The Coupe SUV trend was ignited by the BMW X6 in 2008, and what we believed at the time would be a short-lived fad turned out to have a lot more staying power. Take the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe as an example; it’s now entering its second generation, sporting the same upgrades that were first seen on the standard GLC SUV last year, albeit with a coupe-like roofline.
Those changes to the GLC include fresh styling, new technology, a mild-hybrid powertrain with 255 horsepower, and a small size increase to improve overall functionality. Coupe SUVs do not appear to be going out of style anytime soon, making the GLC Coupe a fairly important entrant to the Mercedes lineup. To find out how it stacks up against the growing competition, we tested the base GLC 300 Coupe for a week.
Exterior: Coupe + SUV = Controversy
Mercedes stretched the GLC Coupe by 1.2 inches compared to the outgoing model. It’s also 0.2 inches taller than the last generation. Up front, the coupe looks pretty similar to its standard GLC counterpart, but things start to get weird when you get around to the back. Instead of a flat roof that ends with a conventional SUV butt, the GLC Coupe slopes down like the two-dour “coupes” it gets its designation from. Comments we received on the car in person seemed mostly negative, but social media response has been overwhelmingly positive. We guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Every GLC Coupe delivered in the US, at least at first, will have the AMG Line package. This includes painted wheel arches, 19-inch wheels (which can be switched out for the optional 20-inch wheels fitted to our tester), and unique body styling. It looks mostly fine to our eye, but the connected taillights that are actually two separate units and obviously faux exhaust tips in the bumper seem a little “cheap” to us. A full configurator was not available as of this writing, but the Manufaktur Cardinal Red Metallic paint looks good in real life, albeit pricey at $1,750. The rest of the color palette is unmistakably Germanic with mostly shades of white, black, grey, and two decent blues.
Interior: Good Tech, Missing The Wow
Inside, the GLC Coupe’s cabin will look familiar to anyone who has driven the standard GLC or the latest C-Class Sedan, albeit with less visibility out of the rearview mirror due to the sloping roofline. A standard 11.9-inch touchscreen sits on the dash, powered by the latest Mercedes MBUX infotainment. The technology here is pretty great, if not a little overwhelming to learn. In addition to the touchscreen, drivers can use voice command or a touch capacitive direction pad on the steering wheel. A second pad on the steering wheel controls what appears in the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, which is highly customizable.
Opting for the Pinnacle trim adds $2,950 to the price, but rolls in a Burmester 3D Surround Sound System, a head-up display, noise insulating glass, augmented reality navigation, and more. It seems worth the price, but you will also need to spend for a $1,950 Driver Assistance Package and a la carte features like ventilated seats. We don’t have any major complaints on the interior, but it’s far from the best Mercedes has to offer.
Practicality: Small Compromise
Opting for the GLC Coupe means sacrificing a bit of practicality compared to the standard GLC, but the losses are less than we expected just by looking at the two vehicles. The back seat legroom measures 37.2 inches, only 0.2 less than the GLC SUV. Headroom drops more significantly from 39.7 inches in the SUV to 38.3 in the Coupe. You get air vents for the back seat, but amenities, like heated rear seats and charging ports, are not found as standard.
The GLC Coupe has 19.2 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, which is only 2.7 cubes less than the GLC SUV. With the seats flat, the coupe can squeeze 52.6 cubic feet compared to 56.3 in the SUV. These cargo figures are 1.6 and 3.1 cubes more than the outgoing GLC Coupe. This car’s closest competitor, the BMW X4, only offers between 18.5 and 50.5 cubic feet of space.
Powertrain: Mild Gains
The GLC 300 4MATIC Coupe comes standard with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine equipped with mild-hybrid technology. A 48-volt starter-generator contributes 23 hp and 148 lb-ft of additional boost, but total outputs for the GLC Coupe come in at 255 hp and 295 lb-ft (up from 273 lb-ft in the previous generation). A nine-speed automatic sends power out to 4MATIC all-wheel-drive with no rear-drive option for the coupe.
These figures are strong for a standard powertrain in this class, but it’s likely that the GLC Coupe has gained some weight over the outgoing model, courtesy of the additional mild-hybrid tech, like we saw in the GLC SUV. The manufacturer-claimed 0-60 mph time of 6.2 seconds is on par with the outgoing model, which is only disappointing to those who are actively seeking a performance SUV (in which case you should hold out for the AMG models that may be in the cards).
Though it’s not any quicker, the mild-hybrid system contributes to superior fuel economy. The new GLC Coupe is rated at 24/30/26 mpg city/highway/combined, up from 20/26/22 in the previous generation. It’s worth noting that the SUV version of the GLC is even more frugal at 24/32/27 with 4Matic.
Driving Impressions: Stopping, Then Starting
Mercedes knows how to make a great mild-hybrid system, as evidenced by the company’s inline-six and V8 cars, but something hasn’t translated as well to these four-cylinder cars in our opinion. We first noticed this when testing the C43: the mild-hybrid system often gets flummoxed when the car is slowing down to a near stop and the traffic light suddenly turns green, so you press the accelerator to get back up to speed. It takes several moments for the engine to fire up and deliver power, resulting in some awkward moments where the GLC Coupe feels powerless. This is perhaps the clunkiest stop-start system we’ve ever tested in a car with a 48-volt system.
On the positive side, you can turn off stop-start, eliminating our only gripe with the driving experience. Unlike the C43 Sedan, which is an AMG product, the GLC 300 Coupe is very comfortable and the cabin is dead silent thanks to the insulated glass. It’s far from the sportiest product that Mercedes offers, but mainstream crossover customers will enjoy the GLC’s well-weighted steering and athletic handling. We’d love the optional air suspension and rear-steering that’s available in Europe, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Verdict: Worth The Coupe Tax?
The 2024 GLC 300 4MATIC Coupe technically starts at $57,000 even, but Mercedes says the early examples will all ship with an optional AMG Line Package that brings the price to $59,850. Pricing has not been revealed for the 2024 GLC SUV, but based on the 2023 model year, the GLC Coupe is nearly $8,000 more than its more conventional counterpart (not including the mandatory AMG Line). There is a similar price gap between the BMW X3 and the X4, so Mercedes isn’t the only German automaker that charges a huge premium for coupe styling.
It’s an easy choice in our opinion. If you like everything the GLC Coupe has to offer, just get the GLC SUV and go spend $8,000 on a vacation or an investment. The GLC SUV does everything that the Coupe does, only better and at a lower price. The GLC overall is a competitive package, but we’d probably wear out the button for stop-start defeat, if we bought it.