Four-door coupe styling has filtered down to a newcomer in the Mercedes-Benz range — the GLC midsize crossover SUV.
For its second year on the market, the GLC will receive the coupe-like styling already endowed on its larger brother, the GLE.
Adopting the new body style adds 3.2 inches in length to the GLC Coupe and lowers its profile by 1.6 inches. Pronounced rear fender bulges fold into the beltline and flow into the liftgate, which accommodates the coupe’s redesigned LED taillights.
Those flowing lines make their way inside to the coupe’s redesigned dashboard and center console.
The base GLC300 Coupe comes equipped with the same engine as its conventional-bodied stablemate — a 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder making 241 horsepower and 273 pounds-feet of torque. That power is spread through a nine-speed automatic transmission with five driving modes that Mercedes-Benz labels “Dynamic Select.”
The GLC300 4Matic offers full-time all-wheel drive and an off-road suspension to lend some honesty to its rugged intentions. Air Body Control air suspension is an option for drivers who plan to stay on unbroken blacktop at all times.
The 3.0-liter biturbo V6 recently announced for the 2017 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 will also be available in the GLC Coupe. That mill makes 362 horsepower and 384 pounds-feet of torque, and is matched with upgraded equipment and exterior looks.
The automaker promises 0-60 mile-per-hour sprints in less than five seconds in AMG guise.
An Interior Sport Package will be offered on both AMG and base GLC coupes to further differentiate the model from the stock GLC.
The GLC Coupe is expected to be available in the U.S. in early 2017.
[Images: Mercedes-Benz USA]
Look, it’s a BMW X6.
The butt and the tail lights are very Buick.
Yes. If you squint, it looks a lot like the Lacrosse in the back.
I squinted and it looked like a swoopy turd. UGLY.
I logged in to say the same thing, with less sarcasm. Can’t wait til they copy Cadillac.
GLC 300 is gonna do very well. It’s a perfect crossover with a gorgeous interior.
Pricing is way more palatable than the ML’s was. Wealthier women can get the GLE Coupe AMG.
The only real downside is lack of a touchscreen.
COMAND is stale and aggravating now.
I will confess that this looks better than I expected. The perfect Sport Utility for someone who needs neither sport nor utility.
But needs a car that says MERCEDES on the back.
MERCEDES lit up in bright, white LED diodes that can be seen from 1 mile away.
Nope. MB are doing absolutely everything they can to avoid using touchscreens. That’s one of the things they’re getting right.
I’m not sure which I’m having more trouble with: a four door sport utility being called a coupe or an expensive Mercedes that’s named after a 1970’s-1980’s entry level Mazda hatchback.
This has been hashed and re-hashed before, but “coupe” doesn’t refer to the number of doors a vehicle has, at least, not traditionally. The word “coupe” translates to “to cut” in French…and rather references a chopped-looking roofline…something you see on most two-door vehicles, but that is not exclusive to them. So, a four-door coupe isn’t a contradiction.
Also, while people complain about the term “4-door coupe,” I still haven’t heard any proposed alternative term that describes the concept so concisely.
I can think of a few words…
Isn’t the “coupe” supposed to, historically, refer to a *shorter* vehicle rather than one with a useless roofline?
My initial research into the term suggested that as the primary historical meaning.
Ok here are some suggestions for alternative names: Four door with compromised rear headroom, SUV with reduced utility, Four door with the back seat comfort of a ’72 Mustang but a little easier to get into because of the extra doors but watch your head getting in or out.
Maybe I’ll start describing my wife’s Maltese-Yorkie mix as a Doberman because they both have four legs and stubby tails.
I like the looks, but if this is smaller than the GLE, then it’s pretty small.
Whyyyyyyyy
I really like this. Above my pay grade, but a nice car for the wife. I will see what MBWorld says about the GLCs once they get out of warranty and cost less than a poverty spec Kia Forte.
These SUV hunchbacks are just about the most ridiculous vehicles on the road. Park this one on a circular driveway and it will look like a metallic toad on a lily pad. The reason anyone would buy this aesthetically and functionally compromised lump over a regular GLC eludes me.
“Air Body Control air suspension is an option for drivers who plan to stay on unbroken blacktop at all times.”
It works well on blacktop when parked and broken, like the ABC suspension on my neighbor’s R-Class. Seriously, don’t ever get your Mercedes with that option if you can avoid it. It’s never been good.
My brother was so excited to get off the commuter train to find his R-Class doing a “Gangsta Lean” in the lot. He wished the service department had at least acted surprised that it broke.
Also, this is awful, and I have no idea the difference between the GLC, GLE, and whatever the ML is called now – GLKE?
Let me explain. All the new MB crossovers start with GL. Then, the third letter refers to the size:
– The GLA is like a tall A-class (CLA in the US)
– The GLC is like a tall C-class (this used to be the GLK)
– The GLE is like a tall E-class (this used to be the ML)
– The GLS is the big one, with three rows (previously GL)
The GLE has a fastback variant called GLE Coupe. And now so does the GLC.
GLC is C and E?!
My bad. GLE is a tall E-class (old ML)
So GLS is like the S-Class of SUV! I get it now. Still don’t agree with it, but I get it.
That first generation GLK was a monster hit for MB and I’d love to find a decently optioned used one. Unfortunately all the CPOs are MB-Tex, no sunroof strippos.
Did the guy who has been in charge of naming Lincolns the past few years move over to Mercedes and not tell anyone?
How about GAKK?
I would’ve called it a kammbak…
Or, in Internet terms: “Why u do this, Stuttgart? Heck off!!”
Mercedes is making decisions I cannot abide, lately.
Hopefully they at least make money off ’em.
I don’t particularly like the new shape very much. It looks very common and not something you would quite expect from Mercedes. But at least with a brand as big as they are, you’ll at least get a decent interior to make up for it!
What do you call a 4 door chicken coop? A chicken sedan!