Mercedes GLC-Class 2016 Review

Mercedes GLC 250
Long-Term Test (Update 1)

Mercedes-Benz finally has a product to rival the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 in Australia. The GLC replaces the GLK, which never made it here because the Germans forgot to engineer it for right-hand drive. Based on the current C-Class platform, the GLC delivers mid-size luxury SUV packaging and commendable crash safety, according to EuroNCAP. But the petrol GLC 250 is not without its flaws, as living with this long-term test vehicle has revealed.

First impressions of the GLC 250 indicate it shares its general driving characteristics and ambience with the C 250. That's no surprise given the common mechanicals and platform of the two cars.

The engine is the same turbocharged petrol four-cylinder we've experienced in the C 250, even down to the peak power, torque and thirst for 95-98 RON PULP.

In the GLC application the four-pot mill is quiet, refined and hardworking, but not especially charismatic. At highway speeds the engine is subdued to the point of being inaudible. And in fact, the GLC is a quiet car across the board. Tyre noise barely intrudes, but there is some wind noise present on freeways, and the suspension occasionally makes itself heard over bumps.

Despite the relatively small displacement – propelling a vehicle weighing in excess of 1700kg – the engine always feels responsive and the GLC launches readily from a standing start. It usually feels like there's performance in reserve and the four-cylinder mill musters enough torque to lazily slog up hills that would have similar drivetrains in rival models hunting around for two lower gears.

Average fuel consumption hovered around 8.9L/100km for the first several days, reflecting Trucksales editor Rod Chapman's voyage of discovery interstate. Despite the trip computer telling me the GLC was using fuel at a moderate rate, the needle of the fuel gauge was telling a different story. After resetting the trip computer the fuel consumption stepped up to 12L/100km before settling back down to 10.6L/100km during the following week – a week of school holidays and relatively light traffic.

The nine-speed automatic transmission is not as smooth as the eight-speed ZF unit offered in the GLC's rivals. It occasionally delivered a mild thump when shifting up a gear, and it drags very apparently when dropping back to second for the last few metres as the vehicle draws to a halt.

Most Australian drivers will hardly ever see top gear, which no amount of mucking around in manual mode and playing with shift paddles will entertain at speeds below 110km/h. At 100km/h in eighth gear the engine – a petrol four-cylinder, remember – is ticking over at just 1700rpm.

At times the suspension was noisy and harsh over bumps, but Mercedes-Benz adjusted the air pressures lower for the run-flat tyres and the improvement was dramatic over cobblestones, expansion joints, speed humps and other low-speed bone-breakers. Even on lower tyre pressures the GLC remained dynamically capable. Prior to lowering the tyre pressures the GLC tended to be deflected by mid-corner bumps, but that problem faded markedly once the tyres were set correctly.

Generally speaking the GLC's steering and roadholding are about what you would expect – no Porsche Macan, in other words. It handles safely and adopts a flat stance in corners. With the Agility Control system set to Sport+ (a step beyond Sport mode), the GLC offers communicative steering.

Steering response is at least a match for its obvious rivals, although I'd like to see how it compares directly with BMW's X3 in that respect [Ed: keep an eye out for a comparison soon]. In Comfort and ECO modes the GLC leaves the driver feeling a little removed from what's going on through the steering wheel, but it points well at the straight-ahead, nonetheless.

Brakes were dependable and brought the GLC to a soft stop in urban driving environs without any difficulty.

Of the driver-assist technology, the adaptive cruise control in the GLC 250 brings you to a complete stop behind another vehicle and proved easy to operate. Active Lane Keeping Assist always feels odd, but if it keeps the driver in a state of situational awareness while, for instance, chatting with a passenger as the car steers into a bend – so much the better. It proved its worth to me on a long stretch of freeway with a strong crosswind blowing. Like idle-stop, which the GLC also boasts, Active Lane Keeping Assist is sure to catch on over the next few years.

A brief sortie off the road revealed that the GLC is fairly adept, for a vehicle that presents very much as a soft-roader. The Mercedes comes without dual-range transfer or other bespoke off-roading mechanicals, but that didn't stop it ascending one gravelly grade that had previously stumped a Hyundai Santa Fe and Holden Captiva – both diesels. Not only did the Mercedes reach the top of the climb, it did so with little drama.

With the stability control switched off and the transmission locked in manual mode, the GLC motored up without any trouble other than some wheel spin and wheel lifting along the way. Shortish overhangs were fine for departure and approach, and the GLC required no run-up and kept going even with a wheel off the deck. Ultimately, however, the GLC is not in the same league as a Jeep Cherokee or Land Rover Discovery Sport. It could do with more wheel articulation and ground clearance (ramp-over), and it lacks the features like a spare tyre and hill descent control to be even more capable in the bush.

As a package, the GLC is quite car-like and entering or leaving is made easier by the low hip point. It's the same in the rear too, where there's abundant headroom, even with the full-length sunroof. Adults will feel comfy for extended periods in the back seat, thanks to adequate knee room and space under the front seats to place the feet.

Behind the wheel the GLC presents nothing that we haven't already seen before in the current crop of Benz models. The parking-brake toggle, the gear-shift lever and the ignition button are all located to the right of the steering wheel column. It's an easy three-step process with the right hand to make the vehicle safe and switch off the engine (or the reverse when starting up, preparatory to driving away).

I found the seats not particularly to my liking for the way they were shaped and the flatness of the cushioning. After an hour of driving I was feeling a bit fidgety. They were well bolstered to hold occupants in place during harder cornering, however. As with other Benz models since time immemorial, the seat adjustment switchgear is located on the door capping, yet the lumbar adjustment switch is located on the base of the seat.

Considering the lack of a spare tyre, the boot is a little stingy. The loading floor is high, but at least placed at roughly the right height for easy loading and unloading of shopping or recreational equipment. On either side of the luggage compartment there is a finger pull to drop each side of the rear seat for added luggage volume.

As a newcomer to the increasingly crowded medium luxury SUV segment, the GLC is a handsome looking machine with the basics to be a refined functional family wagon. It's already proving to be a sales success for Benz, and little wonder.

Stay tuned for our comparison test of the GLC against Audi Q5 and BMW X3 soon...

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC 250 pricing and specifications:
Price: $74,880 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 155kW/350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 168g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> Audi Q5 (from $73,315 plus ORCs)
>> BMW X3 (from $71,403plus ORCs)
>> Lexus RX (from $81,766 plus ORCs)

Related reading:
>> Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class Long-Term Test (Introduction)