Mercedes-AMG Unveils New GLC Coupe

Yes, we know – news of a crossover with ‘coupe-like’ styling isn’t likely to raise the pulse of many commenters, especially one painted approximately the same color as the pavement on which it is driven. The new GLC Coupe may be a stern German shown in a dour shade of paint, but its 671 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque make it anything but boring.

Billed as the brand’s “first performance hybrid SUV coupe”, the GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe does cut a handsome if immediately recognizable figure. Appending that five-letter word to its name ensures the thing has a lot more sport than utility thanks to its dramatic roofline which cuts sharply into cargo space compared to a normal GLC. Alert readers will have correctly determined there is some form of electrification under the hood, tipped off by the ‘E Performance’ moniker and the fact that just about everything introduced these days has some measure of juice on board.

In this example, the 63 variant combines a 2.0-liter turbo engine with an electric drive unit on the rear axle. This combo is good for the aforementioned 671 ponies and 752 lb-ft of twist and funnels its power through a nine-speed transmission and 4Matic all-wheel drive. If you care, the engine itself contributes 469 horses and 402 torques to this equation. Score one for its electric drive unit, though it is worth noting that buried in the bumf is a notation the electrified guts make their maximum grunt of 201hp for 10 seconds at a time; its continuous output is 107 horses. In other words, it seems like the GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe will belt out a total of 576 horsepower in most conditions, with the full-fat 671 figure reserved for launches and the like. A lightweight 6.1-kWh battery is located above the rear axle.

An entry-level model called the GLC 43 4Matic Coupe, also powered by a 2.0L four banger, is able to produce 416 horsepower plus an additional 14 ponies via a belt-driven starter generator at lower engine speeds. Like the 63 trim, it gets the nine-speed automatic which deploys a wet starting clutch in place of a torque converter. Merc estimates this model will scamper to 60 mph from rest in about 4.8 seconds while it more powerful brother will run the course in approximately 3.5 ticks of the clock. It is worth mentioning the weight disparity, with the 43 listed at 4,389 pounds while the 63 bends the scales at nearly 5,100 pounds despite both cars setting down identical footprints. Electrified guts tend to be tremendously heavy, after all.

The cabin is typical Mercedes, which is to say stern but comfortable with a duo of enormous screens up front. As with so many models from the brand these days, a landscape tablet sits ahead of the driver serving duty as a gauge cluster while a portrait tablet dominates the center stack as mission control for infotainment. Both can be configured umpteen different ways, with the likes of AMG Track Pace tools and an AMG-exclusive display style on hand so owners can brag to their passengers.

Expect to see these machines in 2024, though the 43 and 63 may end up being different model years.

[Image: Mercedes-Benz]

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