Mercedes-Benz has done the inevitable and revealed a sloping roofline version of its GLE SUV.

The new GLE coupe features Mercedes-Benz’s bold SUV design language, with the only real difference between this coupe version and a normal GLE, being its rear third.

That sloping roofline joins a reshaped tailgate stamping, with an integrated spoiler, and GLE coupe gets its own signature taillights. – which look very similar to that of the CLA.

If you like the AMG way of styling automobiles, GLE Coupe will be available with a Panamericana grille and dynamic alloy wheel designs up to 22-inches in diameter.

Inside, the cabin architecture features Mercedes-Benz’s latest design, with full MBUX digital assistance and two huge screens angled towards the driver.

Compared to the regular GLE SUV, this coupe is 25 mm longer but features a 60 mm shorter wheelbase – which means greater handling agility, but some sacrifices to luggage capacity.

You’ll be able to get 655-litres of luggage in the back of this new sloping roofline GLE coupe, which is more than its rivals from BMW (X6) or Audi (Q8), but less than a conventional GLE, which can load up to 825-litres of luggage.

Technical highlights? Ride quality enhancing air-suspension is an option, and to mitigate against body roll, Mercedes-Benz will offer a new technology called ‘e-active body control’. This enables the GLE coupe’s spring and dampers rates to be individually adjusted at each wheel corner, dramatically reducing body roll during high-speed cornering, and resisting dive when peak deceleration is enacted.

Engines for the GLE coupe are a selection of six-cylinders. The GLE350d is powered by a 3-litre turbodiesel good for 200 kW and 600 Nm, with the GLE400d featuring a more potent version of the same engine architecture, boosting 234 kW and 700 Nm.

If you’d like an authentic AMG version of the GLE coupe, there is a 53-series variant. It uses the mild-hybrid version of AMG’s 3-litre in-line six-cylinder engine, boosting 320 kW and 520 Nm. For brief moments of peak acceleration, the hybrid system adds another 16 kW and 520 Nm to this powertrain. Performance is keen, with the GLE 53 AMG coupe running 0-100 kph in 5.3 seconds.

All GLE coupes are all-wheel drive and use Mercedes-Benz’s latest nine-speed automatic transmission. South African customers deliveries are expected to commence in the second half of next year.

Read our launch review of the GLE here

Maybe the Audi Q8 is also of interest?