All-new GLC Coupé AMG-Line
Welcome to Autogefühl, I'm AJ and this is the all-new Mercedes GLC Coupe. Let's start talking about the front design. This is the AMG line, so you get a slightly more athletic lower bumper design, as well as this really nice TriStar logo. You also have a two-dimensional logo, but I think in this case it looks pretty good. What do you think? I also do like the digital lights that you get here. It has some really nice features, including some animations that it can play.
Length and technology
The GLC Coupe is 4.76 meters long. That's actually a little bit longer than the previous generation and longer still than the current generation's standard GLC SUV. Up until probably the B-pillar, it's very similar again between the two brothers, but what you will notice right away is of course the sloping roofline. It does taper in this very elegant, smooth Coupe roofline, and I think it really does add that extra elegance.
Of course, it does detract from the interior space. You get
a slightly longer wheelbase in this generation, so that does help the legroom
in the rear seats, and we'll see how that really translates. You get air
suspension as an option, as well as rear-axle steering. Take a look at the
rear. I do like the subtle spoiler. It's not too pronounced, and here as well,
you have this horizontal mask right here in the middle, drawing that connection
with the EQ design language. Further down, this being the AMG line, you do get
a diffuser, but fake exhaust tips as well.
Interior Overview
All right, let's take a seat inside. Getting into the front is pretty easy because again, the sloping roofline is for the back passengers, not for me. So, plenty of space. I'm about 5'8", so plenty of headroom as well. You get different seat options. So, for example, you get full leather. You also get one with the microfiber in the middle, but you can also get a fully artificial Artico leatherette seat option as well in different colors. Personally, I would like a slightly lighter color in the seats and on the roofline, just to make it feel a little bit brighter on the inside. You can also get a panoramic sunroof as an option, and I personally would recommend you get that.
But the rest of the interior is again very similar to the standard GLC You get a nice wood insert right here. You can feel the texture. It's really lovely. And down here, you also have different options for different trims. So, you can get even a piano black. I know a lot of people don't like it.
I personally don't really have anything against that. If
you're one of those people, you can get this really interesting technical
structured mesh design here. It's not a carbon fiber, but it's a very
interesting design. And of course, we get the squircle air vents, which is a
Mercedes, also has now interior or ambient lighting on the inside. Looks really
cool at night.
User interface and infotainment
The center console is dominated by this floating screen, which just kind of swoops up like a wave from the middle. Really easy to access important settings because you have, for example, the climate control always static down here. It's the best of this kind of situation when you don't have physical buttons, that at least they're big and they're easy and they never change. So, I like that. And again, this is an SUV, so there is actually some off-road capability. And this is showcased here in the off-road view where you get a bunch of things like the tiltometer, tire pressure, and steering angle.
And because this is the air suspension, you can see that
when you're actually raising the suspension, you can see how the actual
suspensions here, the travel changes. So pretty interesting to see all of this
in action. And of course, being the plug-in hybrid, you
also have some specific views to help you manage and understand
the statistics from your current driving. So, for example, I've been driving for
about 122 kilometers today.
I'm getting 2.8 liters for 100 kilometers, which is really good. Most of this was on the highway at around 130 kilometers per hour, a little bit on the mountain. So ultimately, a really useful view and pretty good mileage. Being a plug-in hybrid, it's important to remember that you have to plug it in as much as possible. You also get a nice energy flow diagram to help you as well. This being the AMG line, we have the AMG steering wheel, but of course in the Avantgarde line, you have the three-spoke wheel. You also have a virtual cockpit with a lot of different functionality and a lot of different views. You can even have, for example, a sports view.
You can also put the entire map on the screen to help you
navigate. There's of course a really large head-up display that also has
different options for the view. And this is one of my favorite head-up
displays. Really crisp, really large, and I think a really cool feature to
have.
Rear seats
That roofline makes it look sexy and technically makes it a little bit more aerodynamic. But the biggest trade-off is right here in the headroom for the rear passengers. So, what's the verdict? Well, I'm 5'8". That's the amount of headroom I have, so I'm about 1.73 meters. This is set to my driving position, so knee room is great. Again, because of this longer wheelbase in this new generation, that's not the issue. But I definitely do feel a bit hemmed in. No thanks to this really dark interior. So, I'm somebody who really advocates for lighter colors in the interior, especially in the roofline. And even more so the panoramic glass. So, that will definitely make it feel a bit more spacious on the inside.
The materials in the back are also definitely one notch
lower than the materials in the front. But at least you get air conditioning
vents. You can also opt to get further climate zones back here and further
charging is available. Door pockets. And the seat itself is a little bit more
upright in this version than in the standard SUV. Again, they want to make you
sit a little bit further up because it tapers even further back here. So, a
little bit of compromise. Definitely, something you can live with. You also have
a nice armrest with... some cup holders as well. So, you're pretty well catered
to back here. You wouldn't be really cramped.
Trunk/boot
But the million-dollar question is, what's the trunk like? Because of the coupe body, you do lose quite a bit of volume. In fact, as it stands here in the plug-in the hybrid version is just around 390 liters. But the length is actually longer than in the standard SUV because of the extended rear of this car. You can also, of course, lower the seats down. So, you have that option right here with these switches. And this being the air suspension model, you can also lower the boot height by clicking on the switch and the whole SUV will lower down. And then it's easier to put your items in.
Engines
So, you get a choice of different engine options depending
on your market. Here in Europe, you start off with a 2-liter turbo-4, either
petrol or diesel. Both of them as standard come with mild hybrid technology.
But you can also get plug-in hybrids for both of them. This, for example, is
the 400e. So, this is the petrol plug-in hybrid version with a combined output
with the engine and motor of 381 horsepower. This has a 31-kilowatt-hour
battery. Of course, you also get in the future a 6-cylinder engine. And you get
this with a 9G-Tronic automatic transmission. And of course, 4MATIC is optional
as well. What's the GLC Coupe like to drive?
Driving GLC 400e PHEV
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This being the plug-in hybrid, we're currently in the hybrid mode. And here, the system tries to optimize the efficiency and the range by jumping between the electric motor and the engine as expected. The claimed mileage or the range with pure electric drive is about 110-120 kilometers. And this is actually fairly attainable, granted that you are doing a combination of climbing and descending or just flat topography driving. Of course, if you're going uphill, for the most part, you're not going to get that much range.
On the other hand, you also have the ability to go straight to a sport mode. And in this mode, the petrol engine is coming to the forefront. It's a lot more responsive. Again, that plug-in hybrid with the larger electric motor as compared to the mild hybrid really gives you an instant response. I've driven the standard mild hybrid petrol-engine version as well.
And I can say that in the comfort mode, you do feel a little
bit of slack in the driveline. That immediately rectifies itself in the sport
mode. But here, even in the hybrid or the electric mode, the plug-in hybrid has
a lot sharper response. In the sport mode, it's even more so. You have a really
great view where you can see the energy flow between the two engines and the
system. And overall, it's a really cohesive drivetrain. In the hybrid mode, the
steering is a lot softer.
Rear-axle steering
So now it's actually quite a lot more, I would say, dulled. But the rear axle steering actually makes the car feel very, very agile. It's a little bit artificial and takes a little bit of time to get used to it. But I find the system really useful, especially in the city. And you might be thinking, well, this is not a very large SUV. And you're right. But once you go with the rear axle steering, you can't go back. You don't need it in countries like the US perhaps as much where your roads are wider.
And in fact, you don't get that in some of the other models. But it really helps in narrow, winding alpine roads like this. At higher speeds, the rear wheels actually steer in the same direction, again, just about 4 degrees or so. And in this way, it's able to elongate the wheelbase and then provide a much more stable and planted composure. The air suspension is definitely the pick because it gives you a great combination of comfort and that suppleness when you want it to be in the standard hybrid mode. But again, in the sport mode, it makes the whole chassis feel a lot more taut and a lot more planted and balanced.
Body roll is also fairly well contained with this. You, of course, get sports suspension. And that's a little bit on the stiffer side. So, therefore, the air suspension is something that if you can afford, you can go for a great combination of both of them.
Handling and visibility
The dimensions of the GLC are also very manageable. So it's not necessarily the smallest SUV out there in the Mercedes SUV lineup, but it's also not the biggest. And therefore, you see here on these really narrow streets, it's actually very manageable. The 360-degree camera also works really well. Of course, only at slow speeds, but it helps you position the edges of the SUV with confidence and ease. Visibility is also pretty good.
Again, being the coupe, the rear view is not the greatest. It's a little bit limited thanks to that sloping roofline, but it's not something that would be a big issue. And again, when you are parking in a small, narrow, tight space, you have the rearview camera, which will really help you out. The sound of the engine is nothing to really write home about, being a turbo four.
Although in the sport mode, they do help pump that sound into the cabin to help you feel connected to the engine. But it's not the most sonorous and it's not the most exciting. But definitely, in this drivetrain, you will not be left wanting more power. Out on the highway, the GLC Coupe is actually very refined.
Motorway and assistance systems
They've put a lot more attention into making this SUV a lot
quieter, and it does show. So the wind noise is definitely almost all but
eliminated. You do hear a bit of the tire noise and the road noise creeping in,
but it's again definitely on the quieter side. Really great. The highlight for
me, of course, is now to be able to test the assistance systems. So it's really
amazing how far these assistance systems have come, and this gets the latest
generation of the same. You control that with the stalk, or rather one of the
arms, the spokes on the steering wheel. And it's a very easy way to manipulate.
Yes, they're haptic buttons, but they have nice ridges and indentations, and there are individual sections of the button to do the different functions.
So to set it, I just press it here, and then it has traffic sign recognition, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. And it also has a lot of these predictive and proactive measures. So if you're coming to a roundabout on the country road, it will preemptively slow you down. Even small details, like if you're in a traffic jam, will bring you to the edge of the lane to give that channel for the emergency vehicle. So small little details, which to me at least, really signal how far this autonomous technology has come.
Driving comfort
It's also very comfortable. The seats also hold me in place
really well. A little bit more upper back support would have been nicer. So if
you're going to get a chance to test this car on a long drive, make sure you
see how it feels for your upper back. There are different seat options, so you
can decide which one is the right one for you.
And again, depending on your driving style, the mileage can vary greatly. Depending on how often you can charge the battery, the mileage will vary greatly. Just on the highways, you can expect around 2 liters for 100 kilometers. Again, if you're able to have a fully charged battery, you can expect a good range of around 100 to 110 kilometers.
And if you drive a little bit sporty, I'm seeing numbers
around 4 or even 5. So it really depends. And I think it's a respectable number
nevertheless. I don't think you're making any real sacrifices getting the GLC
Coupe. But if you're interested in checking out what the benefit is with the
standard SUV body style, make sure you check out our video of the standard GLC.
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