GLC CHANGER (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_mercedesglccoupe_2017

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 59

In 2016, Mercedes used its GLC mid-sized SUV as a base for this sportier, more stylish GLC Coupe variant. It's better to drive as well as being sportier to look at and the practical compromises necessitated by the sleeker shape are relatively modest. Providing you can afford the asking prices, you'll find that the sensible stuff adds up too.

Modelsword count: 25

5dr SUV (2.1 diesel [GLC 220d/ GLC 250d] / 3.0 diesel [GLC 350d] / 3.0 petrol [GLC 43 AMG] / 4.0 petrol [GLC 63 AMG)

Historyword count: 178

The market is now getting used to the idea of a Coupe SUV - and so is Mercedes. This GLC Coupe, launched in 2016, was the brand's second stab at that concept, following the 2015 launch of the larger GLE Coupe. This swept-back GLC was launched to counter BMW's X4. In taking on that car, this one was helped by the option it offered of the kind of sophisticated air suspension system that BMW couldn't match, the kind of thing previously limited to much larger and more expensive SUVs. In fact, there was much about this car that democratised pricier SUV luxury, whether customer focus was on media connectivity, cutting edge safety or cabin aesthetics. All of this, borrowed of course from the conventional GLC, was wrapped up in a far more stylish package that still managed to be practical to a point that conventional coupe customers could once have only dreamed of. In its original form, this GLC Coupe sold until early 2019, when an updated version was launched. It's the pre-facelift car we look at here.

What You Getword count: 458

Come to this car expecting it to be little more than a GLC SUV with a coupe-style rear end and you may well be pleasantly surprised by the lengths to which the designers went to give this sportier body style its own identity. The basic architecture used here is of course exactly the same as that of the more conventional SUV model, but the GLC Coupe is far more dynamic in appearance, measuring in 4cms lower and nearly 8cms longer than its design stablemate. The front end is different too, primarily in its use of a feature that distinguishes other Mercedes coupes - a distinctive single-louvred grille patterned with pins that are either black or chrome-plated, depending on the trim level you've selected. Either side sit headlamps featuring full LED technology for both the main beam and the daytime running lights. More predictably, the rear is completely bespoke too, with the upright hatch of the conventional GLC replaced in this Coupe model by a far sleeker and more deeply-raked look that produces a wind-cheating 0.31Cd drag factor and aims to replicate the style of Mercedes' exotic S-Class Coupe. Inevitably though, it's in profile that this GLC Coupe really differentiates itself from the standard model. We've talked about the lower roof height and at a glance, you take in the more steeply-raked A-pillars, the high beltline, the wide shoulders and the way the roofline falls away towards the rear. At the wheel, you sit a little lower than you would in an ordinary GLC but otherwise, as you might expect, the cabin layout is shared almost identically with that car - which means it's very nice indeed. Take a look around once you're comfortably seated on the supportive ARTICO-leather trimmed seats and the two staples of current Mercedes cabin style are present and correct. There are five round silver-trimmed air vents and above the three in the centre sits a prominent iPad-style infotainment screen, its free-standing positioning smacking either of after-thought or inspired design, depending on your point of view. Anything the infotainment display can't tell you will be covered off by the smaller colour screen that nestles between the two deeply-cowled dials offered by the instrument binnacle. On the rear seats, it's far more spacious than anything branded as a 'coupe' would normally be. Yes, six-footers will find their heads brushing the roof but they'll be far better off in this regard than they would be in Mercedes' supposedly larger GLE Coupe. And luggage space? Well it's accessed via a standard electrically-operated tailgate. Mercedes obviously benchmarked BMW's X4 here, for the load capacities on offer match those of that Munich model exactly. Specifically, you're talking 500-litres, which is only 50-litres less than a conventional GLC model can offer.

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