2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Coupe: Why? Just ... Why?
Honestly, I don’t get it. I don’t mean the name; calling the 2020 GLC300 Coupe a “coupe” makes about as much sense as calling any four-door vehicle a coupe, in my opinion. No, what I don’t understand is why anyone would want this thing. The formula doesn’t make sense: Take a perfectly good Mercedes-Benz GLC300 SUV, which has been thoroughly updated for the latest model year, take away all the utility of having a hatchback cargo area, keep the high-riding SUV stance, cut the backseat headroom and charge more money. Debuting at the 2019 New York International Auto Show, it’s Mercedes’ answer to the BMW X4, itself an answer to a question nobody asked.
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It’s not unattractive, I suppose, if you’re old enough to remember the American Motors Corp.’s offerings from the 1970s and 1980s. Go Google “AMC Eagle Sedan” and you’ll see what I mean — it’s a sport utility sedan, an idea that was largely abandoned along with the dissolution of AMC into the Chrysler Corp. until Subaru briefly revived it with the old Subaru Legacy Outback Sedan, which was also abandoned as people asked themselves why they should spend that kind of money and not also get the cargo room.
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Inside, the GLC Coupe gets all the upgrades seen on the regular GLC. The new MBUX multimedia system is a welcome high-tech addition, as is the larger touchscreen. Seats and materials are typical Mercedes-Benz benchmark quality, embarrassing rivals with their fit, finish, motion and feel. The issues start when you get comfortable in the front seat and try to see out the back window. The short rear glass leaves a lot of the rear view obscured — not as bad as in a BMW X4, which cuts off anything more than 100 feet behind the vehicle, but still enough to make me shake my head. The rear quarter view isn’t bad, however, thanks to a lot of windows down the sides of the GLC Coupe and fairly thin pillars that don’t obstruct the view that much.
The backseat is actually a surprisingly comfortable place. You’d think headroom would be slightly curtailed due to the drooping roofline, but getting in and out isn’t a problem, and headroom isn’t an issue thanks to a sculpted headliner and the lack of a panoramic-style moonroof that would eat into the backseat overhead space. Legroom isn’t an issue, either — I set the front seat to where I would normally sit and felt comfortable in the backseat despite my ample girth and 6-foot height.
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Cargo room feels like that of a typical C-Class sedan, certainly not the extra space of the GLC-Class SUV. But if you don’t need cargo space and simply want to make the style statement that you’re the type of person who will spend extra money to buy something less sensible than the superior alternative simply because you think it looks cool, hey, knock yourself out.
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