Mercedes-AMG GLE63 vs Tesla Model S

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.

I spoke to a friend who bought a Model S before one had even hit the ground here in Australia. He chuckled when I told him how much this car cost but then said something I'd already suspected. "My mates who own a P100D would never drop that kind of money on a normal car. Buying a Tesla is like buying shares in the company, you're buying into the future."

And that's kind of the point. A $300,000 Audi RS7 (fully-loaded, obviously) is a bit slower in a straight line, looks just as good, is extremely well-built and emits noises that make people like me go as weak at the knees (just as the Model S' acceleration does). And would probably win a 10 lap race with the Tesla around Mount Panorama.

The Tesla is the future of cars. It may still be decades before the internal combustion engine is gone, but Tesla buyers are getting the jump, and today the Model S is the best car in which to make that leap.

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.

The Model S is definitely the looker of the three Tesla models on sale (the Model 3 might be some way from release, but you can reserve one and it's... weird-looking). With a slinky, Jaguar XF/Audi A7 roofline and low-slung stance, it looks the business. Like the X, the detailing of the car's surfacing and panel gaps aren't where other $200,000+ cars are, but it has improved a lot over the last couple of years.

The cabin has improved even more than the exterior.

The styling is quite sparse, really. Teslas look like computer renders in real life, especially in white, with little in the way of jewellery or detailed design elements. And that's probably the idea. It's a cleaner design than when first launched, with a simpler, flatter snout that brings out the headlights better.

The cabin has improved even more than the exterior. It's still the same minimalist design, but it fits together much more tightly than it used to. The 17.0-inch portrait screen is still there in its central but skewed-to-the-driver position and is now up to version 8. It's an impressive interface, covering off the vast majority of functions in the car, and is mostly easy to use. The responsiveness is key to its usability. If it was underpowered, you'd quickly start demanding real buttons.

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.

The Model S is a rare car in this class in that it has an almost completely flat floor, meaning rear seat passengers don't have to negotiate a transmission tunnel. The two motors run physically independently of each other so there's no crankshaft to get in the way.

The floor is thicker than a normal car, it's like a big skateboard underneath. That means your knees are up higher, which might cause numb bum on a long trip. The rear seats are comfortable enough, but middle seat occupants might feel like the outboard passengers are falling into them.

With all that torque, when you do load it up, the extra kilos barely make a dent on the performance.

The view out isn't too bad given the rising window line, and if you've got the big two piece sunroof (without cover, irritatingly... ), it's quite airy out back. And hot (with the sunroof), but you do get rear air-con vents.

The boot is an eminently sensible 744 litres with the seats up and 1795 with the seats down, although the floor doesn't fold flat. While it's a big boot, it's relatively shallow so your suitcases go in on their sides. Up in the front boot (or froot) there's another 150 litres, so you can pack a lot in to the Model S. And with all that torque, when you do load it up, the extra kilos barely make a dent on the performance.

Tesla is basically a technology company - well, a battery company - that makes cars, so the features and options reflect that. It's a gadget-laden five-door hatch powered exclusively by electricity and seemingly full of things that will drain the batteries quickly.

If you view the car's price purely through its standard features list and the cost of options, you're missing the point. If it had a 3.0-litre turbo six, there's no way you'd pay this kind of money for the Model S. But it doesn't have that, it has a bleeding edge battery pack and propulsion system.

The Model S can be had for as little as $118,652 for the 60 offering 400km range, rear-wheel drive, and 5.8s 0-100km/h (but move quickly, Tesla has just axed this model), or as much as this P100D which starts at $250,582.

Standard are a seven-speaker stereo, leather-like trim, 19-inch alloys, reversing camera, 17.0-inch touchscreen, keyless entry and start, forward collision warning, digital dashboard, electric front seats, sat nav, auto LED headlights, auto wipers, internet connectivity via included SIM card, power mirrors and windows and air suspension.

Our P100D came with 21-inch grey 'Turbine' wheels ($6800), panoramic roof ($2300) multi-coat pearl paint (white, $2300) and carbon-fibre interior trim bits for $1500, as well as a carbon lip spoiler for another $1500.

We also had the 11-speaker audio upgrade (with neodymium magnets, don't you know) for $3800 and the 'Subzero Weather Package' (seat heaters, heated steering wheel, wiper blade defrosters and washer nozzle heaters) and on-board high-power charger (speeds up charging with the 'Tesla Wall Connector', $2300).

There was also 'Enhanced Autopilot' ($7600) and 'Full Self-Driving Capability' ($4600). The former is meant for highway running, and comes with four cameras (up from one) and 12 ultrasonic sensors around the car, as well as upgraded processing power to run it all.

The full self-driving is meant for around town. The idea is you punch in a destination, or speak to the computer or passive-aggressively stay silent, which triggers the car to check your calendar and take you to the address in the appointment. Part of the extra cost of that is yet more cameras (up to eight), more sensors, and more number-crunching power.

A 'Premium Upgrades' package adds the overkill of a 'Bioweapon Defense (sic) Mode' that knocks out 99.97 per cent of exhaust particulates and other contaminants.

We would love to tell you how all that worked, but being Tesla 'Hardware 2', it's not ready yet. While these features are being fleet-tested by 1000 cars in the US, your car will run it all in "shadow mode" for data and behaviour validation. One day you'll go to your car and a software update will be ready to download and install the functionality.

Unusually, you can retrofit both of these features for about $1500 more (each) than if you order them up-front. That's very cool and Tesla is probably the only car company in the world that will let you do it.

The 17.0-inch screen's software is regularly updated, like a mobile phone's. Also like a mobile is the sometimes less successful update, in this case the slightly bewildering and difficult-to-use music interface that is very keen for you to make a selection with voice commands, but not ones that go through your phone.

A 'Premium Upgrades' package adds the overkill of a 'Bioweapon Defense (sic) Mode' that knocks out 99.97 per cent of exhaust particulates and other contaminants, using two activated carbon air filters for other nasties like NO2 and hydrocarbon exhaust fumes.

LED turning lights and fog lights, real leather on the armrests, steering wheel and lower dashboard (if you also have leather seating), nappa leather and Alcantara on the dashboard, soft LED interior lighting, power tailgate and backlit door handles for $5300. Thankfully, the silly self-opening front doors in the Model X's pack aren't in this little lot.

Grand total? $297,792. On the road in, say, NSW... $313,013. Youch.

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.

The P100D ships with two electric motors fed by a huge battery pack which triples as the bulk of the chassis and a super-strong crash structure. It's also shared with the Model X SUV.

Combined power output is 568kW with more of it out the back rather than up front. Torque is quoted at 1000Nm, but it's likely more than that. Claimed 0-100km/h time is a mildly unbelievable 2.7 seconds, with a further two-tenths to be shaved off when you press and hold Ludicrous Mode and accept a warning that you'll wear the car out faster if you use it.

With 'Ludicrous Mode' comes not just software but a higher capacity fuse that allows more power to be drawn from the batteries for longer to provide the searing acceleration.

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.

Zippo. Obviously with the new rules for Tesla Superchargers, it's not as cheap to own and run a Tesla as it was before (from January 2017, all new orders don't get free juice after the first 400kWh), but if you charge it at home (and can get away with it), it'll probably be cheaper than using Tesla's chargers. If you look, there's a company offering $1 per day charging for electric cars.

If I'd charged the car to 100 percent rather than the 80 percent recommended by Tesla for most charges (past that mark, the charge rate drops and the software has to slow to a trickle, doling out the electrons to the different cells), I would have managed just over 400km on the charge.

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 first time I drove a Model S, I enjoyed the acceleration and the silence of the electric motor (this was back in the Dark Ages when even the P90 only had one motor). And that has remained, with the air suspension providing a firm but comfortable ride despite the P100D's 21-inch rims and very low profile tyres. Electric motoring in any electric car is addictive.

Much progress has been made (yes, I'm getting to the acceleration, stay with me) in the way it drives. The earlier cars felt too computer gamey, with little feel through the wheel or the seat of your pants. The steering is better, especially in Sport mode, but not a lot gets through the air suspension, so it takes a while to build confidence in the chassis.

One passenger became quite emotional, almost crying. And not just because they were stuck in a car with me.

On the freeway (look, you can read ahead if you must) it's amazingly quiet, with just a bit of a rustling around the mirrors. Well, of course it's quiet, it's electric. For chassis and NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) squashers, not having the marvellous engine noise means much harder work to dull the other noises you just don't hear when there's an internal combustion engine.

And there's the acceleration. As the driver, you obviously know it's quick. Mash the throttle and the response is instant, the horizon closing in on you like you're attached by a very stretched and immensely strong bungee strap that's just been released. The way cars disappear in your rear vision mirror is hilarious.

It's more fun as a passenger, though. The Model X elicited whooping and laughing, but the P100D's extra 0.6s-worth of acceleration over the P90D, delivered with a truckload more G-force, equals silence. One woman said she was glad I'd caught her before dinner rather than after, before bursting forth with a range of expletives. One passenger became quite emotional, almost crying. And not just because they were stuck in a car with me.

The Model S comes with six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, three ISOFIX points, rollover sensors, emergency power disconnect. Additionally, when the software arrives, you'll have full AEB (ours was limited), self-driving and an ultra-clever active cruise that'll change lanes and overtake if the car you're following falls below your set speed.

The Model S scored five ANCAP stars, the maximum available, in April 2015 via the sharing arrangement with EuroNCAP.

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.

Tesla offers a four-year/80,000km warranty with a parallel eight year/unlimited kilometre warranty for the battery and drive units. Roadside assist applies for the four year warranty period.

Tesla offers two maintenance plans, three and four years in length. The three year plan costs $2100 and the four year $3175. Paying for the services individually over the same period will cost $2300 and $3425 respectively. That includes a wheel alignment (if needed), but it isn't particularly cheap when compared with 'normal' luxury cars.

Your first 400kW/h of recharging is free using Tesla's supercharger network, so that would be four full charges from empty (which you wouldn't do, obviously), or about 1600km worth. After that, it's 35c per kWh or $35 for a full charge.