Mercedes-Benz GLC 2016 Review

Mercedes-Benz GLC C220 d and C250 d
Road Test

Mercedes-Benz appears to have scored a winner with its new GLC mid-size SUV. With typical Benz style, the GLC brings high levels of safety, an (almost) sublime drive experience along with comfort and plenty of practicality. Where could it go wrong? The fact is – apart from a small question mark over ride characteristics – it hasn’t. Ranging from $64,500 to $69,900 (before ORCs) the Mercedes-Benz GLC looks like it’s the $60,000-plus mid-size SUV to beat.

Mercedes-Benz had plenty of opportunity to get it right with the new GLC SUV.

As the local company sat watching while Audi and BMW made hay with their medium-sized Q5s and X3s, Mercedes must have been champing at the bit to have a go at the lucrative $60K-plus segment.

Among the small SUVs it was already doing ok with its A-Class based GLA, finishing not that far behind the Audi Q3 in 2015 (and well ahead of BMW’s X1), so on the back of that the GLC was positioned to take a decent shot, one segment up, at the Audi Q5.

Given the success of the GLA, it was no surprise then that Mercedes-Benz appeared to have hit the sweet spot with the C-Class based GLC when it arrived here at the tail end of 2015.

At motoring.com.au we recently tested the GLC via a long-term petrol-engined GLC 250, the mid-level model between the entry 220 d and the flagship 250 d turbo-diesels.

For this test, we decided to run a sort-of comparison between the two diesel GLCs, mainly with the aim of establishing whether or not the extra $5400 applied to the asking price of the premium 250 d was justified.

For starters there’s the power jump from 125kW/400Nm to 150kW/500Nm and sure, there’s a wheel-size upgrade from 19 to 20 inches (with 235/55R19 run-flat tyres on the 220 d and 255/45R20s on the 250 d), real leather trim in place of the Benz Artico faux-leather and hands-free access, but the 250 d’s biggest drawcard is undoubtedly the 250 d’s standard Driver Assistance PLUS package that includes pedestrian recognition, cross-traffic assist, blind-spot assist and lane-keeping assist.

But while we applaud the inclusion of any safety equipment on any vehicle as standard, the base GLC 220 d doesn’t do too badly on that front either. In addition to the usual roll-call – including nine airbags – it comes with standard blind-spot and attention assist and DISTRONIC PLUS radar cruise control as well as the Benz version of autonomous emergency braking dubbed (excuse the capitals) COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS, which operates at speeds up to 105km/h in moving vehicles and, with stationary objects, up to 70km/h.

I won’t go on about the 220 d’s comforts and amenities, but it’s entirely competitive in its segment with standard adaptive LED headlights, sat-nav, self-parking capability, a 360-degree parking camera, power front seats and a power-operated tailgate – and plenty more to go.

Dynamically the 220 d boasts the Benz AGILITY CONTROL selective damping system with five driving modes, and the super-quick electrically assisted, speed-sensitive Direct-Steer system that enables the steering wheel to swing from lock to lock in just 2.2 turns.

The essence of it all – particularly if the car is fitted out optionally as were our test GLCs with metallic paint, Vision and COMAND packages (including TFT colour display, HDD navigation, touchpad, single disc CD/DVD player, 10GB music register, LINGUATRONIC voice activation and internet access, and 13-speaker Burmester sound system) – is that a GLC Benz will feel pretty luxe whichever level you choose and will perform, in the case of the diesel models, pretty similarly too.

To be honest, a passenger transferring from a 220 d to a 250 d (or vice versa) is unlikely to notice any great difference. The specs tell us the 220 d will cover the zero to 100km/h sprint in 8.3sec, or 0.7sec slower than the 250 d, but in regular driving there’s not a lot to choose between the two.

And, ironically, even though the less powerful engine quotes slightly better fuel consumption and emissions figures, our test 220 d actually consumed more diesel over a week of similar driving conditions to the 250 d. It recorded 7.2L/100km against the 250 d’s 6.5L and was a bit of an indicator of how seriously buyers should take official ADR consumption figures.

Likewise there was no difference in the packaging of the two GLCs – which is a way of saying the new Benz SUV is pretty adept at covering owner needs such as passenger accommodation and luggage-carrying abilities. At 550 litres seats-up to 1600 litres seats-folded, the latter is superior to Audi Q5 and equal to the BMW X3.

The cabin feels bigger inside than you might expect with comfortable seats and loads of room up front as well as a quite acceptable supply of leg, head and shoulder room in the back seat. The 40:20:20 split-fold back seat provides plenty of load versatility and is easily activated by slickly ergonomic levers on the outer seat backs.

And the GLC really does stand out in its category with the instinctive control layout that confronts the driver. Accessing Bluetooth is a simple business using the central controller and the free-standing display screen, while the sat-nav system and the climate-control functions are similarly easy. Only when you delve into some of the GLC’s inner secrets (such as individualising the suspension settings in the Individual mode) does it become a bit more complicated.

Most significant of all is the fact that most controls are activated by touch buttons or levers (for example the brilliant cruise control system located on a small stalk on the left of the steering column) and do not require the driver to stab a finger at the LCD screen in the hope of making the correct request.

On the road, assisted by the quick steering and car-like responses, the GLC is a composed, serene and almost sporty performer. The nine-speed auto transmission is crisp-shifting and intuitive, the diesel engines are quiet and mostly unobtrusive and – with reservations – the ride quality is appropriate for a luxury SUV.

The reservations come from the GLC’s sensitivity to the adaptive damping settings chosen by the driver. Disturbingly, the wrong judgement (in this case the comfort setting) can have it virtually bottoming-out on speed bumps that would not affect other SUVs.

I found selecting Sport mode gave the best overall result. For a small sacrifice in ride softness (compared to the Comfort mode), the Benz coped better with challenging dips and humps, feeling more composed and in control, even if there was a feeling of some short-wheelbase sensitivity – despite the fact it’s longer in this dimension than its German competitors – to fore-aft movements.

But as a premium mid-size SUV, the GLC pretty much has the edge on its competition. It looks the part – actually seeming larger than it really is from some angles – and with its prominent three-pointed star taking pride of place in the chrome-clad grille, there’s no questioning its pedigree.

So, would I go for the 250 d over the 220 d?

Well, if it was purely a matter of on-road performance – even fuel economy – I’d be perfectly happy with the less powerful diesel and would have no problem with Artico, rather than real leather. However, the 250 d’s extra safety technology, including pedestrian recognition, cross-traffic, blind-spot and lane-keeping assist are elements I would rather not ignore, so I was initially at something of an impasse.

But in the end, yes, my conscience decided it would have me veering towards the 250 d purely for those reasons, even if the sums didn’t quite add up. It’s the old question of how responsible a car-maker should be when it comes to safety technology.

I believe if you have it, you should make it universal, not just wait for it to be mandated.

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC 220 d pricing and specifications:
Price: $64,500 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 125kW/400Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 146g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC 250 d pricing and specifications:
Price: $69,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 150kW/500Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 149g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> Audi Q5 TF Si (from $63,210 plus ORCs)
>> BMW X3 20d (from $65,800 plus ORCs)
>> Range Rover Evoque Td4 180 SE ($67,160 plus ORCs)

GLC 250 d images shown