New Mercedes GLC 43 Coupe and GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe have been revealed to take on BMW’s X4 M.
Mercedes-AMG only revealed its souped-up versions of the regular GLC SUV back in July, but has already applied its usual ‘tasteful’ touch to the latest GLC Coupe: meet the brutish GLC 43 Coupe and the – brace yourself – GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe.
Hardly snappy names, but the performance on tap should more than make up for that. AMG’s GLC Coupe twins are both powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, which for those in the know is called the M139l and it utilises an electrically-assisted turbocharger.
In the GLC 43 Coupe, this setup produces 310kW, with a further 10kW generated by a small electric motor that acts as a starter motor and generator. Meanwhile, peak torque is rated at 500Nm, and that’s produced at 5000rpm. Mercedes says the GLC 43 Coupe will sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds and can hit a limited top speed of 250km/h – exactly the same stats as the AMG GLC 43 SUV.
The GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe features a significantly larger turbocharger, which ups the engine’s power output to 350kW and 545Nm of torque, making it the most powerful series-produced four-cylinder in the world.
Rather than calling it a day, however, AMG has paired the record-setting 2.0-litre engine with a 200bhp electric motor that sends all its power to the rear axle. The motor itself is integrated into a single unit along with a twin-speed transmission and limited-slip differential, and is powered by a tiny 6.1kWh battery.
The result is a combined power output of 500kW and 1020Nm of torque. You’ll only get the full monty for short 10-second bursts, but the GLC 63 Coupe only needs 3.5 seconds to go from 0-100km/h, while the top speed is bumped up to 275km/h.
The combination of petrol and electric power means the GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe is a hybrid – AMG’s first hybrid coupe-SUV in fact – but as you might have guessed, it’s not all that bothered about fuel efficiency like the majority of electrified cars. Combined fuel consumption is rated at 38mpg on the WLTP test cycle, and you’ll cover just seven miles on a full charge of the car’s battery.
That’s because the battery is directly derived from tech used by AMG’s F1 team, and is designed to deliver and recuperate energy quickly rather than the longest range possible. But as well as salvaging potentially wasted energy when braking, you can plug the GLC 63 Coupe into a home wallbox to top up the battery.
Both the GLC 43 and 63 Coupes are equipped with an MCT nine-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel steering and all-wheel drive, plus steel coil spring suspension and adaptive dampers. But while the GLC 43 Coupe features four-piston fixed brake calipers up front, its more powerful and much heavier sibling gets six-piston calipers and larger brake discs on all four corners.
The first AMG GLC Coupes are expected to arrive in early 2024. Pricing for both models remains under wraps for the time being, but the Coupe will incur a small price increase over the equivalent SUV. Mercedes has revealed that the highly potent GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe will be available in a limited-run Edition 1 trim for one year after launch, with buyers having the choice of graphite gray magno or high-tech silver magno paint. Inside the limited-edition models will be black Nappa leather upholstery with yellow stitching.