Thursday, November 3, 2016

Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe

In the ongoing tradition of luxury carmakers making four-door crossover coupes since the BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz unveiled a four-door coupe derivative of the practical midsize luxury crossover, the GLC-Class, and what this is isn't your auntie's Mercedes anymore. In fact, the new GLC Coupe trades away its utilitarian traits for curves.

2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe

Yes, when I say curves, one look and you will notice that it might think this is just a C-Class saloon but with bigger wheels on the mix but the GLC-Class Coupe, being a four-door version of the crossover version of the C-Class, isn't just more of a hunk of a saloon, in fact, its eccentric looks can set you to a state of confusion, knowing why companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz are making weird-looking four-door crossovers like this one. If you look at the other guys, say the BMW X4 and X6, as well as its big brother, the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, you'll know that it wasn't made for the adventurous or those who had a little class, in fact, cars like these should have a little class or else they'll end up being compared to a tall Hong Kong skyscraper for no reason.

2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe interior

Same issue goes to the inside of the car because even though it's very nice to accommodate, the rear space is what get you noticed due to its sloping roof line but all in all, it's just the same raw deal when you're sitting in the car as long as there's no one getting in your sweet spot at the back. Although the rear space is less than the normal GLC-Class due to its sloping roof line, there's still lots of rooms for your everyday needs and with the rear seats present, there's more room for two macho boxes inside.

2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe

Let's see what's like behind the wheel. Despite being sleek and sporty in terms of design, the way it behaves is pretty much average for a luxury crossover and when you opt in for the DYNAMIC BODY CONTROL with steel springing, you can really feel the mildness within reach, which makes the most for being a normal handling car with normal driving characteristics. With 4MATIC as the only standard feature, any condition can be a play day as long as you don't make a mess while driving with it because doing it too hard, you'll face some cataclysmic understeering if you're not very careful so patience is a virtue when you're taking this all-weather friend on the go. Under the hood, the GLC Coupe comes with a range of 2.0L turbo petrol and a 2.1L turbodiesel with the higher output produces 204PS of power and 500Nm of torque. All models are mated with nine gears and later on, there's a plug-in hybrid variant called the GLC 350 e 4MATIC with a combined power output of 319PS of power, 550Nm of torque, and 235kph of top speed.

2017 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe
2017 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe

Of course, if you're a speedo boy who wants to get to work quicker than the other guys at the office, there's a semi-high performance variant from Mercedes-AMG called the GLC43 Coupe, which comes with 9G-TRONIC gearbox, 4MATIC all-wheel drive, and a 3.0L V6 twin turbo engine producing 367PS of power and 520Nm of torque that can get you from 0-100kph in 4.9 seconds. Simple as that and as for the dynamics, the GLC43 won't make you feel numb while on the road, no matter the weather forecast you heard from the news.

So, would you buy one, perhaps? The new GLC Coupe starts at 49,445 Euros, which is over four grand more than its chief rival, the BMW X4, but who cares about it? Who would ever want to have a four-door crossover coupe in the first place that trades practicality for sloping roofs? Only time will tell to decide the outcome but if you're not happy about the GLC Coupe, get a normal GLC-Class instead because it's way more like your auntie's Mercedes, only better.

Photo: Daimler AG

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