Yahoo Autos Mercedes-AMG's GLC63 Is Loud and Proud
Stuffing a V-8 into the nose of a compact luxury crossover is rarely done. Even among the emerging field of high-performance compact luxury crossovers, powerful six-cylinder engines are the norm. Only Jaguar's F-Pace SVR and Mercedes-AMG's GLC63 leap for the ludicrous, leaving competitors such as the Porsche Macan Turbo and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio with cylinder envy.
Mercedes-AMG offers two distinct versions of its twin-turbocharged V-8 in the GLC63. The GLC63 coupe-in essence the stranger-looking, less useful of the two available body styles-can be had in 469- and 503-hp strengths. The boxier GLC63 SUV tested here is available only with the lower-output state of tune. Surprisingly, perhaps, we like it better than the burlier GLC63 S coupe. (Both GLC variants also are available in six-cylinder GLC43 guise.)
For starters, the GLC63 SUV's bodywork is far friendlier to the eyes than is the hunchback coupe's, and it's certainly more useful for trips to big-box stores. Stated empirically, you can fit an additional two cubic feet of stuff in its squarer cargo area behind the rear seats. The squared-off shape also aids rear visibility.
Those factors (but mostly the style quotient) make it worth passing over the 503-hp GLC63 S coupe in favor of the 469-hp GLC63. Yes, sacrificing 34 horsepower and 37 lb-ft of torque on the altar of vanity seems, well, vain. The difference in output between the GLC63s' shared twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 (software accounts for the S model's greater muscle) means that the GLC63 SUV is 0.3 second slower to 60 mph, a gap that holds through the quarter-mile, but this model still turns in a 3.6-second rip to 60 mph.
And besides, are fractions of a second really worth the S coupe's $10,850 price premium over the vehicle here? Neither GLC63 is inexpensive, mind you, and there are plenty of ways to inflate the price even further. Our test car came loaded with the $1750 Carbon Fiber package, the $1050 Advanced Lighting package, navigation and an 8.4-inch display for $2200, a $1290 self-parking system with surround-view camera, $750 worth of black-painted trim, the $2250 Driver Assistance package (blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and forward-collision warning), $1500 21-inch wheels, a $1250 active-exhaust system, a $1500 panoramic sunroof, a $990 head-up display, $580 for heated rear seats, a $350 fragrance ionizer, and a $150 performance-tracking app. The net takeaway: $91,150, for a compact ute that costs $70,895 to start.
Girthy tires that stand proud of the fender openings, the vertical grille slats (AMG calls this its Panamericana design), and a quartet of squared-off exhaust outlets are the only visual signals that this GLC is more than just an everyday luxury crossover. It is an attractive, low-key thing. Fire up that V-8, and it becomes a loud one. Though it lacks the S model's Race drive mode (every GLC63 has Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ settings), the SUV offers the same active exhaust that, when uncorked, delivers many magnificent decibels. In keeping with the SUV's less extroverted style, it farts out fewer and less cacophonous pops and cracks on throttle overrun than does the S coupe.
Excitable Mercedes fans will claim that the GLC63 is the closest we Americans will get to the C63 station wagon that AMG sells in other markets, but although they're mechanically alike (save for the GLC's all-wheel-drive system), the GLC63 is a much blunter tool than the lighter, lower C63 wagon. Much like AMGs of yore, the GLC63 SUV is happiest when moving in a straight line, squatting on its fat rear tires as it rockets through traffic making hellacious noise. Mercedes fits an enveloping pair of deeply bolstered front seats that, along with the GLC63's 0.91 g of lateral grip and 159-foot stopping distance from 70 mph, might trick you into thinking it's a sports car in SUV clothing. But don't confuse capability with athleticism. The GLC63 ducks into corners deliberately, relying on the stickiness of those meaty 265/40ZR-21 front and 295/35ZR-21 rear tires to shoulder its palpable mass and complete the action. You can induce some power oversteer in tighter bends, provided you select the Sport stability-control setting-or turn off the electronic nannies altogether.
The Benz is a butter knife to the Stelvio Quadrifoglio and Macan Turbo's scalpels-both of which finished ahead of a GLC63 coupe in our recent comparison test-but unlike many other AMG products, it lacks the usual upside: a calm, Mercedes-like demeanor during less intense driving. Sure, the V-8 and nine-speed automatic transmission settle into a relaxed lope in the tamer drive modes, delivering smooth gearchanges and muted engine noise. The steering, though, always responds with quick movements off center, and the tightly drawn chassis pitter-patters over surface imperfections in every drive mode. It's notably harsher in Sport+ than in Comfort, but even in the latter setting the electronically controlled dampers and air springs can't entirely tame the 21-inch wheels and their low-profile tires, and the cabin fills with road roar when traversing coarse pavement.
The GLC's stylish interior pleases, although it isn't as up-to-date as the E- and S-class's more glamorous, more recently revised innards. And the cabin materials creak with each brutal suspension impact; we've heard similar protests in the also-stiff six-cylinder GLC43 but rarely in the softer-riding four-cylinder GLC300.
Soon, Mercedes will overhaul the GLC , following in the footsteps of the 2019 C-class family. When that happens, we hope AMG applies the same transformative ride-softening measures it did to its C63 hot rods. But even as it is, the SUV variant remains our favorite GLC63, and with its V-8, it's a rarity in this field.
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