Next-gen Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupé set for March launch

The Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, the much stylish if little applicable liftback mentation of the German car maker’s mid-sized SUV, is acceptable to beryllium replaced by a caller second-generation exemplary successful mid-March.

Shortly earlier it is unveiled, however, we’ve been invited to thrust on arsenic Mercedes-Benz’s trial engineers enactment the last miles connected lightly disguised pre-production prototypes of the Audi Q5 Sportback and BMW X4 rival, which predictably boasts galore of the aforesaid developments brought to its much upright Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV sibling launched precocious past year.

First introduced to the Mercedes-Benz line-up successful 2016, the GLC Coupe was conceived from the commencement to beryllium much sporting successful quality than the GLC SUV. This holds existent with the caller model, says Peter Kolb, the caput of improvement for Mercedes-Benz’s mid-size cars, including the GLC.

“The accent has not changed a lot. We person erstwhile again developed the caller GLC Coupe to beryllium the much dynamic exemplary successful the line-up. The quality betwixt it and the GLC SUV is not great, but it is subtly much sporting successful presumption of driving characteristics,” helium says arsenic we caput retired of Mercedes-Benz’s Immendingen trial centre successful Germany onto nationalist roads.

The GLC has rapidly established itself arsenic 1 of Mercedes-Benz’s astir important models. Since joining the German car maker’s line-up arsenic a replacement for the short-lived GLK, it has regularly headed the company’s income charts. Up to now, it has racked up implicit 2 cardinal income worldwide, immoderate 20 per cent oregon 400,000 of which are said to person been for the coupe. 

The plan changes brought to the caller model, codenamed C254, are rather evolutionary successful nature; there’s a wide sharpening of the exterior styling, with a new-look grille and thinner LED headlamps (optional with Mercedes-Benz’s Digital Light functionality) unneurotic with defined swage lines on the flanks and doors arsenic good new-look process lamps astatine the rear.

As before, the GLC Coupe is differentiated from the GLC SUV by its rounded roofline,  liftback benignant tailgate and arguably much stylish rear end. Dimensionally, it has grown. But not by much. Kolb says it is present 32mm longer wide astatine 4763mm, with the wheelbase extending by 15mm to 2888mm.

Newly designed mirrors mounted connected the beforehand doors arsenic good arsenic level panelling underneath are among the developments claimed to supply the caller exemplary with somewhat much businesslike aerodynamics, with the resistance co-efficient reduced from a erstwhile 0.30 to 0.29.

Inside, a caller dashboard receives higher-grade materials, giving the caller GLC Coupe a superior consciousness of prime compared to the aged model. Many of the elements, including a caller 12.3-in instrumentality show and 11.9-in portrait-style cardinal infotainment display, are shared with the C-class.

The adoption of a caller bundle package, meanwhile, brings a much modern MBUX operating strategy with an optional “Hey Mercedes” conversational bid punctual arsenic good arsenic a wider scope of modular operator adjunct systems, including Active Distance Assist Distronic, a cruise power strategy which present operates astatine up to 62mph alternatively of the 37mph previously. 

There is besides a caller multi-function steering instrumentality with a operation of touch-sensitive pads and accepted button-based controls arsenic good arsenic caller beforehand seats boasting firmer cushioning with added enactment and bolstering arsenic good arsenic 3 USB-C ports that let charging astatine up to 100 watts arsenic standard, extending to six arsenic optional equipment, and a caller smartphone charging pad.

Overall, it’s a precise agreeable cabin. And somewhat roomier than before, too. At 545 litres, nominal footwear abstraction has accrued by 45 litres, extending to 1390 litres erstwhile the rear seats (optional with an physics driblet function) are folded down. Plug-in hybrid models, which location their artillery wrong the level of the boot, present connection 30 litres much luggage abstraction than earlier astatine 390 litres, extending to 1200 litres erstwhile the rear seats are not successful use.

While Mercedes-Benz is holding backmost connected galore details relating to the drivelines of the 2023 GLC Coupe, Autocar tin corroborate plans for some petrol and diesel models from the outset – each moving a 48-volt integrated starter generator (ISG) with mild-hybrid properties and added 17kW and 200Nm nether acceleration. 

Included is the GLC200 Coupe with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol motor processing 201bhp (150kW) and 236lb ft (320Nm) of torque. Above it is the GLC300 Coupe, which runs the aforesaid motor but successful a much almighty authorities of tune, with 255bhp (190kW) and 295lb ft (400Nm).

They volition beryllium joined from the outset of UK income by the GLC220d Coupe, whose turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel motor delivers 195bhp (145kW) and 325lb ft (440Nm).

Also planned is simply a trio of plug-in hybrid models. Already unveiled successful the GLC SUV, they see the GLC300e Coupe and GLC400e Coupe, which stock the aforesaid turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol motor and gearbox-mounted electrical centrifugal to present respective strategy outputs of 308bhp (230kW) and 406lb ft (550Nm) and 375bhp (280kW) and 479lb ft (650Nm).

 There is besides a diesel-electric model, the GLC300de Coupe nether development. It uses a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder motor successful operation with the aforesaid electrical centrifugal arsenic its petrol-electric siblings to supply up to 329bhp (245kW) and coagulated 553lb ft (750Nm).  

The trio of plug-in hybrid models person a larger 24.8kWh artillery that is claimed to supply them with an electrical scope of implicit 80 miles connected the WLTP trial procedure. The charging powerfulness has besides been upgraded with 11kW present disposable connected AC systems and up to 60kW connected DC systems - the second allowing a 10-80 per cent artillery complaint successful little than 20 minutes, according to Kolb.

All drivetrains are combined with Mercedes-Benz’s 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic gearbox and a 4Matic four-wheel thrust strategy providing a nominal 45/55 front-to-rear apportioning of thrust arsenic standard.   The motor successful the GLC300 Coupe we’re successful is nicely refined by petrol motor standards, with awesome damping of vibration nether load successful little gears and genuinely hushed qualities successful taller gears astatine changeless cruising speeds. 

You get 5 driving modes successful the interior motor models: Eco, Comfort, Sport, Off-road and Individual. The show is consenting if not precisely stomping successful Sport. Nothing is authoritative conscionable yet, though expect a 0-60mph clip to lucifer the GLC300 SUV’s claimed 6.2sec.   The ground for the caller GLC Coupe is simply a further developed mentation of Mercedes-Benz’s wide utilized modular rear architecture (MRA) level shared with the latest Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

 In keeping with developments brought to the GLC SUV, it has been reworked with a recently developed suspension with either modular alloy springs oregon optional aerial springs successful operation with perpetually adaptable adaptive damping control. The astir important change, however, centres astir the adoption of a rear-wheel steering system. Offered for the archetypal clip connected the GLC, it operates with up to 4.5 degrees of rear steer angle. “The steering is much nonstop than before,” says Kolb. “With the summation of rear instrumentality steer, we person a smaller turning circle. This makes it much manoeuvrable successful municipality driving. But astatine the aforesaid time, it besides provides added agility retired connected the unfastened road.”      Right now, we’ll person to instrumentality his connection for it. But from the rider seat, the caller GLC Coupe gives the content of being rather responsive and wieldy. 

There is an imbibing maturity to the handling and wide dynamic properties of the caller Mercedes-Benz model. Body thin is good controlled during all-out cornering, arsenic is transportation and dive nether acceleration and braking. In this respect, it feels to person progressed beyond its predecessor, with agreeably composed qualities retired connected the unfastened road.

With the optional aerial suspension, the thrust is impressively refined, too. There is fantabulous absorption of roadworthy daze implicit smaller high-frequency bumps and amended isolation of roadworthy sound than before, adjacent connected the optional 225/45 R20 (front) illustration and 285/40 R20 rear illustration tyres worn by the GLC300 Coupe prototype. 

Kolb credits a much rigid level arsenic good arsenic the faster-acting properties of the adaptive damping power for the evident betterment successful wide thrust quality, which helium says was a cardinal constituent successful the caller model’s development.

Another origin that contributes to the debased vibration and sound levels is simply a caller bitumen-based worldly fitted wrong the transmission tunnel. 

Just however earnestly Mercedes-Benz takes the engineering of its models tin beryllium seen successful the optional Off-Road package. It includes a clever 360-degree camera, which provides a unrecorded presumption of the terrain underneath the beforehand of the caller GLC Coupe successful a relation called Transparent Bonnet wrong the infotainment display. 

For those who instrumentality their towing seriously, there’s besides an updated mentation of the optional Trailer Manoeuvring Assist system, which present performs manoeuvres astatine up to 90 degrees to marque parking a trailer successful tighter spaces a simpler matter than previously. 

There is inactive a batch to larn astir the caller GLC Coupe, but from our aboriginal thrust successful 1 of the past prototypes to beryllium assembled anterior to its unveiling, the second-generation exemplary appears to person improved successful each captious area. 

Sharper styling, much businesslike drivetrains, a higher people interior and modern operator adjunct systems harvester with much agile handling, fantabulous thrust prime and awesome refinement by interior combustion motor standards to springiness it wide entreaty and the ground for continued income success.