New Mercedes GLC Coupé: deep renewal in design, technology and powertrains

Early last July 2022, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the new generation of its GLC worldwide, featuring a heavily redesigned look, plug-in hybrid powertrains and a fully digitalised, connected driver’s workplace. However, the star brand said nothing about the coupé version of the model, which now arrives with its new generation.

Just like its conventional SUV-bodied sibling, the new GLC Coupé makes its entrance with a more stylised and sporty design and, having grown in size, it is now 47 millimetres longer and 5 millimetres taller than its predecessor, which improves both interior space and the car’s stability.

From the front, the new GLC Coupé keeps a design very similar to that of the GLC, with sharper-shaped light clusters featuring LED technology, a large grille with the brand’s star as the centrepiece, which can vary depending on the selected trim, and a fairly sporty bumper that also changes depending on the trim.

More dynamic and elegant

The standard equipment of the new GLC Coupé includes the exterior Avantgarde line, which adds chrome packs for the exterior mouldings, flat 18-inch wheels that now sit flush with the bodywork and can grow to 19 or 20 inches if the AMG Line is fitted, plus a roofline that descends smoothly towards the rear.

Viewed from the rear, the new generation of the GLC Coupé will catch your eye with its new tail lights joined by a black-coloured piece that lends it a strong presence and emphasises its width, an electric tailgate with a subtle, discreet spoiler, and a bumper incorporating a diffuser with two chrome-finished exhaust trims.

Inside, the cabin of the new generation of the Coupé SUV is identical to that of the GLC presented in July, dominated by a digital instrument cluster of 12.3 inches and a touchscreen for the infotainment system of 11.9 inches as standard, although Mercedes also offers a larger touchscreen that grows to 12.4 inches.

As one would expect, the quality level inside the new GLC Coupé is also very high, with a dashboard covered in leather, surfaces with a nappa-like appearance and open-pore wood trim in brown, anthracite and black, with aluminium inlays.

A very comprehensive powertrain range

As far as its engine range is concerned, Mercedes currently offers seven available powertrains. Of these seven powertrains, four consist of a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine equipped with 48V MHEV technology, available in both diesel and petrol variants.

The diesel engines produce 197 CV (GLC 220 D) and 269 CV (GLC 300 D), while the petrol engines develop 204 CV for the entry-level variant (GLC 200) and 258 CV (GLC 300) for the most powerful variant.

The other three remaining versions feature a plug-in hybrid system. The first of them (GLC 300 DE) mounts a four-cylinder diesel engine with 204 CV and an electric motor of 136 CV that raises its output to 335 CV; the second (GLC 300 E) mounts a four-cylinder petrol engine of 197 CV combined with the same electric motor already mentioned to deliver 313 CV; and finally, the third version (GLC 400 E), the most powerful in the range, mounts a four-cylinder petrol engine of 252 CV also combined with the 136 CV electric motor to deliver a total output of 381 CV.

Finally, the electric range of the new GLC Coupé with plug-in hybrid technology goes from 100 to 130 kilometres depending on the version, thanks to its 31.2 kWh lithium-ion battery. This battery can be charged from empty in around 30 minutes with the optional 60 kW DC charger, as the standard equipment includes an 11 kW AC charger.