Mercedes-Benz GLC300 vs Denza B8

What's the difference?

Just seeing a coupe SUV in the traffic makes some people very cranky, but others love the sight of them and it’s these fans that Mercedes-Benz is hoping to woo with its new GLC300 Coupe.

This new-generation GLC Coupe arrives six months after the regular SUV version of the GLC landed in Australia and goes head-to-head with the BMW X4 and Audi’s Q5 Sportback.

The coupe style with the ‘cut-down’ roofline which slopes towards a low tailgate means practicality is compromised and if you’re thinking of putting one in your family’s driveway then it might be an idea to read how this writer’s family coped with the GLC300 Coupe for a few days.

There’s a new name in the luxury upper-large SUV segment and it’s one many buyers will be unfamiliar with. Enter the Denza B8, a brand positioned to BYD much like Genesis is to Hyundai, or Lexus to Toyota.

The flagship B8 6S leans heavily into luxury, space and rugged, squared-off styling, but the big question is whether it does enough to stand out against established heavy hitters like the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, Land Rover Defender and Audi Q7.

And then there’s the bigger question - do we actually need an XL SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain? More to the point, who exactly is this pitched at?