Mercedes-Benz GLC

Introduction

In June 2008 the Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class went on sale in its intended European markets. Designed to sit below the GL-Class, it became a rival for the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. But the engines aren’t as impressive any more, and the design’s getting a bit tired. Worry not, Mercedes is going to change that.

  

We’ve just seen the debut of the 2016 model - the 2nd generation if you like. But with one twist, it’s had a change of identity. The GLC-Class is the SUV based on the C-Class saloon sitting above the GLA-Class and below the GLE- and GLS-Class (formerly known as the M-Class and GL-Class).

  

Take a look here at Mercedes’ new naming strategy.

Interior

As we’ve already discussed, it’s the SUV counterpart of the C-Class meaning the interior has been heavily borrowed. That’s not a bad thing, though. The large, striking, one-piece console panel and lack of central gear lever equate to a pleasant, open space. Elbow room and kneeroom are said to be up by some 30-60 cm from the GLK-Class.

Thanks to some clever designing, the boot offers up to 580 litres of loading space, meaduring 132 cm by 110 cm. Fold down the 40:20:40 split folding rear seats and uncover a 1,600-litre cave. With the optional AIR BODY CONTROL, a GLC’s owner is able to lower the load compartment by up to 40 mm making it easier to lift heavy items into the boot. As you’d expect from such a car manufactured by a luxury company, the HANDS-FREE ACCESS enables the tailgate to open by performing a waving action with your foot under the bumper.

  

Powertrains

There are three main options for the GLC-Class - two diesels and one petrol. But Mercedes will also be offering a plug-in hybrid variant, an increasingly popular option. All models come with 4MATIC all-wheel-drive as standard.

First is the GLC 220 d 4MATIC. Producing 170 bhp and 400 Nm, it’s not short of oomph. Probably why it managed to be propelled to 62 mph in 8.3 s and onto 130 mph. Averaging a claimed 56 mpg, the 220 d emits 129-143 g/km.

The other diesel is a GLC 250 d 4MATIC which churns out 204 bhp and 500 Nm. It’s 0.7 s faster to 62 mph and has an 8-mph-higher top speed. As it’s the same engine as the 220 d, it averages and emits the same.

 

The petrol option is the GLC 250 4MATIC with 211 bhp and 350 Nm. It’s the quickest to 62 mph (7.3 s) and shares its top speed with the 250 d (138 mph), but, as expected, it’s less efficient. Mercedes’ claimed figures are 43 mpg and 152-166 g/km.

They all comply with the EU6 emissions standard and employ start/stop technology to ensure the best efficiency possible for them.

  

The PHEV comes in the form of the GLC 350 e 4MATIC. It produces 211 bhp and 116 bhp from the engine and electric motor respectively. It’s the quickest of all - 146 mph and 5.9 s to 62 mph, but the most important is efficiency. Just 60 g/km of CO2 makes it free to tax, and you can drive up to 21 miles in electric-only mode.

The petrol and diesel models are all mated to the 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission, whereas the 350 e uses the 7G-TRONIC auto.

Driving Dynamics

A unique selling point for the GLC-Class is its AIR BODY CONTROL - none of its rivals offer such technology.

With DYNAMIC SELECT, the driver chooses between Eco, Comfort, Sport (suspension lowered by 15 mm), Sport+ and Individual. Each mode speaks for itself, really.

 

When it’s equipped with the Off-Road Engineering package, the GLC’s suspension raises by 50 mm to ensure a hassle-free off-road experience. This package comprises of Slippery, Off-Road, Incline, Rock Assist and Trailer modes. They’re all pretty obvious apart from Trailer which optimises the car to tow a trailer in tricky situations, such as pulling a caravan off a muddy field.

 

DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation) automatically maintains the speed of the cruise control on steep downhill stretches.

Lastly, it’s important noting that although it’s an all-wheel-drive SUV, it’s slightly rear-wheel-drive-biased with a 45%:55% split.

Design

The GLK-Class’ Cd value was 0.34, whereas the completely redesigned GLC’s is 0.31. Throw with that the total aerodynamic drag of 0.794 (GLK: 0.87) and it’s obvious that efficiency has been an important part of the update.

 

Weight has been cut too, by 80 kg, thanks to the use of aluminium, high-strength steels and glass-fibre-reinforced plastic.

Safety

Whenever a new car is announced, it’s a fair bet to say that safety has been improved. Although the GLC hasn’t been Euro NCAP tested, the GLA, C-Class, CLA, M-Class and soon-to-be-gone GLK have all achieved 5 stars. Let’s take a look at some of the new safety tech.

 

Standard equipment includes COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS, Crosswind Assist, Headlamp Assist and ATTENTION ASSIST.

The Driving Assistance package plus comprises of DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot, PRE-SAFE® Brake with pedestrian detection, BAS PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist and PRE-SAFE® PLUS (the latter is pretty cool - it identifies impending rear-end collisions, alerts the traffic behing by operating the hazards at a higher-than-normal flashing frequency, activates preventive occupant protection measures and brakes the vehicle to a standstill after a rear-end collision).

 

Traffic Sign Assist will display relevant information to the driver, including speed limits, wrong way notifications, no entry warning and no overtaking warnings.

The LED Intelligent Light System with Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus can stay on all the time because it adapts automatically.

 

To help you avoid accidental damage to this high-tech compact luxury-SUV, it can also be fitted with a 360-degree camera and Active Parking Assist for parallel and bay parking spaces.