The MLC is a truck that would greatly assist Mercedes-Benz in fending off the latest Range Rover Sport, as well as even sleeker machines like the Infiniti QX70 and BMW X6.

Its formula is pretty standard for the brand: avant-garde future style that previews both this expected MLC production model’s silhouette, as well as the nose and tail graphic of the next ML-Class and perhaps even the next GL-Class.

While the current ML and GL are still relatively fresh, they are highly likely to adopt this next-gen style when up for revision in calendar 2016 as 2017 models.

Overall style and design impressions? The racy tumbling roofline is nice, as is the single horizontal brake light brake that recalls the AMG Vison GranTurismo.

But overall, it also has some really huge tires that seem overinflated, and some extremely awkward angles from the nose and profile…

 

 

Official Details below from Mercedes-Benz

Stuttgart / New York. With the Concept Coupé SUV, Mercedes-Benz is raising the standard to a new, higher level in literally multiple respects.

This extremely sporty study impresses as a typical representative of the long-standing coupé tradition at Mercedes-Benz, with a flowing sideline, stretched cabin and striking radiator grille with central chrome louvre. At the same time, the Concept Coupé SUV stands out with its muscular wings, large wheel arches, imposing 22-inch wheels, high beltline and generous ground clearance. Its dynamic handling on the road is also of a superior level. The variable dynamic control system “Dynamic Select Control” provides four fundamentally different transmission modes and an individually programmable setup.

“Sensual as a coupé – visionary as an SUV,” is the succinct choice of words used by Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz, to describe the physiognomy of the Concept Coupé SUV. The four-door, all-wheel drive Coupé has a length of almost five metres, and an imposing width of a good two metres thanks to its broad shoulders and flared wheel arches. At the same time, it has a modest height of around 1.75 metres, exhibiting the flat, extended roofline that is typical of a sports coupé. “The Concept Coupé SUV stands out thanks to its extreme proportions and in doing so interprets our hallmark Mercedes coupé design idiom perfectly. With its superior sportiness it conveys a sense of modern luxury and aesthetic aspirations of sensual clarity,” continues Gorden Wagener. Like the recessed door handles, frameless side windows blend perfectly into the vehicle flanks to accentuate the coupé-like character even further.

In line with a tradition and like all recent study vehicles, the Concept Coupé SUV is painted in the “Alu Beam” paint finish, which is also reminiscent of the technically ground-breaking Silver Arrows of the 1930s and 1950s.

The upright sports grille with single louvre, framed by the three-dimensionally designed modern, all-LED Multibeam headlamps, is the major feature of the front end with its short, stylish overhang. Soft cubes dominate the grille insert, and the forward-sloping bonnet with its typical Mercedes power domes underlines the membership of the Concept Coupé SUV in the line-up of particularly sporty Mercedes-Benz models. A discreet reference to the SUV genes of this study is provided by the harmoniously integrated, illuminated side sills, which are reminiscent of the running boards found on classic SUVs or off-roaders. Indicators have always pointed the way in the best sense of the word, however in the Concept Coupé SUV they take on a new form. The direction indicators operate with a moving digital light band whose lighting elements light up sequentially from inside to outside, indicating the change in direction in two ways.

Elegant rear end: in the style of the S-Class Coupé

The coupé-like nature of the Concept Coupé SUV is also emphasised by the design of the rear end with its obvious elements of the design line first presented with the S-Class Coupé, which will be followed by all coupé models from Mercedes-Benz in future. The styling characteristics of this include the slim band of rear lights with their ruby-like, three-dimensional look and the registration plate now incorporated into the rear bumper. Another feature that has for generations distinguished the large coupé models from Mercedes-Benz is the typical shape of the rear window, which is rounded off at the top.

The simulated underguard into which the tailpipes of the dual-flow exhaust system are integrated makes a discreet SUV reference. Polished aluminium dominates here, as on the integral door handles, the side sills, the front air intakes and the edging of the cabin.

Wide, flush-fitted 22-inch wheels with tyres in size 305/45 R 22 make the vehicle sit squarely on the road, and leave no doubt about the passion of the Concept Coupé SUV: at very first glance, this trailblazing study signals its sporty, dynamic ambitions.

Haute Couture: the Mercedes-Benz coupé range

Developing and creating new model families and vehicle classes has traditionally been one of the strengths of Mercedes-Benz, the inventor of the automobile. This is particularly obvious in the history of its coupés, and most especially in the very recent past. Models such as the four-door Coupés or the Shooting Brakes in the CLS-Class have not only created completely new vehicle classes, but have also had a lasting influence on the model policies of different manufacturers, found numerous imitators and proved to be an outstanding sales success.

The same can be said of the CLA-Class, which has been able to transfer the success of the CLS into the compact class and is extraordinarily popular with customers. With the Concept Coupé SUV, Mercedes-Benz is now taking a similar approach. The study follows this coupé theme within the SUV sector consistently and demonstrates how a four-door, all-wheel drive series production coupé might look.

Technical data

Body type/construction	Four-door, four-seater coupé study, frameless side windows
Engine	V6, 4 valves per cylinder
Displacement	2996 cc
Rated output	245 kW (333 hp) at 5500 rpm
Rated torque	480 Nm at 1400- 4000 rpm
Mixture formation	Electronic direct petrol injection, piezo injectors, 2 turbochargers
Transmission	9G-TRONIC PLUS nine-speed automatic transmission with torque converter lock-up, twin-turbine damper with centrifugal pendulum and DIRECT SELECT gearshift, ECO start/stop
Drive	4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive, ASR, ESP®, 4ETS,
Chassis and suspension	Double wishbone at the front, multi-link at the rear, special air suspension with selective damping, ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM active roll stabilisation
Braking system	High-performance ceramic composite brake system, electric (parking brake, ABS, BAS PLUS PRE-SAFE© Brake
Steering	Electromechanical power steering
Transmission modes	COMFORT, SLIPPERY, SPORT, SPORT+, INDIVIDUAL
Wheelbase	2916 mm
Track, front/rear	1683 / 1768 mm
Wheel/tyre size front/rear	10J x 22 305/45 R 22 / 11J x 22 305/45 R 22
length	4935 mm
Width with/without mirrors	2208 / 2044 mm
Height	1739 mm