GLC CHANGER (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_mercedesglc_2019

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 74

The GLC brings a bit of Mercedes polish to the premium part of the mid-sized SUV segment and this improved post-2019 facelifted version of the first generation model was a significant step forward from the original. The whole of the mainstream engine range was refettled as part of this update and infotainment media connectivity took an equally large step forward. Plus efficiency, refinement and build quality represent other strongpoints. It's a very complete package.

Modelsword count: 27

5dr SUV (2.0 diesel [GLC 220d/ GLC 300d] / 2.0 PHEV [GLC 300e/ GLC 300de] / 3.0 petrol [GLC 43 AMG] / 4.0 petrol [GLC 63 AMG)

Historyword count: 466

In an era where one in every three Mercedes models sold is an SUV, this GLC is a crucial model for the brand. In mid-2019, four years into its production run, this mid-sized premium model was usefully updated to create the car we're going to look at here. And what an important one it was. These days, outside of the company's front-driven compact models, hardly anything the brand makes now out-sells the GLC. Which makes it incredible that the segment it populates wasn't even competed in by the Stuttgart maker prior to this car's original launch in 2015. That's because its predecessor, the GLK, was never engineered for right hand drive, an oversight that must have cost Mercedes millions in lost sales. Still, the GLC has rapidly been making up this lost ground, helped by an ever-widening portfolio of variants expanded first by Coupe and Mercedes-AMG models. With the revised post-2019 MK1 model line-up, the range was broadened further, with mild hybrid technology, a plug-in variant and (for Europe at least) even a hydrogen-powered Fuel Cell version. This was one of the first Mercedes cars launched with the brand's current naming convention. 'GL' means this car is an SUV, while 'C' refers to its size, this model being based on the same MRA chassis as the fourth generation C-Class. That platform was designed from the outset to accommodate 4WD, which enables all GLC models to offer 4MATIC traction. Beyond those underpinnings, there's plenty else that's shared with the C-Class models that rolled down the same German production line in Bremen. Which is why the GLC benefitted from much the same kind of update package that was visited upon the fourth generation version of that C-Class in 2018. So this update brought the MK1 GLC a smarter LED headlamp and grille combo and inside, infotainment updated with the brand's MBUX media system. Semi-autonomous driving tech made a first appearance, there was the option of a fully-digitalised instrument cluster and, as before, buyers got the chance to add sophisticated air suspension. More important than all of that though, was the fact that the volume 220d diesel variant that almost all GLC buyers chose got a completely fresh 2.0-litre OM654-series engine that offered vast improvements in refinement, efficiency and technology. PHEV tech was introduced in 2020, first with the petrol GLC 300e, then with the diesel GLC 300de. In short, the GLC in all its facelifted forms was much better equipped to take on key direct rivals launched since its original introduction, cars like the third generation BMW X3, the second generation Volvo XC60 and Alfa Romeo's Stelvio, as well as improved versions of established rivals like the Audi Q5 and the Jaguar F-PACE. Time to check the later version of this MK1 GLC out as a used buy.

What You Getword count: 294

Subtle changes mark the revised version of this first generation GLC apart from the original. The fact that it's also available in a separate Coupe body style relieves this standard SUV variant of the need to look too self-consciously sporty, but there's still just enough visual dynamism here to interest someone who might also be considering, say, an Evoque, an F-PACE or an Alfa Stelvio in this segment. The GLC's cabin was always a showroom selling point and with this revised model, thoughtful changes further enhanced it. A smarter three-spoke steering wheel incorporates little touchpads, the left hand one of which can operate the much larger 10.25-inch touchscreen positioned on top of the dash. This much more sophisticated media set-up incorporates the Stuttgart brand's 'MBUX' ('Mercedes-Benz User eXperience') multimedia platform with its clever 'Hey Mercedes' voice-activated functionality. It offers navigation, radio, phone, media, info, apps and store settings you can also flick between using an intuitive touchpad between the seats. Similar options are found in the instrument cluster. Base-spec 'Sport' trim stays with old-tech analogue dials surrounding a central 5.5-inch display, but upper-spec GLC models feature configurable virtual gauges on a 12.3-inch TFT screen. And in the back? Well overall, we think that a couple of adults should be very comfortable here, even if they're six-footers. Try and fit three folk in the rear though and things are far less pleasant, with issues likely to be created by the rather high central transmission tunnel and the fact that the middle seat has a rather firm backrest. Luggage space is accessed via the standard electrically-operated EASY-PACK tailgate. Mercedes obviously benchmarked this car's arch-rivals BMW's X3 and Audi's Q5 here, for the load capacity on offer here (550-litres) matches that you get on those cars exactly.

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