What car would you buy if you had a six-digit budget? And would you have it modified? These answers vary from one individual to another, including what they do for a living and their hobbies. One American pro bowler chose a controversial look for his new ride.
But is it actually his? That would be a no, as it is his girlfriend who received it as a gift, from what we can tell. The athlete is Jermaine Johnson, and the car in question is the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe. Nothing is out of the ordinary until you spot the images of the ride, which looks like it came from the Barbie movie set.
The crossover coupe features a satin pink wrap, which was applied to all body panels and then some. It can be seen on the large three-pointed star logo decorating the Panamericana grille, the AMG-branded wheels, and the brake calipers. There is no chrome trim anymore, as everything sports a blacked-out look.
This Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Coupe has smoked rear lights and privacy windows. Opening the door will reveal the stock interior in a very nice specification, with black leather and Alcantara. However, the tuning fairy, Champion Motoring, also gave it a set of custom floor mats with a partial-pink look and the missus' initials to tie the cockpit to the flashy exterior.
Photo: Instagram | champion_motoring
We don't know how much the couple paid for the tuning job, but we can remind you how much a brand-new AMG GLE 53 Coupe costs in the United States. It starts at $89,900 before destination and dealer fees. Throw in a few options, and you'll have to fork out a six-digit sum for it. And it's not even the range-topping GLE 63 Coupe, yet more on that in a few moments.
Under the hood lies a 3.0L turbo'd mill with 429 hp (435 ps/320 kW) and 413 pound-foot (600 Nm) of torque. The model returns 18 mpg (13.1 l/100 km) in the city and 22 mpg (10.1 l/100 km) on the highway, takes 4.9 seconds to reach 60 mph (97 kph), and has a towing capacity of 7,700 pounds (3,493 kg) – not that this one is going to do any towing, that is.
The 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupe, the fastest and most powerful version of the series, comes with a handcrafted V8. The 4.0L bi-turbo motor produces 603 hp (612 ps/450 kW) and 627 pound-foot (850 Nm) of torque. Due to the extra oomph, the model can sprint to sixty in just 3.7 seconds. The towing rating is identical to the lesser GLE 53 coupe, and this vehicle returns 15 and 19 mpg (15.7-12.4 l/100 km) in city/highway, respectively. Pricing starts at $129,050 plus destination, dealer fees, and options.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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