Think of the 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC as a high-riding C-Class station wagon, and you won’t be far off. It’s far from shady, either; the GLC has a similarly composed ride and a trio of willing engines.
We rate it a 7 here, based on the GLC300, the best-seller in the family. AMG models deal out horsepower like Halloween candy and screw down the GLC’s handling to sedan levels of grip, so as you might imagine, our rating would go higher for those. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
With the GLC300, Mercedes taps a 2.0-liter turbo-4 with direct injection and stop/start. With 241 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, the GLC300 SUV comes in rear- or all-wheel drive, but GLC300 Coupes only come with the latter. Both control power via a 9-speed automatic.
In any combination, these base GLCs have strong performance. The turbo-4 pumps out its thrust across a big chunk of the available powerband, and Benz promises 0-60 mph times of less than 6.5 seconds. It’s refined though a little noisy at the top end of its range, and the stop/start isn’t the smoothest we’ve felt. The 9-speed automatic doles out mostly unobtrusive shifts, though it can lurch as it picks out and aims for lower gears. There is a wide range in responsiveness and in shift speeds as the driver selects Comfort or Sport or even Sport+ drive modes.
The standard all-wheel-drive system ships 55 percent of its torque to the rear wheels at launch, but varies the distribution according to handling and traction needs. Unlike other Benz SUVs, the GLC doesn’t offer a differential lock or a low range.
Mercedes will fit the GLC300 with air springs and adaptive dampers, but even in stock trim, it can tackle some impressively big bumps with pose. It’s controlled and precise, regardless of setup, but add on the extras and it’s downright graceful, a luxury vehicle that soaks up road flaws without float. The steering doesn’t offer much information at all in base trim, but AMG versions get very intent on communicating with the driver-for good reason.
A GLC350e plug-in hybrid offers limited battery-only range and just 1 mpg in fuel economy improvement; skip it until Benz offers more serious battery performance.
Mercedes-AMG GLC43
Strap on a twin-turbo engine and screw down the suspension, and the GLC gets to wear AMG initials. In both AMG forms, the AMG GLC is desirable as oxygen, but in the AMG GLC43 it’s a bit more sublime.
In the GLC43, Benz swaps out the turbo-4 for a 362-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 with 384 lb-ft of torque, which peaks at a relatively low 2,000 rpm. Its on-time arrival helps the GLC43 hit 60 mph in only 4.8 seconds. A 9-speed automatic and all-wheel drive come with the engine, and the automatic gets finer calibration that works better than the baser version.
Everything about the GLC43 gets better. It delivers a pillowy ride despite bigger 21-inch wheels thanks to its standard air suspension, and grip improves with a more pronounced power split to the rear wheels. The V-6 thunders to life, and barks out through a sport exhaust that pops and crackles—maybe a little too much at higher engine speeds.
The extra ride height and 4,100-pound curb weight gray out some of the vivid AMG-ness, but the GLC43 handles very well and the steering grows more lively than in the GLC300. The GLC43 hustles into corners, smartly controlling its body, and remains especially flat in sport mode.
Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 and GLC 63S
Go all-out, and the GLC family finds its craziest relative in the GLC63 and GLC63 S. The core is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 with 469 hp 479 lb-ft of torque. Stocked with a 9-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, it shoots to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds—unless it’s a GLC63 S, which blooms to 503 hp and 516 lb-ft, and drops 0-60 mph times of 3.8 seconds.
Every GLC63 has a limited-slip rear differential, though S models have an electronically controlled version for quicker power transfer. That’s an E63 axle working across the rear, which can’t be bad at all, and a Race mode in its driver controls. We haven’t driven one yet, but we’ll write more here once we have.
Review continues below
0 Kommentarer