The GLC-Class codenamed X253/C253 is a compact luxury crossover SUV produced by Mercedes-Benz since 2015 as a replacement to the GLK-Class from 2016. It has a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive layout and comes either as a 5-door hatchback SUV or a 4-door coupé SUV. GLC stands for Geländewagen (All-Terrain), L as linkage to the C, which determines the class. Thus, GLC is an SUV C-Class.
After the fairly successful GLK-Class, GLC took its spot in the production plant in Bremen, Germany. Since that plant was running at full capacity, Mercedes-Benz decides to use Valmet Automotive plant in Finland to expand production. The assembly of the GLC now takes place in several plants around the world, including China, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, and Thailand.
GLC-Class comes equipped with many safety features including driver/passenger front/rear head and side airbags, brake assist, ESP, 4-wheel ABS, traction control, blind-spot monitor, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and cross-traffic alert. IIHS safety ratings give it a score of 'Good' for almost every category, and a 'Superior' for front crash prevention. Headlights range from 'Good' to 'Marginal' depending on trim levels, while child seat anchors LATCH ease of use is 'Acceptable'.
Standard trim level includes 3x3 point rear seat belts, ABS, alarm, alloy wheels, body-coloured bumpers, climate control, cruise control, a full set of airbags, electric driver's seat, folding rear seats, electric windows, Isofix child seat anchor points, parking sensors, PAS, remote locking, roof rails, service indicator, steering wheel reach and rake adjustment, traction control, as well as all the mentioned safety features.
Premium trim levels include SE, Urban, Sport, Night, as well as AMG line variants.
Powertrain options depend slightly between the coupé and the hatchback and include 2.0L inline-four turbocharged petrol and hybrid engines, and 2.1L inline-four turbocharged diesel engines. AMG versions use 3.0L and 4.0L twin-turbo petrol engines, while GLC F-Cell 4Matic is a hydrogen-fueled electric motor with 155kW of power and 365Nm of torque.
In Australia, the available options are:
GLC250 4Matic, 2.0L 16V inline-four turbocharged petrol engine, producing 155kW (208hp) at 5500rpm and 350Nm of torque at 1200rpm, paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission
GLC200, 2.0L 16V inline-four turbocharged petrol engine, producing 135kW (181hp) at 5500rpm and 300Nm of torque at 1200rpm, paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission
GLC220d 4Matic, 2.1L 16V inline-four turbocharged diesel engine, producing 125kW (168hp) at 3000rpm and 400Nm of torque at 1400rpm, paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission
GLC250d 4Matic, 2.1L 16V inline-four turbocharged diesel engine, producing 150kW (201hp) at 3800rpm and 500Nm of torque at 1600rpm, paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission
At the Geneva Motor Show in 2019, Mercedes revealed a facelift version of GLC-Class for the year 2020. It will include an updated MBUX Operating System, 'Hey Mercedes' voice recognition, a new steering wheel, as well as 12.3-inch digital cockpit. Powertrain options will be updated for the petrol engines, while the diesels will receive three 2.0L variants. The total number of GLC-Class produced up to 2018 in all of the assembly plants has been 170,811 units.
Author: Luka Kusic