Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 2018 Review

Seems you can’t do business in the Australian prestige marketplace without a mid-sized SUV. And you simply have to have one variant with the biggest possible performance engine shoehorned into it. Mercedes-Benz and its AMG offshoot are not ones to fly in the face of fashion (nor consumer demand) so they combined to provide us not one but two.

But which one is the pick of the litter?

Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4MATIC+ wagon and its Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe 4MATIC+ counterpart are the quintessential mild-mannered Dr Bruce Banners of the mid-sized prestige SUV segment, made The Hulk, not by gamma rays, but by the installation of one of today’s great petrol engines, the Mercedes-AMG developed twin-turbo V8.

This is an engine used in everything from the bespoke AMG GT coupe through to the most squared-rigged off-roader sold today, the Benz G-wagen. Yet it manages to deliver a characterful performance that is just different enough in each car into which it is installed.

In the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S wagon and Coupes, its cultured, relatively quiet and seamless – until you poke the bear (or turn the bi-modal exhaust to loud) at which point the lollypop person adjacent to the ‘kiss and drop’ zone of your offspring’s expensive private school will hear you coming from two blocks away. I like it. I like it a lot!

These two cars are very different in prolife but share most of their componentry. The wagon is, as you’d expect, more conventional in silhouette and more practical in application. The Coupe (N.B.: the use of this term to describe a large five-door grates on me still, that’s what it’s called) has a significantly, lower roof line and sloping rear hatch.

We drove them back to back to find out which was our (well, my) favourite.

Dollars and sense

Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4MATIC+ wagon costs $164,900 while the Coupe is priced at $171,900 – a $7K premium.

As noted above, both 63s are powered by AMG’s 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 which is rated at 375kW at 5500rpm and 700Nm from 1750rpm. This AMG-only engine features dry sump lubrication and a ‘hot-vee’ layout. This means the two turbochargers are located ‘inside’ the cylinder banks for optimal response.

The flagship GLC variants also both feature 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive, AMG’s own ‘clever’ rear LSD and a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Mercedes-AMG claims a 0-100km/h time of 3.8sec for both models along with an electrically-governed top speed of 270km/h.

Standard equipment includes bi-model exhaust, adaptive air suspension, high-performance brakes (390mm front discs and 360mm rear). A full suite of active safety is standard including excellent adaptive cruise control, semi-autonomous operation et al. If there’s one thing I love on new Mercedes though it’s the brake HOLD function works with stop-start. Just roll up to the lights, push the brake pedal hard once stopped and you’re feet off until you’re ready to drive away.

The interior spec-sheet is headlined by multi-adjustable AMG sports seats clad in Nappa leather. There’s the requisite fat-rimmed suede-look sports steering wheel and AMG-themed instrument cluster with a race timer. Cos you need to record lap times in your SUV…

Which is the performance SUV for you?

Cutting to the chase, if you’re looking for a fast yet remarkably practical vehicle that will stand out in the crowd (though not too much), then the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S wagon is worth a look.

The look of the wagon works for me. It’s a real, cobby, high-riding wagon that looks like it’s bulging with muscle.

There’s space for five, but the car is not too big for normal city work. And yet overall packaging is better than acceptable. Drop the rear seats and there’s acres of room. With four or five on board there’s still ample and the GLC’s roof height is not so ‘SUV’ that you’ll struggle to use bike racks or a roof pod, should that be a necessity.

And unlike its larger AMG-fettled GLE equivalent the ride and general chassis behaviour is much more resolved. There’s none of the exaggerated head-toss of the GLC’s big brother and the ride is more than acceptable for what is effectively a supersports SUV…

The GLC 63 S wagon is also quieter than you’d initially expect. Unless, as mentioned previously, you push the loud button!

In stealth or ‘HERE I AM, COME AND GET ME OFFICER’ mode, the turbo V8 is amazingly flexible. Serious acceleration is only a tweak of the right foot way. And it’s a muscular, easy torquey power delivery – in the GLC 63 S this engine never feels strained.

I’m less enamoured with the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S Coupe.

The Coupe switches the profile from bread van to fastback but also has an overall lower roofline. It’s not immediately noticeable when you’re in the car but after I clouted my head three times (twice getting in, once getting out), I decided it was giving me the shits! And for the avoidance of doubt, I have ducks disease. It’s not a car for basketball players, trust me.

The other annoying item is the hard-shelled seats fitted to our test car. Or rather the tapping of the unoccupied passenger seat seatbelt tang as it rattles against the side of it. Shhheeesh!!!

Mercedes-Benz Australia sources couldn’t confirm the detail of the difference in suspension settings between the GLC 63 S wagon and Coupe but driving the cars back to back suggest to me they aren’t huge, but they are enough… And I’ll take the wagon.

Even on the Comfort setting of the adaptive drive system, the Coupe simply has less fluidity to its ride and a sharper reaction to the bumps (they were on the same wheels and rubber). It also has a touch more head-toss –an exaggerated return to ‘top dead centre’ feeling when the car moves laterally.

When and who?

Aussies buy performance variants of model lines for two reasons: they want a performance car; or they want the best (read: highest spec) version of the car in question. The Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4MATIC+ wagon and its Coupe stablemate will attract both.

There’s a genuine performance premium the GLC 63 delivers which will appeal to many. For me, it’s the muscular look that pushes the buttons – if you have to drive an SUV, at least drive one with some balls!

The same comments can be directed to the Coupe which, despite my criticisms, looks the business – much more cohesively styled than the GLE Coupe or even the car that started the craze, BMW’s X6. From many angles the GLC 63 Coupe looks more like a high-ride fastback than a truncated truck. It will appeal to many.

There’s a bit of choice emerging in this end of the performance SUV marketplace too. Mercedes-AMG’s own GLC 43 will attract some with the same look (almost) but considerable less performance. Then there’s the dynamically superior but small Porsche Macan Turbo, or cheaper alternates such as Audi SQ5. I’m particular interested in driving BMW’s new generation X3 M40i when it arrives. The idea of what’s effectively an SUV version of the M3 appeals to my Munich madness.

Both variants of the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S are available Down Under now. AMG-fettled Mercedes are popular with Aussie buyers but there shouldn’t be any significant waiting periods for either – unless you go mad with the options list.

So, which AMG’s for you?

If you’re in the market for a SUV that turns heads, we (well, I) think you should buy the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4MATIC+ wagon.

There’s more compromises the Coupe demands – and it’s just not as tough.

No too mention you can save the extra dollars for a set of tyres or two. Did I mention these things will do four-wheel burnouts?

How much is the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S 4MATIC+ wagon/Coupe?
Price: $164,900/171,900 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 4.0-litre eight-cylinder turbo-petrol
Outputs: 375kW/700Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 247g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

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