Mercedes-Benz tells us the GLC has turned out to be its most successful SUV globally – over 2.6 million units have been sold till date! And the story in India is not any different, as the GLC has been the most popular offering in the midsize luxury SUV segment, right from the time it was first launched in the country. In fact, it was the best-selling SUV for the carmaker last year, which speaks volumes about its popularity with luxury car buyers. Effectively, besides being the SUV equivalent of the C-Class in the carmaker’s line-up, the GLC has also been the sedan’s companion in the sales charts. And Mercedes has just launched the all-new GLC in India. We spent a full day driving the SUV in the erstwhile capital of what was one of the wealthiest empires in India, the Vijayanagara Empire, Hampi.
Quite the place to drive a luxury SUV! And this new GLC, which is the third generation of the SUV – if you consider the GLK as the first – seemed to compliment the grandeur of the location very well with its panache. But before getting down to discussing the new GLC’s design, I’d like to highlight the fact that the SUV has grown in size. This makes for a more imposing road presence, besides which the GLC looks and feels grander than ever before. Of course, the new front end has a lot to do with that feeling and in fact, I’d go as far as saying that I’m really enamoured by the front end. The new grille design adds a sense of luxury and authority with its vertical black stripes that contrast nicely with the single chrome finished slat and large three-pointed star. The headlamps are now connected to the grille while the bumper features flared nostrils at both ends, along with a healthy dose of chrome at the bottom.
So while there is an air of familiarity to the outgoing version, the new GLC certainly looks fresh and more luxurious now. The silhouette from the sides is similar to the previous generation GLC too, which isn’t a bad thing in my books. It sits on 19-inch wheels that use a new design, adding more character to the sides, along with the running boards that wear an aluminium-like finish and get rubber studs for both a good grip and visual appeal. The rear end looks classier thanks to the revised tail lamp design, black applique between the tail lamps and also the roof-mounted spoiler. The bumper also gets a healthy dose of chrome and houses a set of faux exhausts. On the whole, this is a classier-looking SUV with an enhanced luxury quotient and is sure to appeal to prospective buyers with its style quotient.
Unsurprisingly, the interiors look and feel identical to what we’ve seen on the new generation C-Class. And given that we’d all called the new C-Class a ‘baby S-Class’, effectively the new GLC also offers the same classy and upmarket feel inside, thanks to the dashboard design, varied surface finishes, soft-touch leather and of course, the massive panoramic sunroof. The sunroof itself is a class act with its touch operation and adds to the ambience greatly, though as always, the thin fabric for the sun shade will let in a lot of heat during the summers. The dashboard offers a rich feel with its ribbed surface while most panels, be it on the dashboard or door trims are covered in soft-touch leather. At 11.9 inches the infotainment screen is massive and certainly does its bit in making the GLC feel more upmarket. Seats are very supportive, especially the front ones and besides the beige covers, you can also configure them in an appealing-looking shade of brown. The steering wheel design is new and along with the overall interior design it helps in making the GLC feel more luxurious. The SUV’s increased dimensions obviously translate to better cabin space and there’s more kneeroom and legroom at the rear, besides which the boot volume is up by a whopping 70 litres.
The new GLC is also high on technology – in fact, if you remember, the GLC was the first Mercedes in India to be equipped with the car maker’s MBUX or Mercedes-Benz User Experience connected technology system and the new GLC takes that game forward. It is equipped with a host of new features that make it the most feature-rich and tech-laden offering in its segment. For instance, there’s a fingerprint scanner now at the bottom of the infotainment screen to let you access your customised and dedicated driver profile that can even adjust the driver’s seat for you once I’ve entered my height into the system! There’s a lot of artificial intelligence in the SUV as well now. Like the fact that there’s a dedicated off-road mode in the menu options that allows you to view critical information like the SUV’s roll, pitch and more and also cleverly uses the front camera to project an image of the surface beneath to make it look like you are able to view what’s under the SUV, as if the bonnet is a transparent one!
The instrument cluster display is the standard Mercedes-Benz affair and is a super sharp, 12.3-inch display with the four interchangeable display themes. Most functions in the GLC, including the ones on the steering wheel are now touch-operated with barely any physical switches, though I would have liked a few switches and rotors for better functionality. Another highlight on the features front has to be the 15-speaker Burmester audio system that’s standard across variants. The new GLC is also safe as a Mercedes-Benz gets and besides seven airbags as standard, it also gets a 360-degree camera and ADAS functionalities that enhance its appeal. You obviously get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and wireless charging, besides stuff like an air-purifier and 64-colour ambient lighting all around. The front seats are heated and not cooled though.
Like previously, you can have the GLC with petrol and diesel engines both. The bigger news though is that both engines now employ a 48-volt mild hybrid system. Both powerplants are 2.0-litre, four-cylinder ones and while the petrol engine offers 258PS and 400Nm, the diesel engine offers 197PS and 440Nm. The 48-volt mild-hybrid system offers an additional 23PS and 200Nm, which besides boosting performance has also helped in enhancing fuel efficiency. In fact claimed efficiency for petrol and diesel stands at 14.72kmpl and 19.47kmpl respectively now, the highest in class. In addition, CO2 emissions for the petrol and diesel are down by 15 percent and 10 percent respectively too. All-wheel drive or Mercedes-Benz’s 4MATIC system is standard affair now. We only drove the petrol version in Hampi and the powertrain impresses with its strong performance and refinement.
Claimed 0-100kmph time for the petrol version is just 6.2 seconds, a very impressive number for a luxury SUV weighing nearly 2 tonnes! The engine puts its power down in a linear manner and the consistent surge, also aided by the mild-hybrid system is what makes the GLC so impressive. The four-pot motor also sounds sporty when given the stick, but obviously, where the GLC truly excels is at munching miles feverishly. The petrol engine and nine-speed automatic gearbox both help the SUV do a brilliant job of the task and add to its appeal as a comfortable, plush and ultra-comfortable luxury SUV. There’s a set of paddle shifters as well which work well and the transmission is also quick to respond to inputs, but I would have liked the paddles to be slightly longer for better reach. Overall though, in addition to the supreme luxury we’ve always known it to offer, the GLC also feels more like a driver’s car now.
Then there’s the dynamics. The moment you say Mercedes-Benz, you know you can expect excellent comfort and a good ride quality and the new GLC certainly delivers on that front. That said, while the ride quality is very good, there’s a sense of sharpness to the way the SUV goes over some of the ruts and potholes as the suspension feels firm. The ride quality gets better as you go faster and while most undulations are dealt with very well even at slow speeds, some of the ruts do feel like the ride could have been plusher. It’s the very firmness of the suspension that causes this, to also help in making the GLC engaging to drive though. There’s a likeable feel to the SUV’s handling and I even like how responsive and well-weighted the steering is – it offers a precise feel and adds to the new GLC’s likeable manners from behind the wheel. So driving on perfectly paved tarmac is an even greater joy now. And with AWD at hand, the GLC also feels very confident around corners, with just a hint of understeer at the very limit.
To sum it up, this being a full-generation change, the new GLC feels leagues ahead of its predecessor on every front. It packs in more technology, is powered by better engines and is also more spacious now. So clearly, the new GLC looks set to dominate what is one of the most important luxury car segments in the country once again. Of course, it commands a premium over the outgoing version, as the petrol version is priced at Rs 73.5 lakh and the diesel at Rs 74.5 lakh ex-showroom. So it’s easy to say the GLC has gotten more expensive, but as a package, given everything that it brings to the table, this is easily the best midsize luxury SUV on sale in India currently.
