Americans love their SUVs, but Europeans may understand them better than we do. Some SUV buyers want more space and a surer grip on the road in unpredictable weather. They’re comfortable with rugged styling. Others, however, don’t want to give up style for more luggage space.
Europe’s biggest automakers build two types of luxury compact SUVs. They tend to share the same frame but are dressed differently. One is more rugged and holds more cargo, and the other is sleeker and more stylish. The BMW X5, for instance, is a square-back SUV closer to what an American automaker would likely build. The BMW X6 is a sportier-looking “SUV Coupe” (they call them that, even though they have four doors) using most of the same parts. Audi does the same thing with its 2023 Audi Q5 and Q5 Sportback.
For Mercedes, that means the GLC and the GLC Coupe. The swallows-more-groceries version, the standard GLC, was remade for 2023. Its brother took a little longer at the tailor. Mercedes this week has revealed the 2024 GLC Coupe. It comes a year after because it wants the attention you get walking in the door late.
Mercedes hasn’t announced pricing for the 2024 GLC Coupe yet. Traditionally, it’s commanded a premium over its less-stylish cousin. For an idea, the 2023 GLC Coupe starts at $54,700, vs. $43,850 for the standard 2023 GLC SUV.
Same Powertrain
Underneath the new clothes is the same stuff as the standard GLC.
That means a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. It makes 255 horsepower, but a Formula-1-style integrated starter generator can provide a boost of 23 more for extra passing power. The media materials Mercedes supplied on the GLC Coupe do not mention the transmission, but it’s almost certainly the same 9-speed automatic as found in the “regular” GLC. The current 2023 GLC Coupe also comes standard with Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.
Not all the mechanical pieces are identical, however. Mercedes says the suspension is the same 4-link front and a multi-link independent rear setup as the other GLC, but it’s tuned for sportier handling.
Trim New Outfit
Sportier, after all, is the theme of the GLC Coupe.
The exterior has grown in most dimensions but keeps the sleek, sloping roofline that sets it apart. Thinner headlights and taillights give it a more high-tech look (in the age of LEDs, big lights say outdated). A wider front grille, borrowed from the AMG-Line trim on the standard GLC, adds to the effect.
It rides on standard 19-inch wheels, though 20-inch models are available.
The changes make it look slipperier in the air, and Mercedes says the numbers prove it — the drag coefficient has dropped from 0.3 to 0.27.
Big Interior Makeover
Inside, every GLC Coupe gets the AMG-Line treatment. A 12.3-inch instrument display and 11.9-inch infotainment screen are standard — the latter mounted slightly canted toward the driver. The turbine-like vents Mercedes designers love are here, but slightly squared.
The dashboard and center console are constructed as one unit, with what Mercedes calls “a wing-like profile.” Two-tone seats look great, and the front set comes heated. Inductive wireless smartphone charging and a Burmester 3D surround sound system are also standard.
Mercedes’ Driver Assistance Package Plus is optional. It includes smart cruise control that manages the distance from the vehicle ahead, braking assists, and a lane-centering system. Standard safety systems have a unique collision-prep system that can detect imminent side impacts. It, Mercedes says, “pushes the affected driver or front-seat passenger towards the middle of the vehicle and away from the acute danger zone” by inflating side bolsters in a fraction of a second.
Mercedes says the 2024 GLC Coupe will arrive in dealerships “later in 2023.”
