UK Edition
2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC review: one step forward, one step back for this popular family SUV
The late motoring writer L J K Setright always said that a car will run best on the roads of its manufacturer’s country, waspishly adding that the Jowett Javelin was superb in Bradford. So for the new Mercedes-Benz GLC we went to Germany and drove in the rain, in a traffic jam.
“Ah the traffic is very heavy because of the rain,” said a friend from the press team, positing the notion that unlike the British who look outside to see if they should carry an umbrella, the good folk of Frankfurt see rain clouds and jump in the car...
This is an important car for Mercedes-Benz. Outside of the transverse-engined, front-drive A-class and its derivatives, this medium-sized longitudinal-engined SUV is a best seller. Since 2008 and its introduction as the GLK, it’s sold over 1.5 million worldwide. In the UK, of the 172,000 new Mercs sold last year, 22,000 of them were GLCs. So it seems strange the launch took place over one day where there simply wasn’t time to drive all the models, but then there are an awful lot of models, 24 of them to be precise. These include conventional and coupé versions, diesel and petrol, with forthcoming full and mild petrol-electric hybrids and possibly full diesel-electric hybrids, together with the FCL fuel cell and full-throated V8 Mercedes-AMG versions. You pays your money...
They’re all built on the same main production line in Bremen, Germany (also at Finnish and Chinese plants) along with the C-class saloons and estates, plus the EQC battery-electric version and the E-class coupé. Strictly speaking this is a face lift, so there’s the usual doodling with the LED fairy lights at the front, a new set of grilles, and a lot of technology to learn behind the handsome facia.
For an SUV, it’s a good looking thing, although the coupé has a definite edge and the AMG just looks mean. All of the GLC versions look better than their weird big sister, the E-class based GLE. They’re almost as big inside, too, seating three across on the rear bench with leg and head room to spare even if you chose the AMG Line Premium which comes with a double glass sunroof. At 580 litres the boot is plenty big enough for a smallish family holiday ; that's the holiday and the family.
The interior has been given a brush over with a lot more functions and driving aids of not always obvious benefit. The Driver Assistance pack costs £1,695 and includes a limited self driving using the active lane and distance keeping, blind-spot monitoring and evasive steering assistance. Even Mercedes engineers acknowledge that the self steering/lane keeping doesn't have all the answers and you are best to turn it off in some circumstances. On some autobahn contra flow sections the system started following lines on the road which weren't there, which was scary and not the time to be delving into the complicated screen interface to turn off functions.
The chassis remains largely the same, though the UK won't take the base all-steel suspension option and instead the Sport and AMG Line cars will have the double wishbone front and multilink rear augmented with electronically adjustable damping as standard. There's full air suspension on the top model AMG Line Premium and Mercedes-AMG models. It'll pull 2.4 tons and a tow bar costs an extra £750.
The turbodiesel line up starts with the 220d, which is the well-received OM654, 2-litre four-cylinder delivering 191bhp/295lb which in Sport form gives a top speed of 134mph, 0-62mph in 7.9sec, between 40.9mpg and 47.9mpg on the WLTP cycle and 137g/km on the NEDC cycle, which is the basis on which it will be taxed. The same unit is offered in 242bhp/369lb ft form called the 300d, which gives equivalent figures of 144mph, 6.2sec, between 39.2mpg and 44.1mpg, and 157g/km. All models are four-wheel drive with a nine-speed automatic transmission, but unlike the bigger GLE you can’t order a GLC with a transfer box to give a set of crawler ratios.
That initially all-diesel line up will be joined later this year by a petrol 300 model, which we got a chance to drive. This 2-litre turbo four cylinder has a 48-volt, 13.5bhp/111lb ft electric starter generator which doesn't drive the car on its own, but does help fill the gap in performance caused by turbo lag and also recovers braking energy in the battery. It delivers 254bhp/273lb ft giving equivalent figures of 149mph, 6.2sec, CO2 emissions of 169g/km and a best NEDC economy of 39.8mpg though driving very gently the best we could get was 28.5mpg.
In the last incarnation, the GLC 250 petrol just pipped the diesel for top selling model. Since then the new (and future emissions legislation compliant) diesel has come in, and the 300 petrol will be more powerful and expensive, so no one’s exactly sure what the diesel/petrol sales ratio will be.
It's on sale this summer with prices starting at £39,420 for the lowest Sport trim 220d rising to £54,795 for the AMG Line trimmed 300d. Coupé models start at £44,045 rising to £57,670 and the full house AMG 63 V8 models start at £63,000 rising to £77,000 for the coupe.
We started in the best selling AMG Line top-spec with the GLC 300d turbodiesel option running on optional 20-inch Michelin tyres. Nice interior, with a more conventional twin-dial instrument binnacle than the current Merc up-spec standard of twin oblong screens butted together. Digital graphics are clear and quite lovely, though there’s a lot of information and mysteriously no indicator repeater noise and with lots of other green lamps on the instrument binnacle which makes it too easy to miss the small flashing indicator repeaters. The seats are comfortable and hugely adjustable and there's enough room for three six foot adults across the rear bench.
The ride is quite acceptable and comfortable on German roads and there’s a nice gentle approach longer undulations, which almost but never quite turns into floating. That's the good part, what's not so good is the secondary ride over shorter, sharper bumps such as pot holes. True you don't meet many of these in Germany (as Setright observed cars always do well in their home countries), but in the UK taller tyres on smaller wheels are going to be a better option. All the test cars came with optional 20-inch wheels, but UK buyers might be better with the standard 18-inch wheels of the Sport trim models or the 19-inch wheels of the AMG Line models.
Speed up and there's a slightly galumphing quality to the front end, which isn't entirely tightened up when you select Sport or Sport + on the driving dynamics. The brakes are strong and progressive and the steering is accurate but numb and this doesn't feel like the sort of car you'd drive hard for the sheer hell of it, although the full V8 AMG models are crushingly powerful and fast.
Even with the restrictions of the new WLTP test requirements, which are having the effect of making engines less refined and noisier, this turbodiesel engine is the toast of the class. Just occasionally under hard acceleration or when the nine speed changes down too eagerly the clouds part and a spike of noise makes its way into the cabin.
The petrol counterpart is smoother, happier to rev and while it tips the scales at the same 1.8-tonnes as the diesel, it feels a bit lighter, more agile and better balanced particularly when turning into a corner - weirdly the coupé versions of each of these cars are 30kg heavier, which was never truly explained at the launch.
These mid-cycle facelifts are often a bit underwhelming, but GLC was always a good vehicle and at least some of the new additions like the 48-volt mild hybrid petrol engine is a welcome addition. This is still a smart and safe family charabanc, but I think Mercedes needs to rethink just how easy it is to switch some of its technology off.
Mercedes-Benz GLC 300
TESTED Five-door SUV with 1,991cc four cylinder turbo petrol engine, with nine-speed torque converter transmission driving all four wheels via a multi-plate wet clutch centre torque splitter
PRICE/ON SALE from £39,155 t0 £54,210 for shooting break, £43,780 to £57,085 for coupé. AMG versions £74,000 to £77,000. As tested about £55,000. On sale now with first deliveries in June though model variants may vary.
POWER/TORQUE 254bhp @ 5,800rpm, 273lb ft @ 1,800rpm
TOP SPEED 149mph
ACCELERATION 0-62mph in 6.3sec
FUEL ECONOMY NEDC Combined 37.6 - 39.8mpg. On test 28.5mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS NEDC 169g/km
VED BAND 151 - 170 £530 first year, then £145 plus £320 for the first five standard years luxury car tax
VERDICT In some ways nothing changes here, just a new front bumper/grille and some more technology. That means the GLC is still the rightly popular family charabanc it's always been, but the new 48-volt assisted petrol engine is a step forward, although the intrusive safety systems are a part step back.
TELEGRAPH RATING four stars out of five
Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 – rivals
Skoda Kodiaq, from £22,630
Bit of a wild card as the starter price is so low, but the top model L&K 4x4 2.0 TSi petrol turbo version costs £38,785 and has just about every extra you could want. Doesn't ride as well as you'd expect a Skoda, but good looking and competent family troop carrier.
Jaguar F-Pace, from £36,820
A similar sized vehicle, but starts at a lower base with rear-drive less luxurious editions. Similar drivetrain though, with a heavily on-road bias and no transfer box. Good looking drives well, and at the top end pretty quick.
Audi Q5, from £41,420
A hit for Audi from the get go and this revamped model has built on strengths such as the lovely cabin and fine range of VW Group engines and twin clutch transmissions. Surprisingly agile handling, but the steering is still bafflingly turgid and the options list is exorbitant.
BMW X3, from £39,885
Now in third generation, it just edges the Audi for its combination of ride and handling, though the engines haven't responded to the stringencies of the new WLTP requirements and are a bit noisy and thirsty. Lovely if austere cabin, but options list is long and expensive.
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