Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe review

A quick reminder, then: the GLC Coupe gets three mild-hybrid assisted petrol and diesel units, all 2.0-litre four-cylinders. The 300 petrol achieves 255bhp/295lb ft of torque, while the 220d and 300d get 194bhp/325lb ft and 265bhp/406lb ft respectively. All are four-wheel drive as standard.

Then there's the plug-in hybrid 300e and 300de, capable of up to 78 miles of electric-only range from a 31.2kWh battery. As with the others they’re powered by a 2.0-litre petrol/diesel, but tack on a 154bhp electric motor.

Zero to 62mph times range from 8.1 to 6.3 seconds, with the exception of the barmy AMG 53 that churns out 443bhp and does the sprint in 4.2s. Mind you, that’s down on the old AMG 63, which outputted 671bhp and saw off 0-62mph in a scarcely believable 3.5s…

Still, its 3.0-litre straight six has been retuned for improved responsiveness and a 'high-revving character'. That's one way to annoy the neighbours. Which is really representative of its character as a whole: attention-seeking, abrasive and too far removed from the original brief.

What's the ride like?

‘Comfort’ suspension is standard on the PHEVs, whereas everything else gets a ‘Sports’ AMG Line setup that rides 15mm lower. In Europe they get four-link front suspension and multi-link independent rear set-up or the choice of air suspension and rear wheel steering. What gives Merc?

It's a pity, because the fancier options are really rather good indeed, impressively ironing out imperfections in the road (RWS even cuts the turning circle down to 10.9m by 90cm) while offering good body control.

That's something the GLC Coupe lacks in UK spec. In Comfort mode it's not composed enough; Sport is tauter, but too firm. There's no Goldilocks setting that gives you the best of both worlds. Around town in the AMG it's borderline uncomfortable; on a twisty back road it struggles to disguise its heft.

Oh dear. Anything else?

Afraid so. The low driving position and long bonnet limits forward visibility, while the view out of the back window is terrible on account of that sloping roofline.

Meanwhile start-stop mild hybrid functionality is smooth, but the hesitant gearbox when pulling away is rather alarming. Best case, there's some lag between you putting your foot down and the car lurching forward; at worst, you'll actually roll back a bit. It's something a lot of recent Mercs have suffered from.

Tell me fuel economy is decent, at least.

The 220d is the best of the non-plug-ins, achieving 53.3mpg on paper. The 300d manages 50.5mpg, but who buys diesel these days? The 300 petrol is good for 38.7mpg, which is nothing to write home about. 

Naturally the PHEVs have the highest on paper WLTP figures: 128.5mpg in the petrol, 166.2mpg in the diesel. Which would be something to write home about if it wasn't a quirk from a flawed testing scheme: the more often you charge your battery, the less often you'll dip into the fuel tank.

Just as unsurprisingly, the AMG version is the worst: just 29.5mpg. We found even that generous, and never saw over 20mpg. What cost of living crisis?