Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Mercedes-Benz Concept GLC Coupé: Inevitable BMW X4-fighter debuts in Shanghai

PHOTO BY MERCEDES-BENZ

COMPACT LUXURY CROSSOVER COUPES ARE HERE TO STAY -- GET USED TO IT

Look out, BMW X4! The Mercedes-Benz Concept GLC Coupé is gunning for that white-hot jacked-up four-door cut-roofline segment of the compact luxury crossover market.

PHOTO BY MERCEDES-BENZ

Technically a concept, we see no reason the GLC Coupé -- which has just been unveiled at the Shanghai motor show -- won’tmake it to production; there must be literally dozens of buyers who want that fastback profile but are put off by the vastly larger GLE Coupe’s immense bulk.

PHOTO BY MERCEDES-BENZ

“With its modern and sensual design idiom, the Concept GLC Coupé gives a foretaste of future SUV models from Mercedes-Benz. At the same time, it embraces the typical values of tradition-steeped Mercedes-Benz coupés,” notes Daimler AG design head Gorden Wagener.

PHOTO BY MERCEDES-BENZ

   Incredibly, that’s exactly what we said the moment we saw photos of the concept. With its road-hugging, low-to-the-ground stance, delicate proportions and gullwing doors, it’s practically a dead ringer for all those tradition-steeped Mercedes-Benz coupes we know and love. And does that rugged plastic cladding on the wheel arches remind anyone else of the new Mercedes-AMG GT S? Must be why they painted them the same color!

PHOTO BY MERCEDES-BENZ

   Underhood, you’ll find a 367-hp, 384-lb-ft 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 -- the same motor found in the C450 and the upcoming GLC crossover (formerly known as the GLK). It’s mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission; a 4Matic system routes power to all four wheels. 

PHOTO BY MERCEDES-BENZ

   It’s a remarkably plausible powertrain for a vehicle that’s technically a concept, but again, we see no reason the GLC Coupé won't be built -- even if it will pick up features like door handles along the way. And truth be told, it will probably be fairly well-executed, too, not that that will make this bizarre corner of the market any less baffling to us.

PHOTO BY MERCEDES-BENZ

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