Mercedes: The GLC will become a coupé from September
The question of whether high-riding coupés or low-slung SUVs make sense has been the subject of much debate. Mercedes provides a positive answer to this by giving the GLE SUV-coupé hybrid a 17 centimeter shorter brother. The front end, door panels and the technical substructure of the GLC SUV have been retained, while the door frame, windscreen, roof and rear end have been [...]
The front end, door panels and the technical substructure of the GLC SUV were retained, while the door frame, windshield, roof and rear end were trimmed to create a sleek coupé silhouette. At 1.60 meters, the resulting GLC Coupé is only 3 centimeters lower than the GLC SUV. This means that the comfort dimensions have hardly been touched and everything is in the right place in the GLC Coupé. The imperceptibly flatter windshield is not an issue. The overloaded left-hand steering column lever, which has to accommodate too many functions because the gear selector lever is on the right, still deserves criticism. But this is criticism on a high level, because otherwise the seat is comfortable and ergonomically perfect.
Surprise for tall people in the rear
Things get more interesting in the rear, which is likely to suffer from the lower roofline. Surprisingly, however, this is not the case. The head does not have to be retracted when getting in. Even tall people can sit comfortably in the rear, and the legroom is very generous. The hatchback only requires some compromises when it comes to the trunk. Although it is variable and long, it is extremely flat at the rear. Two bicycles can easily be stowed with the rear seat bench folded down. However, if you want to stow large boxes or suitcases, you can no longer close the tailgate.
Good road holding with sports suspension as standard
The steering is direct, there is no lateral tilt, the suspension is firm and the damping is excellent. In addition to the standard sports suspension, adjustable damping or air suspension are also available. The best-selling model will be the 250 d 4Matic, whose unladen weight of 1.9 tons demands everything from the 204 hp and 500 Nm. From September, the 220 d, 250 d and 250 will be available exclusively as all-wheel drive models with a nine-speed automatic starting at 56,700 Swiss francs, i.e. around 5,000 Swiss francs more than the SUV in each case. The 350 d, 300, 300 e PHEV and AMG 43 (all 4Matic) as well as the rear-wheel drive 200 d will follow at the end of the year.
www.mercedes.ch
Photos: Factory
