Who is faster? Canadian YouTube channel Sam CarLegion has pitted two German coupe SUVs against the British Range Rover Sport SUV: Mercedes GLE 450 Coupe and BMW X6 xDrive40i vs Range Rover P400.
Photo: captured video Sam CarLegion
First, we should say that these are not the most powerful versions of the three models available as there is the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S 4Matic Coupe (612 PS), the BMW X6 M Competition (625 PS), and the Range Rover Sport SV (635 PS). But let’s go back to the cars in this test.
All the models in this test have similar 3-liter turbocharged inline six-cylinder engines with over 300 PS. Mercedes GLE 450 4Matic Coupe develops 381 PS (375 bhp) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) and Range Rover Sport P400 has North American market-specific engine with 400 PS (395 bhp) and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft). The BMW X6 is the pre-facelift model and therefore does not have the latest version of the 3-liter turbocharged engine with 381 PS (375 bhp) and 520 Nm (383 lb-ft), but only 340 PS (335 bhp) and 450 Nm (331 lb-ft).
So Mercedes and Range Rover Sport have close power outputs, with a slight edge for the Range Rover Sport, but it is also the heaviest at 2,443 kg (5,387 pounds), while the Mercedes GLE 450 4Matic Coupe weighs 2,295 kg (5,060 pounds). The BMW X6 xDrive40i has a power handicap of between 40 and 60 PS but is the lightest at just 2,137 kilograms (4,713 pounds) and is thus over 300 kg (661 pounds) lighter than the Range Sport and 160 kilograms (352 pounds) lighter than the Mercedes GLE.
Who wins? In the first round, the Mercedes GLE 450 4Matic Coupe and the Range Rover Sport P400 competed against each other. After some balance at the start, in which the Range Rover Sport even had a small lead, Mercedes won all three races: sprint from a standstill, roll race from 60 and 80 kph.
The Mercedes GLE accelerated from 0 to 60 mph (96 kph) in 5.4 seconds compared to 5.8 seconds for the Range Rover Sport and covered the ¼ mile in 13.6 seconds compared to 14.3 seconds for the Range Rover Sport.
Then follow the final between BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE, in which the Bavarian SUV won by a landslide. In each round, the BMW started faster due to its lower weight, but then Mercedes took advantage of higher output and came closer to BMW without being able to overtake it.
The BMW accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, 0.6 seconds quicker than the Mercedes, and covered the ¼ mile in 13.5 seconds, just 0.1 seconds quicker.
