Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 AMG review: Jurassic lark

THE Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 is a car that benefits from its heritage, but not in the way you might think.

Usually when a carmaker evokes the past - the common metaphor is DNA - it's to market something fast, sexy, and blessed with ancestors who were racing stars.

In contrast, the GLE's ancestor wasn't particularly quick, and was in fact very boxy. But at least it was also a movie star from the get-go. Formerly known as the ML (its name was changed to "GLE" in 2015), this rough and tumble 4x4's very first appearance was in the 1997 movie, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, where it was able to flex some of its rugged potential.