LUSTING AFTER THE GLC 43 COUPE
Few cars have the breadth, depth, and the wide-eyed girth of this sporting SUV. Here’s everything to love about the fastback GLC
AS A WORKING STIFF, I do my best to make calculated decisions and level-headed choices. Even as an indulgent daydream, I’m pretty sure it’s a ‘no-thank-you’ to a vehicle that’s too functional to be a sports car and too urbane to be a cross-country adventurer. Then you see it up close and its imposing architecture makes your head tilt a little. Someone fires it up and the mechanical maelstrom in your ears puts your head even more sideways. Finally you sit in the driver’s seat and your view is properly slanted - “Oh yeah, I see it now. That makes perfect sense”
You can put on your big boy pants and recite your mantra for conscientious living, but the GLC 43 Coupe melts all sensibilities. It’s got aggressive bumpers, wily air ducts, massive 21-inch alloy wheels wrapped in shiny rubber. It’s hefty but still menacing, snazzy but looking to brawl. You’ll spend a split second weighing it on some arbitrary performance/luxury scale you only just visualised, and then spend every moment after that completely certain one’s conscience is in itself a capricious affliction. This is a gorgeous car and that’s all you need to know.
IT’S A MERCEDES!
Well yes, so you also know it rides well. For sure it’s a mammoth-sized hot-hatch, but comfort and ride quality come very closely behind traction and power. Thanks to the gizmotronics within the AMG Ride Control+, drivers can take full advantage of a multi-chamber air-suspension set-up. Couple that to an AMG-tuned Adaptive Damping System, and the GLC 43 hunkers down when speeding over highway while independently maintaining an even keel over bad road work. Agility and steering speed leaves nothing for talented drivers to complain about, which means average joes should be suitably impressed.
To further emphasize its athletic aspirations, there’s a duo of sports seats with very convincing lateral supports. Unlike go-faster stripes, they’re really usefgul and come in pretty handy when you feel like chucking the car around. Special mention for the gorgeous steering wheel - while it looks busy and a tad over-wrought, there’s no faulting German ergonomics and every button is exactly where it needs to be. Plus, you can always program things to suit individual tastes. Complete with Mercedes’ latest infotainment wizardry, all you need is to enunciate clearly, “Hey Mercedes” and she perks right up.
CLEAN ON THE INSIDE
I found the cabin design to be swanky enough with just the right amount of flair and pragmatic dowdiness. The central collective sweeps stylishly into the dash, and the floating touchscreen gives the cabin a modish appearance. Mercedes’s signature circular airvents are at once retro and yet, very current. There’s nothing to split opinions over and everywhere you touch there’s enough opulence to justify its jumbo price tag.
WHAT ABOUT POWER?
Up front is a 3.0 litre V6 biturbo that spools up 390 horses to make 0-100km per hour in a mere 4.9 seconds. Of course the car might have to be empty, but even with a full load of farm fresh eggs and milk, you’re not going to be left wanting. Governed by an AMG Speedshift 9G transmission, there’s genuinely effortless fun in switching between Comfort, Slippery, Sport and Sport+ modes. Did I mention there’s a 31 to 69 percent rear wheel bias? Thanks of course to the Performance 4Matic all-wheel drive system. Also, for a daily albeit super-SUV, its exhaust notes readily hit all the right senses.
WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK?
Let’s set the tone: nobody buys SUVs for their utilitarian nature. The only practical value of driving something with big wheels is that you can heedlessly roll over sidewalk curbs for parking. But in these days of re-use and upcycle, you won’t ever have to feel self-conscious about driving such a monstrosity - all thanks to the hard-charging men of the halfcab world. These are the guys zooming around in fancy Ranger Raptors and beefy Tritons that have never seen a day of lugging anything but a swollen sense of self. I admit that’s a sensationalist statement. But as long as there are bigger dunces wasting even more cargo space in actual utility vehicles, you’ll never have to explain yourself.
If you want leather-bound luxury in an off-road capable speedster... one with compromised rear-passenger headroom because it’s all about that coupe silhouette... an automobile with space for 5 and then some, but only ever carries 1... you owe it to yourself to opt for a Mercedes GLC 43. Drive with it with gusto and roll your beady eyes to anyone who so much as does a split-second double take. This car says you’re all about status symbols, your demeanor audacious and bold, and most importantly, the world should take note. Retailing on the road without insurance for a piffling RM 498,722.77, it’s also a great car to drive. And some people really, truly, require the elevation and security that only a GLC provides. Whatever your affliction, I say, “Scream YOLO and jump in headfirst!”.