Boston Common

FLY THE COUPE

SPORTS CAR OR SUV? THE MERCEDES-BENZ GLC COUPE LEAVES CONVENTION IN ITS WAKE.

- BY ROBERT COCUZZO

Sports car or SUV? This unlikely crossover leaves convention in its wake.

Even just parked at the curb, there is something painfully eager about the 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe. Its sinewy design pulses with pent-up energy, like a wave reaching back before it slams against the shore. With power and agility, the GLC is a coupe/ SUV lovechild, not wholly one or the other but occupying a crossover class all its own. It will make your right foot ache.

Darting around the streets of Boston, the GLC’s sophistica­ted safety features offer a buffer from the rest of the world. Multiple cameras and radar do everything from simplifyin­g parking to preventing collisions. Attention Assist comes standard, monitoring not only seventy parameters outside of the vehicle but also the drivers within. For instance, if the GLC detects that the driver is becoming drowsy, a coffee emoji pops up on the dashboard and the car will call for a break.

Nineteen-inch wheels give the GLC its striking SUV stance, while the transmissi­on paddles behind the steering wheel flap with race-inspired bravado. Zipping through its nine speeds with all-wheel drive versatilit­y, one might wonder how best to describe this car: SUV or sports car? And therein lies its magic: It’s both. From $45,950. Mercedes-Benz of Boston, 259 McGrath Hwy., Somerville, 617-666-4100; mercedesbe­nzofboston.com

 ??  ?? The best of both: A never-before-seen crossover, the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe blends an SUV’s chassis (and engine power, with its 241 horsepower turbo-4) with a coupe’s stature and agility.
The best of both: A never-before-seen crossover, the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe blends an SUV’s chassis (and engine power, with its 241 horsepower turbo-4) with a coupe’s stature and agility.

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