'Jurassic World' Gives 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe a Dino-Size Boost
Cross-promotional movie tie-ins can be a tricky endeavor with their effectiveness dependent on the unpredictable whims of the box office. In the worst case, you’re looking at a nifty appearance by the Cadillac Ciel concept car in the early-summer bomb “Entourage.” But in the very, very best-of-the-best-case-scenarios, your car lands in the movie that scores the biggest opening weekend of all time.
Related: 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe: First Look
Such is the case with the all-new 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 AMG Coupe SUV and its Hollywood debut this past weekend in “Jurassic World,” which bowed to an “Avengers” (2012)-besting $209 million in the U.S. alone. In the film, the GLE Coupe is driven by Bryce Dallas Howard’s character, Claire, the titular dinosaur theme park’s operations manager. It’s also been appearing in TV spots for the movie since May.
It’s no coincidence that the vehicle the GLE replaces, the M-Class, first appeared in “The Lost World,” the first sequel to Steven Spielberg’s original “Jurassic Park.” Cars.com’s Joe Wiesenfelder got an early peek at the GLE Coupe in January at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. While the vehicle may be getting some major screen time now, if Wiesenfelder were directing, it’s unlikely he’d deem the GLE Coupe ready for its close-up. He dinged it for its confounding “coupe” name (it’s a four-door SUV); styling, which he called “plain ridiculous”; and the Mercedes’ less-than-user-friendly cargo area.
“Sorry, but I’m not seeing a reason for this model to exist,” Wiesenfelder said.
Perhaps Mercedes-Benz’s GLE Coupe can overcome this skepticism and the tepid market for coupe-inspired SUVs to avoid extinction — to which end its massive global exposure thanks to “Jurassic World” couldn’t hurt. After all, the BMW X6-like SUV, which rawrrrs (because dinosaurs) into dealerships in September, has some attributes that make it potentially well suited for dodging the denizens of the film’s fictional, monster-infested Isla Nublar. Mercedes-Benz’s all-wheel-drive SUV’s AMG version boasts a 362-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V-6 and a Slippery mode for outrunning a T-Rex — or in the case of “Jurassic World,” an Indominous Rex. Meanwhile full LED headlights, a backup camera, and precollision warning and braking will help ensure you don’t crash into a sleeping brachiosaurus or drive straight off a seaside cliff.
