Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe gets a tech upgrade, keeps quirky styling

By
1 of 7
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Image used with permission by copyright holder
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Image used with permission by copyright holder
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Image used with permission by copyright holder
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Image used with permission by copyright holder
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Image used with permission by copyright holder
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Image used with permission by copyright holder
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In automotive parlance, “coupe” traditionally refers to a two-door car. But that definition was too restrictive for Mercedes-Benz. The German automaker invented the “four-door coupe” and, following the lead of rival BMW, now sells coupe versions of SUVs. One of those models, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe, is getting a handful of updates in time for the 2019 New York Auto Show.

Recommended Videos

The GLC coupe is basically a Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV with a squashed roof. That basic look doesn’t change much for the 2020 model year, although Mercedes did make some styling tweaks. The GLC coupe gets a new grille at the front, and LED taillights and rear fascia at the back.

On the inside, the GLC coupe gets a major infotainment upgrade. It’s the latest model to get Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system, which debuted on the A-Class. That includes Mercedes’ digital assistant, which allows the driver to issue commands with the prompt “Hey, Mercedes,” as well as significant hardware changes. A touchpad replaces the previous rotary controller. Mercedes also added touchpads on the steering wheel, and a gesture-control feature. Display screens are larger as well: A 12.3-inch screen is used for the instrument cluster, and a 10.25-inch screen sits above the center stack.

The GLC coupe will be available with Mercedes’ Active Distance Assist Distronic adaptive control and Active Steering Assist, which helps keep the car centered in its lane. Mercedes said the steering-assist feature can preemptively slow the car ahead of bends, and can execute lane changes. These features will likely be the tip of the iceberg, with more driver-assist tech likely to be disclosed closer to the updated GLC coupe’s launch.

1 of 8
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends

At launch, the 2020 GLC coupe will be sold only with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 255 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. However, Mercedes will likely follow that up with additional options, including updated AMG performance models.

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe makes its public debut at the 2019 New York Auto Show in April. It goes on sale in the United States later this year, with pricing to be announced closer to the on-sale date. The standard (non-coupe) 2020 GLC, which already appeared at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, will go on sale around the same time as the coupe with similar updates.

Updated on April 18, 2019: Added live photos.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
We need more 7-passenger EVs, but the 2023 Mercedes EQS SUV has room to improve
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

Mercedes-Benz is continuing to expand its EV lineup, this time with a model aimed at (wealthy) families.
As the name states, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is an SUV derivative of the EQS sedan. With the EQS sedan positioned as the electric analog to the Mercedes S-Class, the EQS SUV is the electric version of the GLS-Class. And like that vehicle, the EQS SUV is available with up to seven seats across three rows.
That makes the EQS SUV an important vehicle not just for Mercedes, but for the cause of EV adoption in general. While the Tesla Model X and Rivian R1S also offer three rows for family-hauling duty, there’s a lot more room in the market for another entry. Given the popularity of equivalent gasoline luxury SUVs like the GLS, Land Rover Range Rover, and Cadillac Escalade, the EQS SUV arrives not a moment too soon.
The EQS SUV is scheduled to reach U.S. dealerships this fall in three guises. The base rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ starts at $105,550 with destination, while the all-wheel drive EQS 450 4Matic and EQS 580 4Matic start at $108,550 and $127,100, respectively. Although it will be built in Alabama, the EQS SUV won’t qualify for the revised federal EV tax credit because it exceeds the $80,000 price cap for SUVs.

Design and interior
A defining feature of Mercedes’ EQ lineup is aerodynamic bodywork aimed at maximizing range. The typical SUV is not aerodynamically ideal, but Mercedes managed to achieve an impressively low drag coefficient for an SUV — at 0.26, it’s close to the Toyota Prius. But function clearly took precedence over form. Mercedes deserves credit for not going in the polarizing direction BMW did with its two-row iX SUV, but the EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.
More disappointing is the third row, which should be the EQS SUV’s defining feature, but seems more like a useless afterthought. Adults will find it difficult to insert themselves into the third-row seats, let alone tolerate riding in them. As in most three-row vehicles, the rear seats also pretty much eliminate cargo space. And if you want to fold them down to create more cargo room, you’ll have to do it manually as Mercedes didn’t include a power-folding system — a bit disappointing for a six-figure car. The EQS SUV also lacks a frunk; like the EQS sedan, the hood is sealed.
The EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.

Read more
We tested the self-driving Mercedes tech so advanced, it’s not allowed in the U.S.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan with Drive Pilot.

You can’t buy a fully self-driving car today -- and may never be able to -- but automakers are looking at ways to shift more of the workload from human drivers to machinery. Mercedes-Benz may have taken the biggest step in that direction yet.

Mercedes claims its Drive Pilot system, which was recently launched in Germany, is the first production system to achieve Level 3 on the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) autonomy scale, meaning the car can fully drive itself with the system active, but a human driver may still need to take over from time to time. It’s still a long way off from autonomous driving, but the Level 3 designation signifies a greater degree of capability than competitor systems.

Read more
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQB first drive review: An EV better than its gas sibling
Front three quarter view of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQB.

Mercedes-Benz aims to go all-electric in at least some markets by 2030 but to do that it will need to launch electric equivalents of each of its many gasoline-powered models. The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB fits that description to the letter.

Where the EQS sedan aims to fill a similar role to the S-Class without directly copying it, the EQB is literally an electric version of an existing Mercedes crossover SUV — the GLB-Class. It uses the same body shell as the GLB, even retaining that model’s optional third-row seats.

Read more