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Mercedes GLC Coupe review: GLC250d driven in UK

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Mercedes GLC Coupe review: GLC250d driven in UK | Top Gear

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How is the most sensible engine in the slightly sense-defying GLC Coupe?

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Mercedes GLC Coupe review: GLC250d driven in UK

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The Mercedes GLC Coupe? Explain.It’s rather hard to, for in the traditional sense of the word, this Mercedes GLC is not a coupe. It has four doors and a hatchback, plenty room for five passengers, and is, um, an SUV.

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How is the most sensible engine in the slightly sense-defying GLC Coupe?

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Mercedes GLC Coupe review: GLC250d driven in UK

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Mercedes GLC Coupe review: GLC250d driven in UK

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How is the most sensible engine in the slightly sense-defying GLC Coupe?

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How is the most sensible engine in the slightly sense-defying GLC Coupe?

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The Mercedes GLC Coupe? Explain.It’s rather hard to

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for in the traditional sense of the word

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this Mercedes GLC is not a coupe. It has four doors and a hatchback

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an SUV.But we’d be real belligerent luddites to deny that Mercedes will be onto a winner with this GLC. Since the BMW X6 arrived nearly a decade ago

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the SUV-coupe – if we’re to accept that’s now an entire breed of car – has gone from strength to strength. Even the fervently sensible VW Tiguan is said to have a swoopier version in the offing.Prices start at a smidge over £41

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which has additional boot space and headroom. Paying more for less. Well

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it works for the 911 GT3 RS…So what does the Mercedes GLC Coupe offer instead?Extra style

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though beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. These eyes do not see it

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but yours might. The Coupe is meant to be a bit sharper to drive

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too: it was benchmarked against the Porsche Macan and BMW X4

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and gets quicker steering and suspension tweaks over a standard GLC.Otherwise

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the two cars are virtually identical. Which is a good thing: the GLC is one of the better small SUVs out there

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content.reviewBody[]
comes with a fantastically laid out interior that exudes a real air of quality.The sticky-out touchscreen may look a little clumsy

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but it falls exactly into your line of vision and makes its multitudinous feaures – sat nav

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content.reviewBody[]
music – safe and easy to operate. The seats are great and there are some fine materials and finishes on offer.It even smells nice inside. Somewhat incongruously so

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content.reviewBody[]
given how punchy and aggressive the exterior looks. There’s a strong whiff of floral perfume as you start the GLC up

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content.reviewBody[]
the air conditioning’s optional ‘air-balance package’ (£350) making the interior smell like the eau de toilette section of a department store. You can turn it off

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don’t worry.Is the GLC Coupe’s driving experience less whiffy?Absolutely. Given it’s a 1

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it exudes an impressive amount of agility. Mercedes clearly stopped short of matching the Macan – which remains the consummate crusher of physics in this class – but the GLC is way tidier to drive than we suspect its audience demands. With optional air suspension it rides plushly

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too.But no matter how neat its cornering abilities

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a point that’s exaggerated by its utterly terrible rear visibility. Yep

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even the most ardent SUV-coupe fan cannot defend the letterbox rear window these cars invariably have

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as a high-rise waistline meets a sunken roof.Yes

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there are more cameras and sensors than the entrance to the Bank of England

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but for ducking and weaving through urban traffic or parallel parking into a tight space

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nothing beats being able to look over your shoulder and see things for yourself.You’ve not mentioned engines yet.For now

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your choices are a handful of unashamedly sensible diesels. A 220d kicks off the range – using a 170bhp 2.1-litre four-cylinder – while the 250d tested here (an additional £1

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155) takes the same engine and tunes it up to 204bhp

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slicing the 0-62mph time by nearly a second

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to 7.6secs.Mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox (standard on all GLC Coupes)

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it does a brilliant job of just murmuring away quietly in the background

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only disrupting the aura of calm inside when you really shoe the accelerator

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or during a cold start-up. Both are complaints you can apply to nigh on any diesel engine on sale

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and better than any Porsche Macan or BMW X4 can offer.What if I want more performance?There’s a six-cylinder diesel on offer – the 255bhp GLC350d – but hold your horses a little while longer and a petrol version lands

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namely the GLC43 AMG. It could be a bit of a Q-car

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swift and practical.But… we’d reserve £3

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000 for some options list ticking by simply having the standard GLC version

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an approach we’d apply to the range as whole. If you care deeply about those sharper dynamics we suspect you won’t be shopping in this part of the market at all

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and the standard GLC – with its full-size rear window

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and all – is a car we like more regardless of its price advantage.The SUV-coupe may have fully established itself

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but it doesn’t mean we’re any bigger fans of the concept. Even when examples are as accomplished as this GLC Coupe.

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How is the most sensible engine in the slightly sense-defying GLC Coupe?

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The Mercedes GLC Coupe? Explain.

It’s rather hard to, for in the traditional sense of the word, this Mercedes GLC is not a coupe. It has four doors and a hatchback, plenty room for five passengers, and is, um, an SUV.

But we’d be real belligerent luddites to deny that Mercedes will be onto a winner with this GLC. Since the BMW X6 arrived nearly a decade ago, the SUV-coupe – if we’re to accept that’s now an entire breed of car – has gone from strength to strength. Even the fervently sensible VW Tiguan is said to have a swoopier version in the offing.

Prices start at a smidge over £41,000, and the Coupe costs around £3,000 more than an equivalent GLC, which has additional boot space and headroom. Paying more for less. Well, it works for the 911 GT3 RS…

So what does the Mercedes GLC Coupe offer instead?

Extra style, apparently, though beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. These eyes do not see it, but yours might. The Coupe is meant to be a bit sharper to drive, too: it was benchmarked against the Porsche Macan and BMW X4, and gets quicker steering and suspension tweaks over a standard GLC.

Otherwise, the two cars are virtually identical. Which is a good thing: the GLC is one of the better small SUVs out there, and like all of Merc’s latest models, comes with a fantastically laid out interior that exudes a real air of quality.

The sticky-out touchscreen may look a little clumsy, but it falls exactly into your line of vision and makes its multitudinous feaures – sat nav, phone, music – safe and easy to operate. The seats are great and there are some fine materials and finishes on offer.

It even smells nice inside. Somewhat incongruously so, given how punchy and aggressive the exterior looks. There’s a strong whiff of floral perfume as you start the GLC up, the air conditioning’s optional ‘air-balance package’ (£350) making the interior smell like the eau de toilette section of a department store. You can turn it off, don’t worry.

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Is the GLC Coupe’s driving experience less whiffy?

Absolutely. Given it’s a 1,845kg porker, it exudes an impressive amount of agility. Mercedes clearly stopped short of matching the Macan – which remains the consummate crusher of physics in this class – but the GLC is way tidier to drive than we suspect its audience demands. With optional air suspension it rides plushly, too.

But no matter how neat its cornering abilities, it can’t completely shrug off its size, a point that’s exaggerated by its utterly terrible rear visibility. Yep, even the most ardent SUV-coupe fan cannot defend the letterbox rear window these cars invariably have, as a high-rise waistline meets a sunken roof.

Yes, there are more cameras and sensors than the entrance to the Bank of England, but for ducking and weaving through urban traffic or parallel parking into a tight space, nothing beats being able to look over your shoulder and see things for yourself.

You’ve not mentioned engines yet.

For now, your choices are a handful of unashamedly sensible diesels. A 220d kicks off the range – using a 170bhp 2.1-litre four-cylinder – while the 250d tested here (an additional £1,155) takes the same engine and tunes it up to 204bhp, slicing the 0-62mph time by nearly a second, to 7.6secs.

Mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox (standard on all GLC Coupes), it does a brilliant job of just murmuring away quietly in the background, only disrupting the aura of calm inside when you really shoe the accelerator, or during a cold start-up. Both are complaints you can apply to nigh on any diesel engine on sale, though, and its claimed 56.5mpg is impressive, and better than any Porsche Macan or BMW X4 can offer.

What if I want more performance?

There’s a six-cylinder diesel on offer – the 255bhp GLC350d – but hold your horses a little while longer and a petrol version lands, namely the GLC43 AMG. It could be a bit of a Q-car, if you want something tall, swift and practical.

But… we’d reserve £3,000 for some options list ticking by simply having the standard GLC version, an approach we’d apply to the range as whole. If you care deeply about those sharper dynamics we suspect you won’t be shopping in this part of the market at all, and the standard GLC – with its full-size rear window, and all – is a car we like more regardless of its price advantage.

The SUV-coupe may have fully established itself, but it doesn’t mean we’re any bigger fans of the concept. Even when examples are as accomplished as this GLC Coupe.

# data.attributes.body.processed
The Mercedes GLC Coupe? Explain.

It’s rather hard to, for in the traditional sense of the word, this Mercedes GLC is not a coupe. It has four doors and a hatchback, plenty room for five passengers, and is, um, an SUV.

But we’d be real belligerent luddites to deny that Mercedes will be onto a winner with this GLC. Since the BMW X6 arrived nearly a decade ago, the SUV-coupe – if we’re to accept that’s now an entire breed of car – has gone from strength to strength. Even the fervently sensible VW Tiguan is said to have a swoopier version in the offing.

Prices start at a smidge over £41,000, and the Coupe costs around £3,000 more than an equivalent GLC, which has additional boot space and headroom. Paying more for less. Well, it works for the 911 GT3 RS…

So what does the Mercedes GLC Coupe offer instead?

Extra style, apparently, though beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. These eyes do not see it, but yours might. The Coupe is meant to be a bit sharper to drive, too: it was benchmarked against the Porsche Macan and BMW X4, and gets quicker steering and suspension tweaks over a standard GLC.

Otherwise, the two cars are virtually identical. Which is a good thing: the GLC is one of the better small SUVs out there, and like all of Merc’s latest models, comes with a fantastically laid out interior that exudes a real air of quality.

The sticky-out touchscreen may look a little clumsy, but it falls exactly into your line of vision and makes its multitudinous feaures – sat nav, phone, music – safe and easy to operate. The seats are great and there are some fine materials and finishes on offer.

It even smells nice inside. Somewhat incongruously so, given how punchy and aggressive the exterior looks. There’s a strong whiff of floral perfume as you start the GLC up, the air conditioning’s optional ‘air-balance package’ (£350) making the interior smell like the eau de toilette section of a department store. You can turn it off, don’t worry.

Is the GLC Coupe’s driving experience less whiffy?

Absolutely. Given it’s a 1,845kg porker, it exudes an impressive amount of agility. Mercedes clearly stopped short of matching the Macan – which remains the consummate crusher of physics in this class – but the GLC is way tidier to drive than we suspect its audience demands. With optional air suspension it rides plushly, too.

But no matter how neat its cornering abilities, it can’t completely shrug off its size, a point that’s exaggerated by its utterly terrible rear visibility. Yep, even the most ardent SUV-coupe fan cannot defend the letterbox rear window these cars invariably have, as a high-rise waistline meets a sunken roof.

Yes, there are more cameras and sensors than the entrance to the Bank of England, but for ducking and weaving through urban traffic or parallel parking into a tight space, nothing beats being able to look over your shoulder and see things for yourself.

You’ve not mentioned engines yet.

For now, your choices are a handful of unashamedly sensible diesels. A 220d kicks off the range – using a 170bhp 2.1-litre four-cylinder – while the 250d tested here (an additional £1,155) takes the same engine and tunes it up to 204bhp, slicing the 0-62mph time by nearly a second, to 7.6secs.

Mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox (standard on all GLC Coupes), it does a brilliant job of just murmuring away quietly in the background, only disrupting the aura of calm inside when you really shoe the accelerator, or during a cold start-up. Both are complaints you can apply to nigh on any diesel engine on sale, though, and its claimed 56.5mpg is impressive, and better than any Porsche Macan or BMW X4 can offer.

What if I want more performance?

There’s a six-cylinder diesel on offer – the 255bhp GLC350d – but hold your horses a little while longer and a petrol version lands, namely the GLC43 AMG. It could be a bit of a Q-car, if you want something tall, swift and practical.

But… we’d reserve £3,000 for some options list ticking by simply having the standard GLC version, an approach we’d apply to the range as whole. If you care deeply about those sharper dynamics we suspect you won’t be shopping in this part of the market at all, and the standard GLC – with its full-size rear window, and all – is a car we like more regardless of its price advantage.

The SUV-coupe may have fully established itself, but it doesn’t mean we’re any bigger fans of the concept. Even when examples are as accomplished as this GLC Coupe.