Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe review

A quick reminder, then: the GLC Coupe gets three mild-hybrid assisted petrol and diesel units, all 2.0-litre four-cylinders. The 300 petrol achieves 255bhp/295lb ft of torque, while the 220d and 300d get 194bhp/325lb ft and 265bhp/406lb ft respectively. All are four-wheel drive as standard.

Then there's the plug-in hybrid 300e, capable of 73 miles of electric-only range from a 31.2kWh battery. As with the others it's powered by a 2.0-litre petrol, but tacks on an electric motor for 313bhp/406lb ft.

We've not driven it in the UK but having tried it abroad, it's an impressive powertrain and the motor helps disguise some imperfections with the automatic gearbox. We'll get to those shortly...

0-62mph times range from 8.1 to 6.3 seconds, with the exception of the (frankly barmy) AMG version that churns out 671bhp and does the sprint in 3.5s. That's exactly how much power Ferrari's Le Mans-winning Hypercar makes do with. Yowzers.

What's the ride like?

All GLC Coupes get sport suspension as standard in the UK, but in Europe they get four-link front suspension and multi-link independent rear set-up or the choice of air suspension and rear wheel steering. What gives Merc?

It's a pity, because the fancier options are really rather good indeed, impressively ironing out imperfections in the road (RWS even cuts the turning circle down to 10.9m by 90cm) while offering good body control.

That's something the GLC Coupe lacks in UK spec. In Comfort mode it's not composed enough; Sport is tauter, but too firm. There's no Goldilocks setting that gives you the best of both worlds.

Oh dear. Anything else?

Afraid so. The low driving position and long bonnet limits forward visibility, while the view out of the back window is terrible on account of that sloping roofline.

Meanwhile start-stop mild hybrid functionality is smooth, but the hesitant gearbox when pulling away is rather alarming. Best case, there's some lag between you putting your foot down and the car lurching forward; at worst, you'll actually roll back a bit. It's something a lot of recent Mercs have suffered from.

Tell me fuel economy is decent, at least.

The 220d is the best of the non-plug-ins, achieving 53.3mpg on paper. The 300d manages 49.6mpg, but who buys diesel these days? The 300 petrol is good for 37.7mpg, which is nothing to write home about. 565mpg from the PHEV would be something to write home about if it wasn't a quirk from a flawed testing scheme: the more often you charge your battery, the less often you'll dip into the fuel tank.