Mercedes GLC 220d | test | Consumption

Today we have the Mercedes GLC 2023 with us. It is the second generation of this medium SUV… although Mercedes says it is the third, since it includes the GLK that it sold from 2008 to 2015 in the family.

THE GLC is important as it is the best-selling Mercedes on the planet. Not in our country, because that honor was Class A in 2022. Things about American, German salaries… compared to the Spanish.

We have spent a week with it and the truth is that it is a good family SUV. It is easy to ride, you have the feeling of having been driving it for years, due to the feeling of control and its balanced set-up. It stands out among its rivals also for its varied technology, without forgetting its large space and good trunk.

We have chosen diesel mechanics since, at the moment, it is the most popular in our market. It has a price of €60,850, which is much higher than its leading alternatives, which have been on the market for longer. In any case, it is easy to find offers for the Mercedes GLC in our new car section, published by official dealers of the brand. And you can try our tools to finance the car and be able to pay it month by month.

Abroad

It is a totally new generation and although at first glance it looks very similar to the previous one, since the proportions are similar, it looks more imposing and more modern, with details that we have already seen from the last C-Class.

This brings us, for example, a longer hood, with ribs that make it more angular. It ends in a grill that is more stretched and wide, which varies depending on the finish. The unit had the AMG Line package and is crowned with small stars. Next to it, some more stylized and aggressive headlights that may have Digital Lightcapable of projecting warnings on the road.

The bumper in the AMG Line versions have more marked side air inlets, in black. If you choose the Avantgarde version you will have a more country and elegant style. In both cases the aerodynamic coefficient improves, with 0.29 Cx.

On the side there are more contrasting black details, such as the mirror caps, window surrounds and roof bars. The ground clearance remains at 179 mm and we see plastic protections on the underbody, but not on the wheel arches, under which we see 20-inch multi-radius wheels in the unit tested (they are 18 as standard).

The GLC 2023 grows 6 centimeters compared to its predecessor. Now he goes to the 4,716mmwhile it is exactly the same width (1,890) and four mm lower, it stays at 1,640 mm.

For its part, the rear wins in elegance thanks to the pilots joined by a black ribbon. The spoiler on the tailgate, which integrates the brake light, is standard. Depending on the finish, the rear diffuser varies, where false exhaust outlets are integrated… and the air intakes in the bumpers are also fictitious.

Inside

I have driven up to three units of the Mercedes C-Class and one thing that grated on me a bit is that its quality of performance was not up to its rivals. This is its equivalent in SUV format and here everything improves a lot. Materials and adjustments have seemed good to me. We found leather on the dashboard and on the upper part of the doors. I am not so convinced by the plastic that imitates the texture of carbon fiber or the piano black of the center console… but of course, in the end, the eyes go to the screen.

And it is that all eyes go to the central screen. As happened in the C-Class, the widescreen design is abandoned to use this 11.9-inch screen placed vertically. It has excellent resolution, full connectivity, and is slightly driver-oriented. She also responds very quickly to commands and is precise. It hosts a lot of features and takes some getting used to.

Under the screen there is a row of physical buttons to directly access the driving modes or the excellent perimeter cameras, as well as sound equipment functions. It can also recognize your fingerprint to automatically recognize you and adjust the driving position to your liking.

As usual, the screen integrates the air conditioning. It is not something that we like, but a detail that the most analog Mercedes already had has been maintained, the tunnel mode. You keep the air recirculation button pressed, all the windows go up at the same time, to prevent toxic gases from entering. If you hold it down again, they open back up to the position they were in before.

For the rest, some good seats, which I liked for their firmness and because they collect the body well without overwhelming. There are, in any case, several to choose from, as well as mouldings, upholstery, lighting… The limit is your budget. And it is that, only the AMG Premium package adds €9,517 to the bill.

Then we have a steering wheel flattened at its base, which is fine but where we are not convinced by the haptic buttons, somewhat imprecise.

Behind him, the second screen for the instrumentation system, 12.3 inches and which has several modes to display the information: Classic, Sports and Discreet. Also a special one for when you leave the road, with information such as the angle of inclination or the temperature of each tire. Does it seem little to you? Well, equip the Head-Up Display, huge, highly configurable, in which you see color information on a windshield surface equivalent to 25 inches.

And before going back, well see some practical detail that is hidden behind the console. There is a wireless charging area and drink rests in the front and then a fairly deep and well finished chest.

Behind the space is great for two and it shows that the wheelbase increased a lot compared to the previous model. The available headroom is good, even if you have a sunroof, like on this unit. Three people will be somewhat less comfortable since there is a rather prominent central tunnel. Of course, good finishes on the doors, as well as in the front seats and ventilation outlets with the possibility of regulating flow and temperature. There is also a good armrest that hides another pair of drink rests.

Trunk

The trunk announces 600 liter capacity, which is a very good number. One of the best large SUVs around 4.70 meters, since only the Jaguar F-Pace, somewhat longer, has a greater capacity.

It supposes that it gains 50 liters compared to its predecessor… and that its most direct rivals, the Audi Q5 and BMW X3:

In addition to being broad, its regular shapes make it very usable. There are also anchors on the floor, hangers on the walls, a space with a net on the left side and an elastic band on the right. We really liked the reversible carpet to be able to carry wet things, as well as the net to separate the cargo space from the passenger compartment and be able to fill it up to the ceiling.

Under the floor there is a very wide false bottom, compartmentalized and very practical. That area is almost completely lost in the plug-in hybrid versions. And if we want to load big things, we can fold down the backs of the rear seats. They are divided into three parts, in a 40:20:40 ratio and you get a space with a capacity of 1,640 liters. By the way, the gate has automated opening and closing as standard on the entire range.

Engine

The mechanical range of the Mercedes GLC is committed to supercharged two-liter four-cylinder engines. They are associated with a nine-speed automatic torque converter and send power to all wheels through 4Matic all-wheel drive.

The conventional versions have light hybridization, hence they obtain the ECO label. There are two fuel options, GLC 200 (204 HP) and GLC 300 (258 HP) and two diesel, the GLC 220 d (197 HP) and GLC 300 d (269 HP). The range is completed by plug-in hybrid versions, with a gasoline or diesel engine and a 31.2 kWh capacity battery with which they certify more than 128 km of autonomy (the GC 300 e with 313 hp and the GLC 300 with 333 CV), labeled Zero. Until the arrival of the AMG variants will be the most powerful.

Today we have the least powerful version of the entire range, which is still interesting. It is GLC 220d with 197 CV (145 kW) that delivers at 3,600 rpm and 440 Nm of torque between 1,800 and 2,800 rpm. Also good performance, since it is capable of accelerating up to 100 km/h from a standstill in 8 seconds, good data for a car that marks 2,000 kg on the scale. On an Autobahn it can go up to 219 km/h. And also, an approved expense of 5.2 l/100 km.

Behavior

The diesel engine moves the car well, responds very well from low revs and keeps consumption at bay. On our usual route, which combines a highway, some city and a mountain road, it spent 6.1 l/100 km. A slightly higher figure than what we got with the X3 xDrive 20d, but very similar.

The electrical system has an electric motor of 23 CV and 200 Nm of torque that does not move the wheels, but supports the engine in phases of intense acceleration, serves as a starter motor and allows driving with the combustion engine off, “under sail”. ”. Very different from the first hybrid in its history, which is older than you think.

It is quite refined in its operation (perhaps a little rougher than the Audi Q5 40 tdi) and the nine-speed gearbox, without being a prodigy of speed, engages speeds very smoothly, goes very well with a car with a marked family character.

As usual, the Mercedes GLC has several driving modes that adjust some parameters of the vehicle. They are the efficiency, Comfort and Sport, which vary the sensitivity of the engine’s response to the accelerator, steering assistance or the operation of the gearbox. It has a specific Offroad one, if you want to go out into the field.

It is not an SUV, even less with the AMG Line finish and the low rolling resistance tires that it mounts. But Mercedes has played to have a versatile car. Under normal conditions, it delivers 55% of the torque to the rear axle and 45% to the front. It can be interesting if you move on roads a lot with the air suspension and the offroad package, to gain ground clearance (up to 249 mm) and underbody protection.

The suspension is firm, but it didn’t seem to me to be as precise a car in slow corners as a BMW X3 or a Stelvio, much more reactive in those fights. Of course, with this suspension the imperfections of the road are quite noticeable… and again, that the choice of tires was not the most appropriate for a car that seems that it could give more of itself.

Opinion cars.com

The Mercedes GLC has improved its presence, its interior quality and has also raised its level of technology. At these points it already meets among the best on the market.

In the dynamic section, the diesel engine of access has seemed to us that it has a good compromise between performance and consumption. But we have not been convinced by the tires, which do not go well with that harder-set sports chassis and less agility, where it is still behind its lighter rivals.

We were not convinced either by the piano black interior or by its price, which is one of the highest when compared with all-wheel drive diesel models of similar power:

If you want a higher degree of electrification, the plug-in hybrid versions can already be reserved… at the cost, yes, of raising the bill by a few tens of thousands of euros more.

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