18 - 26
255 - 416
9 speed, Automatic w/OD
Intercooled Turbo Gas/Electric I-4
All Wheel Drive, Rear Wheel Drive
The new 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe takes the bones of the recently redesigned GLC SUV (non-SUV Coupe body style) and places a sporty, sloping-roof, fastback body over the mechanicals to create a crossover that's higher in style and fashion sense.
Photo: Jim Resnick
The GLC Coupe differs from the GLC SUV in several ways:
Previously, JD Power reviewed the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV, which continues unchanged for 2024. This review focuses on the unique features and characteristics of the new GLC Coupe, redesigned for 2024. Previously, the GLC Coupe rode on the prior-generation GLC’s underpinnings. Performance enthusiasts should note that Mercedes also offers the AMG GLC 43 Coupe with a 385-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 engine.
Photo: Jim Resnick
People focused intently on design and style will identify with the GLC Coupe's sportier looks over the GLC SUV we reviewed last year. However, most design changes exist aft of the windshield and central roof pillars. The more aggressive slope of the roof begins at about mid-length and descends like an old fastback to terminate at the liftgate.
The rear doors must also accommodate this roofline change in geometry, so the rear quarter windows, rear-most roof pillars, and the rear window are all unique to the GLC Coupe.
But it doesn't stop with the roof. The taillights differ from the GLC SUV, as well. Not directly in their shapes but in the lighting elements inside them, they take on a different structural look in low light.
There's no wind deflector at the top of the liftgate window, as on the GLC SUV. This creates a smooth, uninterrupted profile from the roof's center to the liftgate's break. Mercedes also finishes the GLC Coupe with a nearly flush rear fascia and liftgate surface, adding to the smoothness of the design.
Photo: Jim Resnick
Improved aesthetics aside, the GLC Coupe's body shape does have several downsides. The Coupe’s sloping exterior makes the cargo area highly problematic for items that otherwise fit in the GLC SUV with its more upright space. The GLC Coupe takes a 20-percent hit on sheer cargo space compared to the GLC SUV. Still, the biggest issue is that even medium-sized boxy items will not permit the Coupe’s liftgate to close.
The Coupe body also reduces rear-seat headroom by an inch and a half. I also found the rear seat bottom short from front to back. This means it lacked thigh support, which can cause leg fatigue on long drives for rear-seat occupants.
The transformation from SUV to Coupe also affects rear visibility. Some vehicles of this shape adopt a second, short rear window at the bottom of the liftgate to provide more visibility, such as the Toyota Prius (even though it's a compact car and not an SUV, the shape is very similar). The GLC Coupe does not offer this, making line-of-sight visibility a problem to the rear. If it were not for a reversing camera, quite a few GLC Coupe bumpers would get beat up badly.
Photo: Jim Resnick
The new GLC 300 Coupe comes standard with Mercedes' 4Matic AWD, which is an option on the GLC 300 SUV. Uncharacteristic for the Arizona testing location, several days of heavy rain, mud, and generally slippery conditions marked my time with the GLC Coupe. I took this opportunity to put the 4Matic system on assignment over dirt roads rarely traveled since the prior GLC 300 SUV got by with rear-wheel drive.
Over unpaved, sandy, muddy, gravelly roads, the GLC 300 Coupe with 4Matic proved tenacious in slippery conditions. Loose gravel, rain, mud, and even some sleet at high elevations showed sure-footedness hampered only once by the summer tires wrapped around those 20-inch wheels.
This poor-weather performance also showed no downsides to the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. The steering didn't become stiff at high steering wheel angles (as when slowly negotiating difficult terrain), and the system revealed no driveline snatch as the electronics apportioned power to different wheels. However, if such a sloppy scene might be in your future, I'd suggest skipping the 20-inch summer wheel-and-tire combination and saving the $1,150 option cost.
Photo: Jim Resnick
From the perspectives of design and driving character, the 2024 GLC 300 Coupe hits all the right notes. With effective AWD and more responsive suspension tuning than the GLC 300 SUV on which it's based, the GLC Coupe rewards drivers keen on some driving fun.
However, it comes up wanting on cargo space utility, some low-speed drivability, and most assuredly, on price. A window sticker of nearly $70,000 is a considerable amount for a compact luxury SUV, even one that's been to the best tailor.
The Audi Q5 Sportback has nearly all the active safety features that Mercedes charges extra for as standard, yet costs under $55,000. The top Q5 Sportback Prestige trim with every possible option costs about $66,000.
Meanwhile, the new Genesis GV70 2.5T AWD Sport Prestige is just over $59,000, and that comes with all the same features, plus a stout 300 hp—45 more than the Mercedes.
Suppose you need more practicality and utility than a conventional two-door coupe or sedan and want some prestige in your life. In that case, the GLC 300 4Matic Coupe is a very good choice. But there's fierce competition, some of which significantly undercuts Mercedes on price.
Jim Resnick has been covering transportation and the automotive, technology, engineering, and motorsports fields for decades, his award-winning work appearing in numerous American and European media outlets. He also spent 13 years managing product information, media relations, marketing, and strategy with three luxury carmakers.
