Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe. Still a Contradiction in Terms?
Mercedes-Benz’s GLC Coupe further refines the farming fastback
Fifteen years ago, cars like this Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe were never a thing. Call them agricultural fastbacks, tortoises on stilts, or whatever. But a coupe, or a fastback was a sportscar. And a SUV was a 4×4. Or an implement with a little extra space and comfort.
But then someone wanted an extra niche to play with, put a concept on a 2007 motor show stand, and before we knew it, every man and his dog was following that original coupe SAV trend. Now everyone with a SUV range worth talking about, has two or three of these things on their price lists. So there you have it. Even this version that lagged somewhat to get to market, is already in its second generation.
The point of difference here, it this estate SUV had its station wagon bit lopped off. And replaced by a sleek roofline and a fastback finish for that auto shutting tailgate. We’ve always liked them. Gives the buyer a bit of a broader choice without too much production line diversity. And it quite looks the part. Even if the top bit is compromised, there’s no real detriment to the bigger trunk either. It’s still a monster.
Some GLC Coupe Styling Treatments Splits Opinion
This GLC Coupe rear end treatment splits opinion though. That argument deepens, depending on the car’s colour. It seems cool in this black, as the hue helps mask those taillights. Which somehow look quite out of place on a white, or lighter coloured car. But that’s just taste, so don’t put too much weight on it. For the rest, this one’s latest generation technology Digital Light headlamps don’t just look good.
The best headlamps we have ever driven on deliver high-resolution light distribution depending on conditions. They shine so bright to remind me of rallying days when we covered the front of the car with a gang of huge lamps. These relatively tiny headlights can also remain on full beam without dazzling oncoming drivers to take active headlight technology to the next level. It really works!
Getting back to those looks, New GLC Coupe’s 0.26 Cd slippery drag coefficient improves even further on the wagon’s already groundbreaking 0.29Cd. Add a broad track, this one’s flush, big and bold wheels and a better balanced, longer nose contribute to a typically Mercedes pure design. 2 inches longer, a tad lower, and just as wide as before, GLC rides on a fifth of an inch” wider front and inch broader rear tracks. A longer wheelbase brings more interior room too.
A Sturdier and Tangibly Better Built Cabin
That styling class and purity spreads to GLC’s sturdier and tangibly better built cabin. The brown-toned open-pored and black wood veneered space even has LED ambient lit real aluminium inlays. Merc’s latest spec multifunction steering wheel frames 12.3-inch ‘floating’ driver’s instrumentation on a wing-like dash featuring aircraft style vents under a neat uninterrupted new optional panoramic sunroof.
One thing the New GLC has loads of, is tech. A significant 11.9-inch high-resolution My-Mercedes LCD cartainment screen dominates the dash. It has all the necessary connectivity, smartphone integration and wireless charging too. Pity it’s all let down by those horrid touch buttons that carmakers seem to have embraced without any forethought or consideration how that actually work.
They don’t work. These sloppy, cumbersome, and poorly thought out cartainment solutions ruin so many great cars these days. Why change from buttons and knobs, the Lord only knows. Sadly GLC is now another to fall into that category. An abundance of tech is great. But it can become overwhelming. Augmented reality navigation is cool. But delivers instructions too slowly, less effectively than simple lines on a map.
A Creamy Balance Between Performance and Economy
This 217 HP 325 lb.-ft GLC 220 d 48V mild hybrid 2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel is less powerful, but torquier than the gas US market GLC 300, which also has a starter-generator to enable gliding, boost or recuperation functions. The e-motor smoothly and intelligently transitions with the combustion engine. Good for a claimed 8 seconds to 60 mph and 135 mph, Benz tells us that GLC 220 d sips 47 mpg.
New four-link front, and multi-link rear independent suspension has amplitude-dependent selective damping with speed-dependent, and electro-mechanical direct rack-and-pinion steering. Suspension is mounted in subframes for best ride and noise comfort, without compromising dynamics. Ours also had the optional Engineering package with level control Airmatic air suspension and rear-axle steering. Braking is courtesy of vented discs with an electric parking brake.
A more intuitive latest generation Driving Assistance package Plus adds Active Steering and Distance Assist Distronic. GLC coupe also gains better dirt manners thanks to a new off-road driving mode with downhill speed regulation and a transparent bonnet assistant in the central display. Fitting for a tortoise on stilts?
GLC Coupe Delivers a Luxury Blend of Dynamics
New GLC Coupe’s great ride quality impressed straight off. It is comfortable, yet still provides good feedback from the road. More luxurious than dynamic however, the brakes are also a bit spongy. As we have come to expect from Mercedes, the GLC 220d Coupe was both quicker and more economical than claimed. We managed high four litres per hundred, rather than the claimed low fives.
Decent enough on the dirt, one must turn the nannies off to get the best out of it, as they interfere a bit too much. It’s also a little too wallowy for our liking off the beaten track, but overall, it’s more than capable to venture off the tarmac from time to time. Super smooth, luxurious, and comfortable on the bitumen, this car is one of those built for comfort, rather than rushing about like a maniac.
The new Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe however brings new levels of digitalisation to a sleek and efficient SUV package to deliver a welcome shot of excitement and novelty to a hugely popular fastback sport ute. True, but as JD Power says of most modern cars today, its cartainment can be confusing, complex, and occasionally tricky to use. One thing that certainly is next level, are those headlamps. Make sure to tick that option box on yours, no matter how much it adds to the price.
Streamlined, bold and luxurious, this new Mercedes GLC certainly is. They also say that this one is dynamic. In reality however, this car forfeits a bit of that for supreme ride and feel in a fine new interpretation of a body concept that has now become a part of life. Not a bad compromise. Most Merc buyers are here for that luxury anyway. And now that can have it with GT looks too.
ROAD TESTED: Mercedes-Benz GLC 220d coupe 4Matic Engine: 217 HP 325 lb.-ft 2-litre turbodiesel I4 mild hybrid Drive: 9-speed automatic AWD TESTED: 0-40 mph: 3.35 sec 0-60 mph: 7.71 sec 0-100 mph: 19.23 sec ¼-mile: 15.4 sec @ 91 mph 50-75 mph: 5.33 sec 75-100 mph: 8.66 sec CLAIMED: VMax: 135 mph Fuel: 47 mpg Range: 730 miles PRICE: $57,000 (GLC 300 Coupe)
Images: Giordano Lupini