SUV coupes are still heating up tempers. Some praise the sleek, less bulky shape compared to a classic SUV, others advise: “If you want to drive a sports car, buy one”. Of course one can find arguments for both sides, but the normative force of the factual has already given the verdict. The crossover coupes are popular and so will remain a part of the car manufacturers’ model portfolio. But that doesn’t change the concept-related weaknesses of this type of vehicle. And that is definitely the fund.
Rear headroom is usually not particularly generous. They also know that at Mercedes and try to give the head a little more space. So you will look in vain for a glass roof in the equipment list, and the technicians have also packed the drive for the trunk lid from the roof into the C-pillar. That’s not all: “We made real dents in the car,” smiles engineer Dominik Voogdt. You can feel what the friendly expert means by that as soon as you move your hand along the headlining and stroke the indentations. The trick works: adults who are 1.85 meters tall can also find space in the second row. You realize that this vehicle is still a coupé as soon as you need the trunk. The hatch is narrow, the loading sill is high and the capacity is manageable at 390 liters to 1,335 liters (with the rear seat backrests folded down).
You don’t just sit in a Mercedes GLC, you also move the crossover. The chassis, which can cope with almost all asphalt inconveniences in the combination of air springs and adaptive dampers, deserves praise. This is all the more remarkable given that the GLC Coupé 300 de, with a curb weight of 2,345 kilograms, is anything but an elf-like vehicle. Nevertheless, the engineers do not solve this demanding chassis equation with a tight basic setup. Especially in the Comfort driving program, it lives up to the name of the mode, irons out bumps in the road with ease and is therefore a good choice for long journeys. In the Sport setting, the body structure is noticeably more attached to the chassis, which is the better choice for contemporaries who are sensitive to vertical movements. Even then, the GLC Coupé will not become board-hard.
The Mercedes is sporty enough to scurry around corners. This is mainly due to the steering, which is precise without acting too nervously from the middle position. This noticeably relaxes the drive, because you can direct the 4.76 meter long Mercedes GLC Coupé almost intuitively with a light hand. This dynamic is no coincidence, but is also a result of the interaction between the more direct steering ratio and the rear-axle steering, which turns the wheels by a maximum of 4.5 degrees. Which reduces the turning circle by 90 centimeters to 10.90 meters.
However, we would have expected a harder punch from the powertrain. After all, it consists of a four-cylinder diesel with an output of 198 kW / 269 hp (maximum torque 400 Newton meters) and the proven electric module with 100 kW / 136 hp and 440 Nm torque. The bottom line is then 245 kW / 335 hp and a maximum system torque of at least 750 Nm. Sounds promising. But the brutal steam hammer is missing. As soon as you press the gas pedal, the diesel growls in annoyance before it doesn’t move forward with the expected verve. To be fair it has to be said that this power delivery suits the character of the whole vehicle and you can still make pretty good progress.
This is also shown by the fact that the Mercedes part-time electric vehicle breaks the 100 km/h mark from a standing start in 6.4 seconds and is still up to 219 km/h. Purely electrically, a top speed of 140 km/h and, thanks to the 31.2 kilowatt hour battery (net), a maximum range of around 119 kilometers are possible. We overrule the system, which wants to drive purely electrically by default, and immediately switch to hybrid mode, which we also maintain throughout the route. We only tested the other driving programs every now and then, especially the sport mode. The route was tough and took us over mountain passes and motorways. After the first test drive, the on-board computer reported a respectable 3.9 km/100 km and 9.2 kWh/100 km. The battery was still 48 percent charged. Mercedes specifies a nominal consumption of 0.5 l/100 km and 22.7 kWh/100 km.
When it comes to infotainment, little has changed compared to the GLC. The command center is still the 11.9-inch touchscreen and the instruments are presented on a 12.3-inch instrument cluster. However, the navigation direction indication of the flying arrows in the head-up display is missing, but we managed just fine without this extra. The operation of the infotainment is catchy, only sometimes you have to rummage something in the depths of the menus. This is how you get to know your GLC Coupé 300 de 4Matic, which will be at the dealership in July, at least properly. After all, you want to drive a car that costs at least 77,469 euros for a while.
