There’s an all-new Mercedes-Benz GLC coming. For more than two years now this medium-size SUV has been the German brand’s most-sold model globally.
Often topping Mercedes-Benz’s monthly sales charts in Australia, it also sells in much bigger numbers in massive markets like China, the USA, and Europe.
Such popularity makes similarity the safest strategy when the time comes to replace a model like the GLC. And that’s exactly what Mercedes-Benz has done. The new GLC, due to arrive here in March next year, is more of the (very successful) same.
Some of the increases are small. While the new GLC is a little longer overall, it’s exactly the same width as the current model and only fractionally lower. And though completely redesigned from nose to tail, the new model looks, well, like a GLC.
Mercedes-Benz’s designer team was tasked with giving the nose and tail a sportier style than before, which they did, but seen side-on the SUV’s shape is instantly familiar.
There are much bigger changes inside, which features the same lush look and rich tech content as other recent models from the brand. The clean and classy dashboard houses two screens – instruments ahead of the driver, infotainment display in the centre – plus a row of gleaming, jet-engine-like air vents.
Space for driver and passengers is little changed in the new GLC, but the redesigned front seats are more comfortable than ever and the volume of the large cargo compartment has grown by a useful 70 litres. Rear seat roominess remains generous in every direction.
In Europe the new GLC will go on sale with a range of plain and plug-in hybrid drivetrains based on four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, but of the launch line-up only the GLC300 is headed here. The current 300 has been the most successful version by far of the GLC with Australian customers.
The new 300 model has a 190kW turbo 2.0-litre four and a 17kW electric motor/generator unit sandwiched between engine and transmission. The nine-speed auto drives four wheels.
There’s a reason Mercedes-Benz Australia will not bring in plug-in hybrid versions of the new GLC. They’re not wanted …
“Over the past two years we have seen a shift in how Mercedes-Benz customers in Australia approach electrification,” says spokesman Jerry Stamoulis.
“Our customers’ buying habits have moved away from plug-in hybrid and they are now predominantly looking at either an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle or pure EV.”
By the end of the year the brand will have five EVs on sale in Australia, he added, and is struggling to keep up with demand.
At the recent international press presentation of the new GLC in Spain we naturally focused on the Australia-bound 300. All of them were fitted with tech that may or may not be standard in Australian spec, including air suspension instead of steel springs, and rear-wheel steering.
Heading north from Barcelona towards the Pyrenees, the mountains that separate Spain from France, it’s quickly obvious that the new GLC is a big improvement in a couple of important areas.
It’s quieter than before, thanks to multiple sound-blocking measures designed into the new body structure. Tyre and wind noise levels are very low, and the engine is only raises its voice when working hard in the top half of its rev range.
Ride comfort, at least in the air-spring version in Comfort drive mode, is outstanding for a medium-size SUV. The interior hush and lush suspension makes the new GLC feel more than just a little like a larger Mercedes-Benz luxury car.
The obviously four-cylinder sound coming from engine bay and exhaust pipe erodes this impression, but there’s nothing wrong with the way the GLC300 performs. With the electric motor boosting the engine’s output, acceleration is plenty nippy, and the nine-speed auto is a creamy-smooth shifter.
In Sport mode, which firms the suspension and makes the engine rev a little harder, the GLC300 feels more agile and eager. It’s more spirited; sporty would be stretching it a bit.
With the arrival of the GLC300 still more than six months away, Mercedes-Benz Australia has yet to finalise specification and pricing. The current model is close to $90,000, and its classier replacement could be priced nearer $100,000, which may – or maybe not – affect its popularity.
MERCEDES-BENZ GLC300
PRICE $100,000 (est)
ENGINE 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo hybrid; 190kW/400Nm
MOTOR 48-volt; 17kW/200Nm (boost)
TRANSMISSION 9-speed auto; AWD
THIRST 7.3 to 8.2L/100km (European WLTP)
0-100KM/H 6.2 secs
