When the silver shines in its most silent, matte form, and when the engine roars like a Wagner overture, you know: this is no longer a car. This is an experience. The Mercedes-AMG GLE and GLS MANUFAKTUR Arctic Silver Edition is epicureanism on four wheels.
Mercedes-AMG has, as rarely happens, stepped out of his rational framework and created something... emotional. MANUFAKTUR Arctic Silver Edition is not just a car – it is a gesture. It is a gently clenched fist in a silk glove. The GLE and GLS in this version are no longer “SUVs”. They are like two ballet silhouettes that have learned to dance
The bodywork, clad in matte MANUFAKTUR high-tech silver magno, doesn't scream. It doesn't shine in the sun – rather it whispers quietly, like a good whiskey that you only feel on the third sip. And when you get closer – black 22- or 23-inch rims with red details, brake calipers like rubies, AMG logos that resemble the emblems of some hidden brotherhood of power – you understand that it's a ritual, not a product.
Inside, silence sounds like jazz – MANUFAKTUR Arctic Silver Edition
When you open the door MANUFAKTUR Arctic Silver Edition, you don't enter – you enter respectfully. As if you were greeted by a butler's hand made of red nappa leather. The Carmine Red / Black interior is not made to make you comfortable. It's made to make you aware of where you are. In a world where you are the commander – not the passenger.
The AMG steering wheel is wrapped in carmine red leather, the exclusive carbon fiber trim with red embroidery that you won't find anywhere else. The headrests of the seats, embossed with the AMG logo, are like miniature frescoes that you wouldn't expect in an SUV, but in a cathedral of speed. The floor mats are softer than hotel slippers in Amman. Everything smells of leather, pride and quiet self-awareness.
An engine that doesn't like silence
Under that cool, almost Apollonian bonnet lies Dionysus – a 4.0-litre V8 biturbo, 603 hp (450 kW), 850 Nm. Acceleration to 100 km/h? 3.8 seconds. In an SUV that has the volume of almost a one-room apartment. The AMG Performance 4MATIC+ bites into the asphalt like a lion into a steak, and the 9-speed gearbox shifts gears with a certain aristocratic self-assurance.
If you're interested in economics, you're not the target audience. MANUFAKTUR Arctic Silver Edition It drinks petrol in style – around 12.6 litres per 100 km – but every drop counts. It is the art of movement. If this car's sound were a note, it would be C minor – dramatic, dark and endlessly appealing.
Why would I choose it?
Because you're not just interested in arriving. You're interested in the way you get there. MANUFAKTUR Arctic Silver Edition It's the automotive equivalent of a hand-crafted Swiss timepiece. It's an investment in pleasure. It's a rarity. Limited to 450 examples, which means more people will own a yacht than this car.
Will it be expensive? Undoubtedly. The base price will probably be over €180,000, and with accessories and customization, it quickly approaches the point where you start thinking about works of art and no longer about means of transportation.
But the essence of the Arctic Silver Edition is not in the numbers. It's in the feeling when you drive at night, while the interior is softly lit like an opera box, and you know: you're on the right track. Not because you're faster. But because you're more beautiful.