Where Is Mercedes’ A5 Sportback / 4-Series Gran Coupe Rival?

Let’s face it, having to choose between a Mercedes-Benz, Audi or a BMW can be difficult, especially since a pragmatic look at each brand reveals how remarkably good their products are.

In the end, it comes down to personal preference, brand loyalty, or a whole bunch of other factors, which tend to keep each of the three automakers on their toes. It’s why Mercedes eventually threw the GLE Coupe at the BMW X6, or why BMW aimed the 6-Series Gran Coupe at the Mercedes CLS.

Yet, one model is really overdue: Mercedes’ 4-Series Gran Coupe and Audi A5 Sportback rival. Something for the C-Class buyer to purchase when he or she wants something “more” than just a plain old C-Class saloon, but isn’t willing to go with an E-Class or a CLS.

Did the world really need a four-door AMG GT more than a CLC?

Personally, I don’t understand why Mercedes would choose to powerslide their way into new segments by creating something like the Mercedes-AMG GT4, where instead they could have built a sleeker, more coupe-like version of the C-Class (which would probably be called the CLC) and enter a segment full of hungry buyers who crave both style and practicality.

Audi launched the A5 Sportback in 2009, and the model has proved quite popular. So Mercedes had 9 years to look at the numbers and come up with a response, which hasn’t materialized yet. BMW, on the other hand, only waited for 5 years and in 2014, the 4-Series Gran Coupe was unveiled in Geneva as a more stylish and sportier alternative to the 3-Series.

Another 4 years go by and still there’s no answer by Mercedes. Instead, we’re getting the previously-mentioned AMG GT4, the A-Class Sedan, the GLB crossover, but nothing even remotely resembling our idea of an A5 Sportback/4-Series GC rival. We haven’t even seen a prototype or a test mule for that matter, which is a shame, really, because such a car would be a valuable addition to Stuttgart’s portfolio.

Now, one explanation could be that Mercedes actually did look at the numbers and decided it simply wasn’t the right moment to get into the sports executive four-door coupe segment. The thing is, during a product briefing last year, BMW revealed that the Gran Coupe accounts for 54% of all 4-Series sales globally, and figuring out why isn’t that hard.

These types of cars are more practical than their Coupe or Cabriolet siblings thanks to the extra set of doors and more space for rear passengers. Also, people like the idea of buying something that looks exclusive and sporty. It’s why SUV Coupes proved successful, and also why models like the Mercedes CLS, Audi A7 Sportback or the Porsche Panamera have stopped being in any way controversial: buyers just find them cool.

It makes no sense for Mercedes to be absent from this niche

In the end, it’s hard to imagine Mercedes moving forward with such an obvious absence from its four-door model range. If we were to use our imaginations a bit, and since we haven’t seen anything even resembling a prototype, we could say that if/when the CLC is launched, it will probably be based on the next-generation C-Class, which is a some way into the future, as the facelifted W205 just came out.

Render by Theophiluschin

What do you think? Yes, Mercedes is doing quite nicely even without an A5 Sportback/4-Series GC rival. It’s just weird that they haven’t yet challenged their competitors in this niche, isn’t it?