2024 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe Review: Why No V6 Is No Big Deal

As electrification makes inroads to just about every vehicle segment, it's time for new twists on old recipes. Reaping the rewards of instant e-torque and clever packaging are performance vehicles like the 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe. Fresh to the U.S. this year, it ditches the mild-hybrid V6 of the prior generation for a smaller, but more electric-boosted engine that bests its predecessor on horsepower.

That's clever, but the GLC 43 Coupe doesn't exist in a vacuum. Its premium price tag — from $70,600 plus $1,150 destination — pits it against esteemed rivals from BMW and others, each promising their own blend of utility, speed, and style.

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At this point, you probably know whether you appreciate the swooping profiles of SUVs-that-pretend-they're-coupes, or if you think they're ridiculous. The GLC looks a little turtle-like from some angles, but it wears its $1,600 21-inch AMG black alloys nicely and has a visual beefiness that I think works well overall. 

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As is usually the case, you sacrifice some practicality in the name of distinctive design. Rear headroom dips by about an inch and a half, compared to the GLC SUV, while the 19.2 cu-ft of trunk space is 2.7 cu-ft down. That said, the rear bench is still adult-scaled, and the loss of cargo space is primarily above the beltline; you'll mainly miss it if you tend to load up your SUV to the hilt. Drop the rear seats and the trunk expands to 52.6 cu-ft.

As with other recent Mercedes models, the GLC Coupe's cabin is a familiar affair. The double-spoke steering wheel — with its occasionally finicky touch-sensitive controls — is here, but rather than a dashboard-spanning Hyperscreen there's a separate digital cluster for the driver and a portrait center touchscreen for MBUX, the automaker's infotainment system. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported.

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Black leather seats with red contrast stitching are a $1,620 option — they're comfortable and have power-adjustable thigh rests up front, but side bolster adjustment would be a welcome addition — while the carbon fiber panels on the dashboard are $975. That looks pretty good against the chrome trim, though the hump of piano black in the center console — underneath which are cup holders and the fiddly-to-access wireless charging pad — is a fingerprint and smudge magnet.

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Persistent climate control buttons occupy the bottom section of the touchscreen, while above is a large map view with floating widgets for multimedia control, phone, and other features. That view is generally easy to control, but there are a few different ways to access things like vehicle settings and options, which can get confusing. At least Mercedes' voice control system is capable and can adjust settings as well as handle navigation and media requests; a slim bar of shortcuts running under the display offer quick access to drive modes, volume, and the like.

As usual, Mercedes offers various packages to upgrade the GLC Coupe experience. The Burmester audio system is $950; another $300 increases the total USB port count to six. The $1,950 Driver Assistance Package throws in adaptive cruise control with lane keeping and lane-change assistance, among other extras, to the standard forward collision assist, blind spot warnings with rear cross-traffic alert, and parking assist. 

For $2,000, the AMG Dynamic Plus package adds dynamic engine mounts, red brake calipers (not fitted to this review car), and a choice of steering wheels, though only the AMG GLC 63 S E Performance gets its extra Race drive mode. 

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The AMG GLC 43 Coupe makes do with five drive modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Snow, and Individual; the latter can be customized with individual settings for drivetrain, suspension, and vehicle dynamics, as well as whether things like traction control and the active exhaust system are enabled. AMG's version of the steering wheel also adds two little display-toting control pods to the lower spokes. The one on the right rotates through the five drive modes.

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As for the left pod, that has a pair of buttons which can be driver-configured to toggle two options from a handful of settings. By default, for example, they switch the traction control on or off, and put the transmission into manual mode.

With a "mere" 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine under the hood, you'd be forgiven for assuming the AMG GLC 43 might underwhelm on the road. Its 416 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque may pale in comparison to the heady 671 horses and 752 lb-ft that the hybrid AMG GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe will wield when it arrives in 2025, but don't let the numbers on paper fool you.

It's a spritely, eager drivetrain, helped by AMG throwing a whole bevy of clever tech at it in order to squeeze out maximum fun. The electrically-assisted turbocharger, for example, bypasses the dreaded spool-up lag, and AMG taps the belt-driven starter generator for a small but helpful 13 hp boost to ensure a speedy 0-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds. The nine-speed automatic transmission is rapid-fire in its shifts, too. The only downside is some low-speed jerkiness when you're at a congestion-style crawl.

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That SUV heft, meanwhile, is offset by the standard all-wheel drive — which pushes 39% of power to the front and 61% to the rear, unlike the fully-variable split of the GLC 63 S — and active rear wheel steering. Adaptive dampers front and rear can soften enough to avoid making a total liar out of Comfort mode, or stiffen considerably to oust body roll. Out on the undulating (often shoddy) asphalt of my Midwest backroad stomping grounds, being able to soften the suspension a little while keeping the drivetrain at its snappiest in Individual mode was definitely appreciated.

Altogether, it's an easy car to have fun in. We've seen how well this particular electrified recipe worked for the AMG C 43 sedan, and the same goes for the GLC 43 Coupe. Speed-sensitive variable power steering that doesn't feel unpredictable helps, as do the effective brakes: 14.6 inches up front, and 14.2 inches at the rear, and more than enough to slow things aggressively.

Do you miss the V6? On the one hand, there's always something to be said for the burble and power delivery of Mercedes' old 3.0-liter biturbo. Still, the presence of an extra two cylinders isn't necessarily a guarantee for glee, and while there's undoubtedly some electronic augmentation going on with the in-cabin soundtrack, the noises coming into the GLC 43 Coupe are suitably charming.

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Fuel economy, meanwhile, takes a dip from the regular GLC 300 4MATIC Coupe. It's not quite the profligate disaster you might expect, though: 18 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined are five to six points down from their counterparts in the 255 horsepower 'Benz-branded version. Just don't expect a huge improvement over the old six-cylinder car: in fact, that was rated for 21 mpg on the combined cycle. Mercedes will, at least, offer the 2025 GLC SUV as a plug-in hybrid in the U.S. 

The minor fuel economy change is a reminder that AMG's shift from six to four cylinders was really about something other than gas guzzling. What stands out is the immediacy of the power delivery. While we've generally learned to take automaker boasts of bringing "F1 technology to the road" with a healthy pinch of salt, there's no denying that even a dash of turbo electrification coaxes far more charm out of Mercedes' 2.0 liters.

At the same time, the 2024 AMG GLC 43 Coupe isn't some wildly-overpowered behemoth, and I suspect it's all the better for it. Though AMG is doing marvelous things with its E Performance hybrids — see, by way of example, the superlative-shredding 2025 AMG C 63 S E Performance — it is, as far as I'm aware, unwilling to pay off the inevitable speeding tickets should you try to fully tap those capabilities on public roads. Though less outrageous, the GLC 43 Coupe is also more usable.

It'll be more affordable, too, though that doesn't make it cheap. The $70,600 (plus destination) starting price of this particular example swelled to $82,855 all-in, once options had taken their toll. Suddenly you're in BMW X3 M Competition territory (from $82,500 plus destination) with 503 horsepower and a whole second knocked off the AMG's 0-60 mph time. The distinction is how well the Mercedes straddles performance and comfort, where the faster BMW struggles to dial down into something genuinely comfortable, and if you expect an all-rounder from your fast crossover then there the GLC has the edge.