Practical Performer

On paper, the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe has all the right ingredients of a practical performance offering. But does that actually translate onto our roads?

- Ravi Ved

For the longest time, AMGs have been all about rubber burning performance from grunty V8 motors. The huge price difference between any of these V8 AMGs and their mass-market counterparts leaves a chasm so large that you could fit an entire portfolio of cars in that gap – which is exactly what Mercedes is doing now with its V6powered AMG 43s. Mercedes added three new models in this range last year – the GLE 43 Coupe, the SLC 43 and the C43. Their fourth in the line-up, and the most recently launched, is the GLC 43 Coupe – and it’s not just the most affordable of this lot, it also promises to be the most sensible AMG of them all.

Design Dilemma

Coupe SUVs have always received mixed reactions from enthusiasts and critics. Some like it for the swooping roofline, while others hate it for the fact that it’s neither an SUV nor a coupe. The GLC 43 Coupe faces a similar dilemma. Whether this design philosophy clicks or not is a topic for another day, but I can say with the utmost conviction that it sure does turn a lot of heads. And the car does have a few elements that we just couldn’t help fall in love with – the diamond grille, the LED taillights, the sharp spoiler lip, and the quad exhausts to name a few.