Oh no, not another one...

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 6, 2014) Mercedes calls it a concept SUV, but it is going into production; something to which Mercedes itself alludes in the press material for the Concept Coupe SUV. And though its styling is brutish if not brutal, and the vehicle itself should be called an “SuV” due to its high beltline, fast-sloping roof and marginal utility, Mercedes is late to this niche.

BMW has the X4 and X6. Infiniti has the QX70, which debuted as the FX 35/45. Acura even joined the fray with the ZDX.

All are chasing a customer that places style over utility, and whose vehicle does not have the main family transportation duties. Most buyers of this type of vehicle are men under the age of 45 who like the idea of a close-coupled vehicle, but want the ruggedness and image attached to the SUV lifestyle.

Gorden Wagener, head of design at Mercedes-Benz says the Concept Coupe SUV is: "Sensual as a coupé — visionary as an SUV." Except that, as shown above, it is neither. Mercedes’ is the just the latest entry. That said, there’s an old saying about being the last out and best dressed.

To that end, the Concept Coupe SUV is painted in a silver “Alu Beam” paint finish reminiscent of the Silver Arrows racers of the 1930s and 1950s. (Germany, like the rest of the world, was busy elsewhere during the 1940s.) LED headlamps frame the surprisingly upright grille, which is made up of rounded rectangles arranged such that they appear to sweep toward the oversize three-pointed star in its center. You can expect the production grille to be more muted.

Ditto the oversize 305/45R-22 wheels and tires. At first blush it appears that the wheel wells are barely able to contain them — undoubtedly the design staff wanted to emphasize the car’s powerful stance and on-road ambitions — but production wheels and tires will have to be less exuberant in order to meet European legislation limiting the amount of tread that is visible beyond the bodywork. One item Mercedes could increase in size, however, is the rear window.

Sitting below the panoramic sunroof and above the high, truncated tail, the rear window will look more like a mail slot to the driver, and be blocked by the rear passengers if there is enough head room in the rear seat to accommodate full-size adults. The production version of the Concept Coupe SUV will debut early next year.

The Virtual Driver