Mercedes is all about the GLC variants this year after launching the refreshed GLC 300 SUV last year. In March, Mercedes rolled out the larger and sleeker 2024 GLC 300 Coupe, which will only come in AMG Line spec. In July, Mercedes-AMG launched the regular, boxy versions of the GLC 43, 53, and 63. Now it’s time for AMG’s take on the GLC Coupe, which will only come in GLC 43 and 63 S E Performance trims. Downsizing claims another pair of larger-displacement engines, the former V6 and V8 giving way to turbocharged inline four-cylinders, as has been the case throughout AMG lineups.
There are no performance losses, though. The mild hybrid 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the GLC 43 makes 416 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, 31 horsepower up on the retired turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 model but 15 pound-feet down. The bolt from zero to 60 miles per hour takes the same amount of time as the previous GLC 43 at 4.7 seconds.
The GLC 63 S E Performance plug-in hybrid installs a larger turbocharger, a more powerful rear motor turning the rear axle, and a 6.1-kWh battery that’s tuned for repeatable performance and quick power delivery, not range. Combined output climbs to 671 hp and 752 hp, which is 167 hp and 236 lb-ft. beyond the previous twin-turbo V8 and ridiculously riotous for an OEM four-cylinder-based powertrain. This one only needs 3.7 seconds to get to 60 mph and can run all the way to 171 mph instead of the GLC‘s 155 mph terminal velocity. The GLC 43 and 63 come with rear-axle steering, the 63 will be a little more nimble at the track, too (we know, as if…), thanks to active roll stabilization and a limited-slip differential on the rear axle. It might get in a full lap of the track under EV-only power as well, the European WLTP spec citing 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) of all-electric range.
The GLC 43 will be more useful on the mall run, though, since it can hold 19.2 cubic feet behind the second-row seats. The motor and battery in the GLC 63 shrink cargo space to 13.8 cubic feet.
If the rollout cadence follows that of the boxy AMG GLC variants, the GLC 43 Coupe will arrive in 2024, and the PHEV GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe will be a 2025 model. As with the conservative siblings, we don’t yet have pricing for the sleeker versions.
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