Home Review 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe review: Vanity over versatility

2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe review: Vanity over versatility

0
2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe review: Vanity over versatility

In profile, you possibly can actually see the GLC Coupe’s sloping roofline. 
Craig Cole/Roadshow
Looking for a high-performance luxurious utility automobile however need one thing with a bit extra visible aptitude? If you discover the usual Mercedes-Benz GLC a little bit too peculiar, contemplate the coupe variant, particularly in AMG GLC43 guise. Its gently sloping roofline offers further pizzazz, whereas its pumped-up powertrain delivers ample efficiency. You may debate till the proverbial cows come dwelling about whether or not this four-door SUV is definitely a coupe, however no matter what facet you fall on, it is each dynamic and upscale.

LikeHusky-sounding non-obligatory exhaustHigh-quality inside trimmingsStrong acceleration

Don’t LikePorsche-esque choices pricingSlight transmission lagBackseat is a bit tight

This Mercedes is simple on the eyes, with a perky bottom and smiling entrance finish. For 2020, it has acquired a number of design tweaks together with a brand new grille, an enhanced decrease rear fascia and slimmer headlights for a barely extra menacing look. Black-finish quad exhaust ideas and non-obligatory ($200) 20-inch wheels intensify my tester’s usually tasteful look. But that drooping lid continues to be a head-scratcher — if not a head-basher — to me. To be honest, Mercedes-Benz is much from the one automaker doing this. The GLC Coupe has a number of soggy-top rivals together with the BMW X4, Porsche Cayenne Coupe and upcoming Infiniti QX55. Despite its collapsed profile, this model of the GLC continues to be fairly spacious inside — cargo capability hasn’t been as savaged by that roofline as you may count on. The coupe gives round 17.7 cubic toes of room behind the rear seats and about 49.4 with the backrests folded. The normal GLC43 SUV is simply barely extra spacious, providing 19.4 cubes behind the rear seats and 56.5 with them upright.

2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe: Higher model, decrease practicality
See all photographs

Comfort within the GLC43 AMG Coupe is mostly good. The entrance chairs are agency and supportive, trimmed in MB-Tex imitation leather-based and Dinamica synthetic suede. If you like a cloth shucked off an precise animal, a spread of real leather-based is obtainable for $1,620 extra. A brilliant-premium Nappa leather-based can also be obtainable in placing black and white, although this combo prices a further $3,100. This automobile’s entrance buckets are additionally heated and supply loads of bolstering with out being too cosy. Unfortunately, the backseat is much less hospitable, barely in a position to accommodate my 6-foot body. There is sufficient house for my legs, however headroom comes up quick, inflicting my noggin to the touch the ceiling. Also, the rear backrest is simply too upright to be comfy for lengthy. Inside the GLC is Mercedes-Benz’s new steering wheel with touch-control buttons. These little nubbins on the tiller’s spokes make it simple to navigate by the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, or reconfigure the obtainable 12.3-inch instrument cluster. Curiously, these digital gauges will not be normal, they value an additional $750. The remainder of this automobile’s cabin is nice, with loads of high-quality supplies and substantial-feeling controls. From the air vents to the door handles, every part is strong and feels premium. The bright-red seat belts are oh-so cool and match the distinction stitching on the seats, door panels and dashboard. About the one factor I do not take care of is the infotainment system’s trackpad, which takes up fairly a little bit of house on the middle console, and the black-colored ash-wood trim. It seems to be and feels a bit an excessive amount of like plastic, however different choices can be found. 

This AMG’s inside is a pleasing place, with loads of wealthy supplies and a great deal of tech.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
Per normal, the GLC Coupe’s MBUX infotainment system is extremely responsive and straightforward sufficient to make use of, nevertheless it gives quite a lot of performance — probably an excessive amount of. In some methods, it jogs my memory of a pc’s desktop working system, because it has extra layers than phyllo dough. There are additionally numerous shiny UI components and drop shadows which I’m not essentially a giant fan of since they give the impression of being outdated. But hey, not less than the system is tremendous responsive and each Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are normal throughout the vary. One instance of how advanced MBUX will be is the way you regulate the exhaust system or the dampers. I rely 4 methods of doing this: devoted buttons on the steering wheel, a rotary dial on the steering wheel, separate switches on the middle console or through the infotainment display. There are additionally a number of instrument-cluster designs to select from, too. Talk about overkill!

Despite having a price ticket north of $70,000, my AMG GLC43 Coupe nonetheless lacks a spread of helpful superior security options. Things like lane centering, adaptive cruise management and computerized excessive beams will not be normal. Instead, these options, and others, are bundled within the $1,700 driver-assistance package deal. It appears Mercedes-Benz is getting slightly Porsche-esque in the way it handles choices. For occasion, they need $450 for ventilated entrance seats, $250 for a heated steering wheel, $760 for three-zone local weather management and an additional $200 for an emergency spare tire. Call me loopy, however these items ought to be normal on a automobile that prices as a lot because the AMG GLC43 Coupe.Fortunately, Benz hasn’t skimped out within the powertrain division. Motivation is supplied by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that’s each easy and potent. Breathing by an non-obligatory and driver-selectable AMG efficiency exhaust system ($1,250), the engine makes all types of snorty sounds when labored onerous. If you do not take care of all of the theatrics, you possibly can recork these pipes on the push of a button, which makes this Mercedes as quiet as Camry.This 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 delivers a more-than-respectable 385 horsepower.
Craig Cole/Roadshow
The GLC43’s engine delivers a wholesome 385 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. Aided and abetted by a extremely responsive nine-speed computerized transmission with a torque converter as an alternative of a multi-plate moist clutch, which is obtainable in different high-performance Mercedes-Benz fashions, this automobile can rocket to 60 mph in simply 4.7 seconds, a correctly fast (if not bone-crushing) efficiency. An AMG-tuned all-wheel-drive system ensures this SUV can put that energy to the pavement, even in hostile circumstances. If you need extra velocity, contemplate one of many GLC63 variants. They’re propelled by a 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 that, in S trim, delivers a formidable 503 horsepower.Driven usually, this machine is lots sporty, its transmission is easy and really fast to vary gears while you’re in a playful temper. Unfortunately, this gearbox just isn’t fairly good, because it has a slight lag when taking off, while you roll on the accelerator from a standstill. This delay is fairly annoying and would not appear to vary even when rifling by the assorted driving modes. Grievances apart, this powertrain in all fairness environment friendly for the efficiency it offers. The GLC43 Coupe is rated at 18 miles per gallon within the metropolis and 24 mpg on freeway drives. Combined, you need to count on 21. In blended use, I truly topped that estimate, averaging 21.7 mpg in response to the journey pc, which is not too shabby.This will be the AMG GLC43’s most engaging angle. 
Craig Cole/Roadshow
The AMG GLC43 Coupe’s adjustable air-suspension system gives three completely different damper settings: consolation, sport and sport+. Per normal, I desire leaving it in consolation, which offers a journey that is nonetheless fairly tuat however by no means sloppy. It’s a little bit extra forgiving than the opposite two settings, although, truthfully, I do not discover an enormous distinction in journey high quality between any of them. The GLC43 is agency and properly behaved. The AMG GLC43 Coupe is about $3,500 costlier than its extra conventional two-box counterpart. My tester rolled off the meeting line in Bremen, Germany carrying a $71,805 price ticket. That whole contains $995 in supply charges and simply shy of 11 grand in choices, although it may have been pushed properly into the 80s with out a lot effort. Comfortable and properly made, fast and light-weight on its toes, the Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe is nice enjoyable and suitably luxurious, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a product not everybody will perceive. Honestly, I’d slightly simply have the usual GLC and name it a day, however if you would like one thing a little bit swoopier, by all means contemplate the coupe.