{"id":33113,"date":"2024-08-01T17:19:04","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T21:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33113"},"modified":"2024-08-01T17:19:04","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T21:19:04","slug":"payne-mercedes-glc-coupe-is-easy-on-the-eyes-and-my-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/payne-mercedes-glc-coupe-is-easy-on-the-eyes-and-my-back","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Mercedes GLC Coupe is easy on the eyes \u2014 and my back"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Charlevoix<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I love the lines of the Mercedes CLE coupe. Low-slung body, long snout, fast back. But my back liked the Mercedes GLC Coupe SUV better.<\/p>\n

Argh. I managed to torque a disc in my lower back on the tennis court this summer and, all of a sudden, the idea of folding my 6\u20195\u201d frame into low-slung, long-snout, fast-back coupe seemed less appealing.<\/p>\n

This, of course, is the fundamental appeal of SUVs \u2014 with five-inch higher hip points than their car stablemates, they are easier to slip into. Add their command position seating position for better road visibility, and SUVs have come to dominate the auto market over the last two decades.<\/p>\n

But (groan), Payne, they all look so boxy!<\/em><\/p>\n

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Best view. The sporty hatchback of the 2024 Mercedes GLC Coupe. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Enter SUV Coupe models like the BMW X4, Audi Q5 Sportback and Mercedes GLC. Like its German peers, the 2024 GLC Coupe takes the boxier GLC to the plastic surgeon and gives it the ol\u2019 nip\/tuck \u2014 flattening out the roof to look more like the CLE. Except, um, the GLC Coupe is jacked up off the ground.<\/p>\n

No bother, it\u2019s still more attractive to the naked eyeball \u2014 while still accommodating my (creeeeak) back. Rather than bending uncomfortably low into the seat, I simply slid sideways into the GLC Coupe cockpit and … \u00a0BONK!<\/p>\n

Well, not so simply. That raked roofline means I still had to duck my fat noggin under the tight cockpit opening. Happily, seat memory controls are on the door, so I could adjust the seat rearward if, say, wee Mrs. Payne had been driving the Merc before me.<\/p>\n

The GLC Coupe is one of a blizzard of Mercedes SUVs and sedans that make the German brand so hard to compete against in the marketplace. While U.S. brands like Cadillac and Lincoln have reduced their model choices to accommodate all-SUV lineups, Merc and BMW still produce gorgeous sedans and coupes as their portfolio halos \u2014 even if their sales have declined compared to the more utilitarian utes.<\/p>\n

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The sleek interior of the 2024 Mercedes GLC Coupe sacrifices some function for form. Note that tunnel console. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

That translates, not into just more customer choice overall, but into more choice for SUV models as designers adopt coupe styling cues. Seen a Cadillac XT4 Coupe? Nope. My GLC Coupe tester featured the expected attractive grille and headlight\/taillight display found on other Mercs. The brand\u2019s signature star may anchor the front end, but the ducktail and rear horizontal taillights are this model\u2019s best angle. Toggle the rear logo (just like a VW GTI), and the hatchback rises to offer more utility than you\u2019ll ever find in a CLE.<\/p>\n