Although enthusiasts gripe about it, I understand the seeming "takeover" of the world's vehicle fleet by crossovers and SUVs. They're practical. They haul people and things. They're the 21st century station wagon and those of us who were around in the 1950s, 60s and 70s know what a thing that was.
What I don't quite get is the coupe variant of an SUV. This is the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 Coupe---fundamentally the same vehicle as the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 SUV I reviewed in November, but with a sloping rear roofline and a hatchback.
Same engine under the hood as the GLC 300 SUV---a 2.0-liter turbo four with mild hybrid. 255 horsepower, 295 lb-ft of torque, mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Unlike the SUV I tested, this GLC 300 Coupe has 4MATIC all wheel drive. The EPA fuel economy estimate is 26 mpg combined city/highway.
It's smooth, quiet, and responsive, but 255 horsepower only gets you so much quickness. Expect zero to 60 times in the mid-6-second range.
It's in the rear where the Coupe starts to suffer in comparison to the SUV. 21.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row becomes 18. Folding down the second row gets you 52.6, but in the SUV, that's 56.3.
Utility gets sacrificed for sport. Well, a sporty roofline, anyway. The same basics play out one size up---Mercedes makes a GLE Coupe that follows the same basic template, and both have AMG performance variants.
Mercedes is by no means alone in this segment. BMW has the X6 and the X4, and I suppose the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport fits the definition as well.
The only failures in the segment have been the 2010-2015 Honda Crosstour and the 2010-2013 Acura ZDX, but both of those were based on sedans, not SUVs (Acura is resurrecting the ZDX name for an all-new EV).
The base price of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4MATIC Coupe is $57,000. This is the second Mercedes-Benz I've had with a window sticker showing $0.00 for destination and delivery, so I'm going to take them at their word. If it's an error, someone at Mercedes can correct me. I hope it's not. Given that destination fees aren't optional, folding them into the base price and listing that one number makes a lot of sense.
For your $57,000, you get this standard: A substantial but not complete suite of active safety featuress, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless go and keyless start, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, power heated front seats with lumbar support, driver memory for seat, steering column and outside mirrors, a panoramic sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, ambient lighting and a Platinum Plan trial to SiriusXM Satellite radio.
Extra-cost options included the Obsidian Black Metallic paint ($750), Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC cruise control ($600), the Night Package---high-gloss black front splitter, grille trim, rear diffuser, side mirrors, window trim and roof rails---($200), and the AMG-Line Package---AMG body styling, brushed aluminum sport pedals with rubber studs, MB-Tex instrument panel and beltlines in black Nappa look, flat-button multifunction sport steering wheel, AMG floormats, perforated front brake discs with Mercedes-Benz calipers and body-color wheel arch trim---($2,850).
All told, the as-tested price of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4MATIC Coupe is $61,400. That's only $150 more than the GLC 300 Coupe I reviewed in November.
And with no meaningful price difference, this all comes down to a matter of taste. If the Coupe lights up your pleasure sensors, it's just as good a vehicle as the SUV.
