LuxuryCarMagazine En Luxury Car Review and News
Trends are typically fleeting. There are some exceptions to every rule and the current love car-buyers have for compact crossovers I believe is here to stay. Carmakers caught on a while back and this explains why new models and versions continue to crop up at auto shows and in dealer showrooms.
The luxury compact CUV is smokin’ hot and this is a fact. The market share continues to grow and supplying a product to entice buyers has become a serious priority for OEMs. Strangely perhaps, it’s the European car companies that have answered the call more than any others. From the Porsche Macan, the Jaguar F-Pace, Alfa Romeo Stelvio and BMW, the options are beyond numerous. Mercedes has an entire fleet of utility vehicles for your perusal and the GLC Coupe is the latest of the very niche 4-door coupe-like profile crossover.
Style, and styling, are now synonymous with luxury. If at one time a brand was enough to sell cars, today requires special editions, different, if not unique, body styles and an array of features. BMW and Mercedes are fighting to the death and at the moment, at least this very moment, Benz has a leg up on Bimmer.
About performance and power
The GLC Coupe takes the BMW X4 head on. Both have turbo-boosted 4-cylinder engines and optional more powerful turbo 6s. Soon enough, and this is the leg-up, Mercedes will offer the first and only turbo V8 in the segment with its insane 503-horsepower (!) GLC 63 S AMG version. It would appear as though Benz is hitting back first as an X4 M is apparently officially in the works.
The base GLC 300 is the volume king. From where I stand, after spending much time behind the grippy steering wheel of both iterations, the 300 is the better daily driver. The 2.0-liter mill puts out 241-horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque. Yes, the 43’s 3.0-litre is good for 362-horsepower and 384 torques but should you ever decide to make full use of the available grunt, you’ll likely end up paying a small fortune as a penalty for exploiting the lower levels of the throttle pedal’s travel.
The 9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic transmission is a complete revelation. I’ve mentioned it before but for the moment, Benz makes the best 9-gear autobox I know of. The trick is in its programming and both engines’ fat powerbands. At nearly all speeds, the tranny’s gearing keeps the engine spinning at optimal revolutions for exceptional passing power. The 300’s deep reserves of torque and energy surprised me every time I put the throttle down.
The 9G’s tuning demonstrates Mercedes’ intent on making the GLC a dynamic driving choice and experience. Shifts are crisp, downshifts are swift to the point of being sharp. Depending on the selected drive mode, they get almost violent. In either of the Sport modes, the GLC feels very sporty indeed.
Other than the obvious physical changes, the GLC Coupe holds tweaked steering and suspension tuning over the regular GLC. Unlike the GLE Coupe, the compact GLC Coupe is immensely mode agile, nimble almost despite its well over 1,800 kg (4,000 lbs.) weight.
About luxury and comfort
The Mercedes GLC Coupe sacrifices little in size over the CUV. Its trunk volume drops from 550 litres to 500 because of its 42 mm lower roofline but gains in length, 76 mm to be exact, and in panache.
To ensure maximum visual appeal and peer approval, the AMG Night or Sport Package with its 20” wheel and various AMG touches take the 300 to 43 AMG level of street cred. The GLC Coupe’s proportions come together for a far better looking vehicle than its larger GLE Coupe sibling.
Mercedes knows real luxury and this explains why the cabin is essentially lifted from a C-Class. The dashboard flows with clean open surface and a minimal amount of switchgear. The touchpad controller is not all that intuitive to manipulate however one does get accustomed to it or, alternatively, the touchscreen function may be used. As it were, there are many provided connectivity options. My sole gripe with packaging involves satellite radio. If you so desire it, you’ll need to spend over $7,000 in options to get it.
The 300’s front seats are supportive but the highly bolstered AMG Sport seats with red topstitching in the 43 take the cake, and my favour. The gauges also differ in the 43 but the remainder is classy, and identical. Given that this vehicle is generally speaking destined to married consumers in their late 30s to early 50s, but with no kids, it comes as no surprise that accessing the rear bench is not an issue despite being a little difficult for the average adult – the lowered roofline being the culprit.
About the Coupe
The GLC Coupe will account for less than 1 in 5 GLCs sold given its niche composure. Mercedes has done a lovely job in joining the Coupe’s desirable shape with very little compromise from a utility viewpoint.
Both GLC Coupes are already in dealership showrooms. The 300 starts at $49,990 while the 43 has a base retail price of $63,200
