The coupe-SUV->ke145 domain has been dominated by BMW's X6 for quite some time now. The Porsche Cayenne->ke212 has come into the picture in the past few years, and now, Mercedes->ke187 is thinking of joining in on the fun with the debut of the Mercedes Concept Coupe SUV->ke145 at the Beijing Auto Show->ke2062.

The vehicle is being billed as a coupe version of the M-Class, and judging by the official images, the Concept Coupe SUV looks incredibly awesome, the kind that could give the X6->ke2396 fits in the future.

It's pretty evident that the design of the Concept Coupe SUV fits its name. It's like a coupe riding on an SUV platform, akin to the architecture of the X6. More importantly, Mercedes appears to be pretty serious about sending it to production, intent on rebadging it as the MLC-Class with a production timeline of 2015.

It certainly adds a whole lot of credence to the MLC-Class when the company's boss proudly proclaims the concept as a preview of a vehicle that has a lot of potential. "With the Concept Coupé SUV we aim to secure new customers by opening up new segments for Mercedes-Benz," says Mercedes CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche, as quoted by Auto Express.

Those are words that shouldn't be taken lightly, especially once combined with the official words from the press release below saying, “With this concept car, Mercedes-Benz is announcing the possible expansion of the previously uniform SUV off-roader family.”

Click past the jump to read more about the Mercedes-Benz Concept Coupe SUV.

2014 Mercedes-Benz Concept Coupe SUV

Specifications
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  • Model: 2014 Mercedes-Benz Concept Coupe SUV
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Pros
Cons

Exterior

With its tall stance and massive 22-inch wheels, this concept is no slouch in the size department. Its aggressive front end features a snarling, down-turned lower grille that epitomized the SUV’s angry eye. The large grille is dominated by the tri-star Mercedes logo with a repeating square design radiating away from it.

A steeply raked windshield flows rearward into the fast-falling rear roof section. The rear window pulls from the ‘rounded top’ look from the Mercedes design handbook found on its other vehicles. The rear deck lid slopes from the rear window and quickly turns upward into an integrated spoiler. The wide taillight fixture stretches from one side of the SUV to the other, comprised of LED lights organized in an elegant design. Continuing down is a fluid-looking rear bumper with integrated chrome-tipped tailpipes.

From the side, the Mercedes has strong belt and character lines running from the front fender upward. A lower character line helps visually raise the SUV’s ground clearance as it rises up as it moves rearward. Overall, the design is elegant yet sporty. It will surely garner attention from BMW and Porsche shoppers if it come to market for 2016.

Mercedes-Benz M-Class

Drivetrain

Though Mercedes hasn’t official said anything about this concept’s powertrain, that won’t stop us from speculating. The Coupe will likely come in different trim levels and engine options. Starting out, it’s possible the 4.6-liter, twin-turbo V-8 from the ML550 will be found under hood. Making 402 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, the 4.6-liter would certainly move the SUV with urgency.

Upgrading from there might be the massive 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V-8 from the ML63 AMG that makes 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. In order to get the torque to the ground while maintaining that ‘off-road SUV character,’ the MLC will come with AWD. With either engine option, the MLC would definitely give the BMW X6 and Porsche Cayenne a run for their money.

Just a Concept or a Glimpse Into the Future?

The Mercedes Concept Coupe SUV is a great design study into what Mercedes can do with a coupe-like SUV built to compete with BMW and Porsche. Sometimes automakers build these sort of vehicles as an exercise for design teams and other times, it’s the first glimpse at an upcoming model. In this case, it’s hard to ignore the words from Dr. Z and the positive language found in the press release. While this concept is just that, we highly doubt this is the last we’ll see of a coupe-like SUV from Mercedes. Considering Mercedes is shooting for a 2016 model year launch, this concept has perfect timing. Though the X6 hasn’t been as successful as BMW originally hoped, the X6 definitely caused waves in the SUV market with such a performance-minded vehicle. The MLC will hopefully do better at selling decently high numbers to folks who want a sport-flavored soft-roader that looks different than most everything on the boulevard.

Competitors

BMW X6

As the standard bearer of the coupe-SUV segment, the X6 has been around since 2008. At this point, it's really in need of a new generation, but that's a discussion for another time because the most recent version of the X6 did come with a minor facelift that includes redesigned fog lights, headlights, and tail lamps with a new adaptive LED options. Newly designed bars, new paint finishes, and an interior leather trim all make their way into the 2013 X6.

Power comes in the form of a variety of engines, beginning with a TwinPower Turbo, inline-six that produces 300 horsepower and a more powerful, 4.4-liter, TwinPower Turbo V-8 that nets 400 horsepower.

We still don't know what Mercedes has in store for the MLC, but its arrival should serve as a warning to BMW that it needs to bring the X6's game up a notch if it wants to continue being the king of its own mountain.

Porsche Cayenne

One coupe-SUV that has given the X6 a run for its money recently is the Porsche Cayenne. It's actually more of an SUV than it is a coupe riding on an SUV platform like the X6, but the Cayenne has played a big a role for those people who want an alternative to the X6. Like the BMW, the Cayenne is also offered with a V-6 or V-8 powertrain, although the latter does have the benefit of being offered in a variety of trims.

The biggest and most powerful one is the Cayenne Turbo S, which chalks up an impressive 550 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. That's pretty good company for the M variant of the X6. But the question remains: how much of what Mercedes is planning for the MLC will be geared towards competing against both the X6 and the Cayenne?

Conclusion