiate themselves even more clearly with their unique tailgates, LED tail-lights and diffusers. That said, they do have a sports exhaust system with squared-off quad tailpipes in common.

It’s worth mentioning that the difference in body-style also means a difference in dimensions, with the coupe 7mm longer (4961mm) than the wagon, despite having a 60mm-shorter wheelbase (2935mm). It’s also 1mm narrower (2014mm) and 66mm shorter (1716mm).

Inside, the GLE63 S separates itself with its flat-bottom steering wheel with Dinamica microfibre accents, and multi-contour front seats, which are upholstered in Nappa leather alongside the armrests, dashboard and door shoulders and inserts.

The door bins are of the hard plastic variety. That’s underwhelming in a vehicle that costs this much, as you would hope cow hide – or at least a soft-touch material – would be applied to them.

The black headliner acts as another reminder of its performance focus, and while it makes for a darker cabin, metallic accents feature throughout, while the trim (our test vehicle had open-pore wood) adds some variety alongside the ambient lighting.

That said, the GLE63 S is still filled to the brim with cutting-edge technology, including two 12.3-inch displays, with one the central touchscreen and the other a digital instrument cluster.

Both use Mercedes’ MBUX multimedia system and feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. This set-up is still the benchmark, thanks to its speed and breadth of functionality and input methods, including always-on voice control and a touchpad.

I'm not one to name drop but I was having a chin wag with Marek, that's Marek Reichman, Aston Martin's Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, the fellow who has designed every Aston from the past 15 years, that Marek. Anyway, before the DBX came out he told me any SUV he designed would be unmistakably an Aston Martin.

I think he nailed it. The gaping Aston Martin grille is unmistakably the same as the DB11's and the tailgate, which although is the back hatch to a large SUV, is absolutely the same as the rear end of the Vantage.

Everything in between has all the family hallmarks. There are those oval headlights and the huge beak of a bonnet, the chiselled side panels with wheel arches that push up towards the sky and those rear haunches.

Not a fan of minimalist design? Then you'll love the DBX's cabin and its dashboard cluttered with dials, buttons, and switches.

It's like the cockpit of a plane and it's a very Aston Martin thing – just look at the layout of the DB5 from the 1960s, it's a mess, a beautiful mess though. The same goes for current models such as the DB11, DBS and Vantage.

Seriously, if there was one area where Marek may have decided not to make the DBX unmistakably Aston Martin, I wish it had been the interior.

Still, I think the DBX has the best cabin design of any current Aston, with its large media screen built into the centre console and more modern styling.

But regardless of what it looks like the feel of the materials is outstanding. There's a thick leather coating on just about every surface, apart from those which are solid, cold metal, like the paddle shifters and door handles.

It's a plush, sporty place, like Batman's suit only it smells a lot nicer.

The DBX is a large SUV at 5039mm long, 2220mm wide with the mirrors unfurled and 1680mm tall. Yep, this thing fills up an entire space in a car park.

The DBX comes in a choice of 53 colours. Yes, fifty three.  There's the 'Onyx Black' my test car wore, but also 'Royal Indigo', 'Supernova Red' and 'Kermit Green.'

Being a large SUV, you’d expect the GLE63 S to be quite practical, and it is, but what you wouldn’t expect is the coupe to have 25L more cargo capacity than the wagon, at a generous 655L, due to its higher window line.

That said, when you stow the 40/20/40 split-fold rear bench via the second row’s release latches, the wagon has a significant 220L advantage over the coupe, at a cavernous 2010L, thanks to its boxier design.

Either way, there’s a small load lip to contend with, making loading bulkier items a little more difficult, although that task can be made easier with the flick of a switch, as the air springs are able to lower the load height by a handy 50mm.

Better yet, four tie-down points are on hand to help secure loose items,  alongside a couple of bag hooks, while a space-saver spare resides under the flat floor.

In the second row, things are even better, with the wagon offering a crazy amount of legroom behind our 184cm driving position, as well as two inches of headroom for me.

With its 60mm-shorter wheelbase, the coupe naturally sacrifices some legroom, but it still provides three inches of legroom, while its sloping roofline trims headroom to an inch.

No matter the body-style, the five-seat GLE63 S is wide enough to seat three adults abreast with few complaints, with the transmission tunnel on the smaller side, meaning there’s plenty of room for feet.

There’s also plenty of room for child seats, with two ISOFIX and three top-tether anchorage points on hand for fitting them.

Amenities-wise, rear occupants are treated to map pockets on the front-seat backrests, as well as a fold-down armrest with two cupholders, while the door bins can accommodate a couple of regular bottles each.

A  fold-out cubby is positioned below the air vents at the rear of the centre console, containing two slots for smartphones as well as a pair of USB-C ports.

In the first row, occupants have access to the centre console’s cubby, which features two temperature-controlled cupholders, in front of which are a wireless smartphone charger, two USB-C ports and a 12V power outlet.

The central storage bin is pleasingly large and contains another USB-C port, while the glovebox is also on the larger side, and you get an overhead sunglasses holder too. Stunningly, the front door bins can take three regular bottles apiece. Not bad.

While the wagon has a large, square rear window, the coupe’s is a letterbox in comparison, so rearward visibility isn’t one of its strong suits.

Until the DBX came along the most practical Aston Martin was the five-door, four-seater Rapide which had a huge rear hatch and a boot big enough to swallow an entire matching five-piece luggage set – I saw it with my very own eyes.

Now there's the DBX which seats five (well, four comfortably, because nobody wants to be in the middle) and has a boot with a luggage capacity of 491 litres under the leather cargo cover.

As you can see it fit our three-piece CarsGuide luggage set, and I also used it to pick up some compost – very likely the first time anybody has done this to a DBX ever in Australia, and probably the last.

Cabin storage is impressive. The floating centre console is suspended like a hammock and under it is a huge bunk for a phone, wallet, and small bags. The split-opening armrest houses a large box, too.

The door pockets are on the small side but there are two cupholders up front and another two in the fold-down armrest in the second row.

Talking of rows, there's no third row. The DBX comes as a two-row, five-seater only.

It’s a roomy second row, with more than enough space for me at 191cm (6'3") tall to sit behind my driving position and headroom is excellent, too.

There is only one type of Aston Martin DBX and it wears a list price of $357,000, so it resides in the price range above the Porsche Cayenne, which tops out at $336,100, but below the Lamborghini Urus, which starts at $390,000.

The Bentley Bentayga V8 is its closest price rival, starting less than $10K higher than the DBX.

And while we're marvelling at the emergence of these super SUVs don't discount the original luxury SUV brand. The Range Rover SV Autobiography Dynamic is $351,086, and superb.

Let's take a look at the Aston Martin DBX's features.

Coming standard is leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, three-zone climate control, a 10.25-inch media display with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and digital radio, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a panoramic glass sunroof, power tailgate, proximity key with push-button start, LED headlights and tail-lights, and 22-inch forged alloy wheels.

For this high-end corner of the market the value is good, but there are a couple of misses such as the lack of a head-up display and Android Auto isn't supported.

But if you wanted a shopping trolley packed with value you'd go to a supermarket, right? Maybe. What you really want to know is what it's like to drive, right? Let's start with horsepower.

The GLE63 S is powered by Mercedes-AMG’s ubiquitous 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, with this version pumping out a hard-hitting 450kW of power at 5750rpm and 850Nm of torque from 2250-5000rpm.

But that’s not all, because the GLE63 S also has a 48V mild-hybrid system called EQ Boost.

As its name suggests, it has an integrated starter-generator (ISG) that can provide up to 16kW and 250Nm of electric boost in short bursts, which means it can also reduce the sensation of turbo lag.

Mated to a nine-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with paddle-shifters, and Mercedes-AMG’s fully variable 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system, the GLE63 S sprints from a standstill to 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds, in either body-style.

When it came to giving the DBX an engine Aston Martin chose the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that's in the Vantage only they made it more powerful – 25kW more at 405kW (542hp). There's 15Nm more torque as well, at 700Nm.

Shifting through a nine-speed automatic transmission the DBX's 0-100km/h time is 4.5 seconds, which is almost a second slower than the Vantage's 3.6 seconds.

That said, the DBX weighs more than 2.2 tonnes, has a maximum ground clearance of 190mm, can wade rivers to a depth of 500mm and has a braked towing capacity of 2700kg. Oh yeah, and it's all-wheel drive.

That engine is one of the world's best V8s. It's light, compact, efficient and can produce enormous grunt. It's also made by Mercedes-Benz. Yup, it's the same (M177) 4.0-litre V8 found in the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S and a stack of other AMG-badged beasties.

There's just one thing, the V8 in the DBX doesn't sound as good to me as the one in a Mercedes-AMG. Aston's version has a less guttural and breathy exhaust note.

Sure, it still sounds amazing and when pushed hard it screams like Boudica charging into battle, but how often will you drive like that?

Most of the time we're in traffic in the suburbs and city trundling around at 40km/h. But even with the ‘loud’ exhaust mode set the note is still not as deep and brash as the AMG, which sounds delicious even at a standstill.

You probably already know why Aston Martin uses Mercedes-Benz engines. But just in case, it's because the brand with the star has been a part owner since 2013. Aston saves money and in return gets some of the best engines in the world.

The GLE63 S’s fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test (ADR 81/02) varies, with the wagon achieving 12.4L/100km, while the coupe needs 0.2L more. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are 282g/km and 286g/km respectively.

When you consider the high level of performance on offer, all of these claims are fairly reasonable. And they’re made possible by the engine’s cylinder-deactivation technology and the 48V EQ Boost mild-hybrid system, which has coasting and extended idle-stop functionality.

That said, in our real-world testing with the wagon, we averaged 12.7L/100km over 149km. While that’s a surprisingly good result, its launch drive route mainly consisted of high-speed roads, so expect a much higher number in metropolitan areas.

And in the coupe, we averaged a higher but still respectable 14.4L/100km over 68km, although its launch  route purely involved high-speed country roads, and you know what that means.

For reference, the wagon has an 80L fuel tank, while the coupe has an 85L unit. Either way, the GLE63 S only takes more expensive 98RON premium petrol.

In my fuel test of the DBX I took in open roads and city streets and measured 20.4L/100km at the pump.

On the same test loop the Urus I drove used 15.7L/100km and the Bentley Bentayga consumed 21.1L/100km.

It's not surprising these super SUVs are thirsty, but if you're spending all your time on city roads you can expect the consumption to be even higher.

What is surprising is Aston Martin thinking anyone could really get 12.2L/100km, but then all carmakers tend to claim overly ambitious fuel economy figures.

Just think, your next car after this will probably be electric, so enjoy the petrol while it lasts.

Make no mistake, the GLE63 S is a big beast, but it certainly doesn’t act its size.

Firstly, the GLE63 S’s engine is an absolute monster, helping it to hunker down off the line and then charge on towards the horizon with serious vigour.

While there’s so much initial torque to begin with, you still get the added benefit of the ISG, which helps to eliminate lag as the new twin-scroll turbos spool up.

That said, acceleration isn’t always brutal, as the electronic stability control (ESC) is often quick to cut power when under full throttle in  first gear. Thankfully, engaging the ESC system’s Sport mode solves this issue.

This behaviour is somewhat ironic as the 4Matic+ system is seemingly never short of grip, with it's working hard to find the axle with the most traction, while torque vectoring and a rear limited-slip differential proportion torque from wheel to wheel.

Regardless, the transmission provides predictably smooth and predominantly timely gear changes, although they’re definitely not dual-clutch quick.

What’s more memorable, though, is the sports exhaust system, which keeps your neighbours relatively sane in the Comfort and Sport drive modes, but will drive them mad in Sport+, with hilarious crackles and pops heard loud and clear on the overrun.

It’s worth noting that while the sports exhaust system can be manually engaged in the Comfort and Sport drive modes via a switch on the centre console, it only makes the V8 rumble grow stronger, with the full effect only unlocked in Sport+.

Of course, there’s more to the GLE63 S experience, like the fact that  it somehow rides like a large SUV yet handles like a sports car.

The suspension’s air springs and adaptive dampers offer up a luxurious ride in the Comfort drive mode, with the GLE63 S wafting along with confidence. Not even its large-diameter alloy wheels pose too much of a threat to this quality on poorer country roads.

The ride is still more than liveable in the Sport drive mode, although the adaptive dampers become a  too firm in Sport+, with the ride becoming a little too jittery to be bearable.

Of course, the whole point of the adaptive dampers becoming progressively firmer is to help the GLE63 S handle even better, but the real revelations here are the active anti-roll bars and engine mounts, which effectively limit body roll to such a level that it’s almost imperceptible.

In fact, overall body control is impressive, with the GLE63 S not feeling like the 2.5-tonne-plus behemoth it is. It really has no right to attack corners the way it does, with the coupe feeling a touch tighter than the wagon, thanks to its 60mm-shorter wheelbase.

Further confidence is afforded by the sports brakes, which include 400mm discs with six-piston calipers up front. Yep, they wash away speed with ease, which is exactly what you’d hope for.

Also key to the handling is the electric power steering, which is speed-sensitive and has a variable ratio. It’s really quick in the wagon, and even more so in the coupe, thanks to its more direct tune.

Either way, this set-up is well-weighted in the Comfort drive mode, with plenty of feel and just the right amount of heft. That said, Sport and Sport+ make it gradually heavier, but neither make the driving experience better, so stick with the default setting.

Meanwhile, Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) levels are pretty good, although tyre roar is consistent at highway speeds, while wind whistle is prominent over the side mirrors when travelling above 110km/h.

The DBX is a circa 550 horsepower giant that can reach out and almost touch 300km/h. But testing it on Sydney's roads is like having a champion racehorse in your backyard and your neighbour asking you what it's like to ride.

A racetrack wasn't handy at the time and I'd signed a form saying I'd not put any more than 400km on the clock during its stay with me, which meant having to choose my test loop carefully.

Fortunately, this was before Sydney was plunged into the current COVID lockdown, which makes that 400km now seem vast.

First, the DBX is an SUV anybody could drive, every day. Visibility is great and the ride is fine considering it rolls on 22-inch wheels and wears rubber as wide as some doorways and as thin as my socks (285/40 front and 325/35 rear Pirelli Scorpion Zero). Power delivery is smooth and predictable.

I did drive it every day, doing the shopping, school pick ups, a trip to the garden centre to fill it with plants and (ahem) compost, and it performed exactly as a large SUV should.

A source of frustration was the location of the shifting buttons high on the dashboard. Have a look at the images. Even with my chimpanzee-like long arms I had to stretch to change from Drive to Reverse. And with a not so small turning circle of 12.4m, three-point turns were a bit of an arm workout.

But the bigger frustration was the driver-car connection which didn't feel quite right. A good car-driver connection is essential for any great performance car.

Yes, there wasn't a race circuit where I could get to know the DBX quickly. But a good road, driven often with test cars, reveals a lot, too.

And the DBX didn't feel as good as the Lamborghini Urus, which is not only more comfortable but feels more dynamic and offers a superb connection between the driver and the machine.

The DBX is fast, it's powerful, the huge brakes pull it up quickly (almost violently so, if required) and handling is incredibly good.

It's just that I didn't really feel a part of it much at all. You know, the whole driver and car becoming one, thing. I felt like the third wheel on a date.

That connected feeling has been mastered by Porsche with its SUVs, but I feel the DBX needs more work. It felt unfinished.

I was told at the start that the DBX I was testing was a pre-production vehicle, but I'm sure that doesn't cover the shortcomings in the way it drove.

It's disappointing. I was hoping for better, but I think further development will see that come later.

The DBX hasn't been given an ANCAP crash safety rating and it's unlikely it ever will, which is often the case with low-volume, high-end models.

Still, the DBX comes standard with seven airbags, AEB, lane keeping assistance with lane-change warning, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, traffic sign recognition, auto parking and adaptive cruise control.

For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts across the second row.

I found it easy and quick to fasten my son’s car seat into the DBX.

As with all Mercedes-AMG models, the GLE63 S comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which currently sets the standard for the premium market. It also comes with five years of roadside assistance.

Better yet, the GLE63 S’s service intervals are relatively long, at every year or 20,000km – whichever comes first.

It’s also available with a five-year/100,000km capped-price-servicing plan, but it costs $4450 in total, or an average of $890 per visit. Yep, the GLE63 S isn’t exactly cheap to maintain, but you expected that.

The DBX is covered by Aston Martin's three-year-unlimited kilometre warranty. Also included is roadside assistance.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 16,000km.

Aston Martin doesn't have have capped price servicing for the DBX nor can owners purchase a maintenance plan for the SUV.

We asked Aston Martin for an estimate of how much owners can expect to pay for servicing over the life of the warranty, but a spokesperson told us, "We are unable to provide an estimate on the cost of servicing over three years."

With Aston Martin unable or unwilling to give us any guidance on servicing costs, maybe there are recent model Aston owners out there who can. Let us know in the comments section below.