Mercedes GLE 53 AMG V167 / C167: waking up the straight-six, the complete guide

Your vehicle.

All our exhausts for this generation, version by version, are brought together on one page: Mercedes GLE V167 / C167 Valved Exhaust.

The GLE 53 holds a place apart in the range of Mercedes' large SUV: livelier and louder than the GLE 450, far more restrained in looks than the GLE 63 and its V8. Since 2019, it has existed as a five-door SUV V167 and as a Coupé C167 with a sloping roofline, with the same powertrain, the same transmission and the same all-wheel drive. It is a car you buy to do everything: carry five people and their luggage, tow, devour the highway, and still answer the first touch of the pedal with real temperament. Mercedes-AMG entrusted this character to an electrically assisted straight-six, whose voice nevertheless stays well in the background with the factory exhaust.

Designation

Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+

Body styles

SUV V167 and Coupé C167

Launch

Since 2019; facelift in 2023

Engine

M256: 3.0 liters, straight-six, turbo and electric supercharger

Electrification

48-volt system and EQ Boost starter-generator

Power and torque

435 hp (320 kW); torque 520 Nm at launch, 560 Nm since 2023

Transmission and drivetrain

AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G, AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive

Factory tips

Two twin outlets

A six-cylinder AMG in a five-meter SUV

In AMG nomenclature, the number 53 designates a family of models sharing the same technical base: the electrified M256, also fitted to the CLS 53, E 53 and, more recently, the CLE 53. On the GLE, this engine has to move a vehicle much heavier and taller than those sedans and coupés, and its tuning shows a concern for smoothness at low revs as much as for liveliness.

Compared with the GLE 450, which takes the same architecture in a calmer version, the GLE 53 brings AMG tuning of the engine, the chassis and the AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G transmission, along with a crafted sound. Compared with the GLE 63, it gives up the twin-turbo V8 and its excess. Many owners choose it precisely for this balance between family use and temperament.

The M256: turbo, electric compressor and 48 volts

This 3.0-liter straight-six combines a twin-scroll turbocharger with an electric compressor placed upstream. The latter, powered by the 48-volt on-board system, supplies pressure before the exhaust gases have spun up the turbo: the lag of conventional turbocharged engines almost entirely disappears, which you feel as soon as you pull away at a light or pick up speed on a slip road.

The EQ Boost starter-generator, fitted between the engine and the transmission, provides an occasional extra 22 hp and 250 Nm. It also restarts the engine smoothly after a stop and recovers energy under braking. For the sound, this layout has a simple consequence: the turbo, then the catalytic converters and the mufflers, filter a good part of the straight-six's pulses before they reach the rear of the car.

What the 2023 facelift changed

In 2023, the GLE went through a mid-life update: reworked styling at front and rear, updated on-board equipment and, for the GLE 53, maximum torque raised from 520 to 560 Nm at unchanged power. The difference is felt mostly in pick-up, when the SUV is loaded.

The Rog product page for this line extends from model year 2019 to recent cars. Whether your GLE 53 dates from before or after this facelift, the order starts the same way: you give your VIN, we check the version and the model year, then the line is made for your car.

A straight-six voice, held back by the factory exhaust

A straight-six runs with a regularity V6s do not have: its firing events follow one another at equal intervals, hence this smooth, continuous timbre, which becomes raspier and more metallic as the revs rise. At idle, it purrs low; at mid-revs, under load, it gains body; towards the red zone, it takes on a clearer, almost high note.

On the standard GLE 53, this voice arrives heavily muted, particularly without the AMG Performance exhaust. The size of the SUV, the cabin's sound insulation and the large mufflers tuned for serenity on the highway mean that at a steady speed you mostly perceive tire noise and wind. The Rog cat-back gives the six-cylinder presence again when the flaps are open, with the crackles on lift-off that the M256 can produce, then returns the GLE to its calm when they close.

Stage 2: published figures with the front section and an ECU remap carried out by a tuner.

AMG DYNAMIC SELECT and exhaust flaps

The AMG DYNAMIC SELECT selector offers several programs, from Comfort to Sport+, with an Individual mode where you set each parameter. On cars with the AMG Performance exhaust, flaps open or close according to the program engaged, which makes the sound vary from calm to the sportiest. This exhaust was offered as an option: not every GLE 53 has it, and it is the first point to check on your car.

If your GLE 53 has it, the "Factory" option on the product page suits: the Rog line arrives with the mountings of the standard flaps, your garage refits the car's ones there, and the AMG programs keep deciding. If your GLE 53 does not have it, choose the "Rog" option: the flaps are delivered fitted with a remote, and they stay in the chosen position, open or closed, whatever the driving program.

SUV V167 or Coupé C167: one line

The Coupé C167 stands out with its sloping roof and its more compact tail, but it shares with the SUV the underbody, the engine, the transmission and the transmission. The Rog product page provides an identical line for both body styles, with the same options and the same fitting method with clamps and gaskets, with no welding or cutting.

For everyday use, the line alone is enough: it is fitted without touching the ECU, and the standard power remains that quoted by Mercedes-AMG. What changes is the character of the GLE 53, more expressive when you decide.

The Manifold option and the materials

On this six-cylinder, the part the product page calls "Manifold" is the catalyzed downpipe, placed right after the turbo. You can keep it and replace only the rear section. If you choose it, three versions exist: 200 cells, which maintains emissions control, 100 cells, whose acceptance depends on your car and your country's regulations, and catalyst-free, which is intended for the track, a rare use for an SUV of this size. The published power gains assume the downpipe and a remap carried out by a tuner.

On the material side, 304 stainless steel suits everyday use without constraint. Titanium noticeably lightens the rear of the GLE and comes in three shades: brushed, gold or purple, which changes the look of the outlets visible under the bumper. Manufacturing takes 20 working days, delivery is free and the line has a 3-year warranty.

Configure your exhaust.

How the exhaust is put together

On the GLE 53, SUV or Coupé, the Rog line starts at the flange after the downpipe and runs to the two twin outlets, including the mufflers and the flaps. If you want to go further, the catalyzed downpipe that follows the M256's turbo appears on the product page under the "Manifold" option.

Each choice explained in detail, from sound to material: How to configure your exhaust.

Three recommended configurations.

• Family grand tourer

  • SUV V167
  • Stainless steel
  • No manifold
  • Rog remote

  For a GLE 53 that carries the family every day and often sets off on holiday fully loaded: the original downpipe stays in place and a button is enough to wake the straight-six when the road allows.

  View this configuration

• Full-voiced Coupé

  • Coupé C167
  • Brushed titanium
  • 200-cell sport manifold
  • AMG programs

  For a GLE 53 Coupé that already has the AMG Performance exhaust: a freer flow right after the turbo, emissions control kept, and the AMG programs that keep control of the flaps.

  View this configuration

• Serious tuning

  • Gold titanium
  • 100-cell sport manifold
  • Rog remote

  For a GLE 53 later entrusted to a tuner: the 100-cell downpipe, a rear lightened by titanium and gold tips that sign the car.

  View this configuration

From order to fitting.

VIN, manufacture, delivery, fitting and warranty, step by step

Questions.

Further reading.

• All our lines for the GLE V167 and the Coupé C167
• Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 guide, the latest evolution of the M256
• Mercedes-AMG CLS 53 C257 guide, the same straight-six
• Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 V167 guide, the V8 version