Big, comfy and luxurious, GLC 300d is wickedly quick too
Twenty years ago, if we tested a car and it ran in the mid-five second bracket, we’d be blown away. For example, I was gobsmacked when the Mercedes-AMG CLS 55 ran a low five seconds in 1986. It was world news when our BMW M5 V10 broke five that year. OK, we tested up in Jo’burg back then, but that’s not the point.
SUVs were hardly a thing in those days. But look now. Those sedans are all but extinct and the world spins on sport utes. So it wasn’t really very special when this Mercedes-Benz GLC 300d pitched up on our driveway. Until we plucked the trusty VBox to the windscreen and went out testing.
That’s when everything all of a sudden came into full focus. Zero to 100 under five and a half. Without really trying. True, we had to line lock it a little longer get it all spooled up, but from there, just drop the brake and voila. It seems like yesterday when I so struggled to get the M5 off the line. Moreso that AMG. No such issues here…
Nothing suggests this SUV’s unexpected pace
Most astounding is that this larger, heavier car that punches a far bigger hole through the air, is just a 2-litre four cylinder turbodiesel. OK, at 198 kilowatts and 550 Nm with its 48V mild hybrid starter-generator integrated in its 9-speed automatic box, it’s 38 kW and 110 Nm stronger than a GLC 220d. But nothing to suggest it rivals good old rear wheel drive super saloons
Good for a heady 243 km/h top end, should that tickle your fancy, Benz tells us it sips the same 5.5 litres of diesel per 100 km as the 220d at 155 gams CO2 per kilometre. We never really had any trouble meeting that in genteel, missed driving conditions. Scratching deeper, we find that 9-speed turns Merc 4-Matic all-wheel drive.
Four-link front, and multi-link rear independent suspension does duty with amplitude-dependent selective damping with speed-sensitive electro-mechanical direct rack-and-pinion steering and vented disc brakes all round. Mounted on subframes for best ride and noise comfort, without compromising dynamics. Ours also had optional Engineering package level control Airmatic air suspension and rear-axle steering.
GLC 300d brings sublime levels of digitisation
Comfortable on the road, if perhaps more luxurious than dynamic, the GLC 300 still provides good feedback. But the brakes are spongy. Decent enough on the dirt, one needs to turn the nannies off to get the best out of it. They do interfere. It’s also a little too wallowy for our liking off the beaten track, but more than capable to venture off the tarmac from time to time.
Super smooth, luxurious, and comfortable on the bitumen, this car is one of those built for comfort, rather than rushing about like a maniac. Of which it is way more than capable of doing.
This car’s Digital Light headlamps connect across its signature grille to emphasise its width. While we’re here, those headlamps certainly are next level. Using precise and dynamic latest gheadlamp technology, they deliver targeted high-resolution light according to local conditions. Be sure to tick that box when ordering yours, no matter what the cost.
Big, bold wheels and a long, balanced nose
Getting back to the looks, New GLC’s slippery 0.29Cd drag coefficient, wide track, and this one’s flush, big, bold wheels and a balanced, long nose contribute to a typically pure Wagner Mercedes design. The longer wheelbase brings more interior room, and a bigger, auto shutting boot.
That styling class and purity spreads to GLC’s sturdier and beautifully built cabin. The veneered space even has real aluminium LED ambient lit inlays. Merc’s latest spec multifunction steering wheel frames 12.3-inch ‘floating’ driver’s instrumentation on a wing-like dash featuring aircraft style vents under a neat uninterrupted new optional panoramic sunroof.
The GLC 300d also brings sublime levels of digitisation to a powerful and efficient package in a welcome shot of excitement and novelty. True, but as JD Power says of most modern cars today, cartainment can be confusing, complex, and occasionally tricky to use.
Who doesn’t just love a sleeper?
So loads of tech spreads to the significant 11.9-inch high-res My-Mercedes LCD infotainment screen. It has all the necessary connectivity, integration and wireless charging too. Such a pity it’s all let down by those horrid touch buttons. Also, an abundance of tech is great. But failed by aspects like slow augmented reality navigation.
We’ve always known that the Mercedes-Benz GLC is bold and luxurious. What we never expected, was how blindingly quick this 2-litre turbodiesel 300 d would be. It actually rivals 20 year old super saloons . So along with all its contemporary plusses, we’d not bat an eyelid to spend that premium over the 220d.
Not only is it way faster, but it’s just as economical, too. Now that’s what we call a win. And who doesn’t just love a sleeper? – Michele Lupini.
Test data & images: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Mercedes-Benz GLC 300d Avantgarde
Engine: 198 kW 550 Nm 2-litre turbodiesel I4
Motor: 48V mild hybrid starter generator
Drive: 9-speed automatic AWD
Braked Trailer: 2,500 kg
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 3.35 sec
0-100 km/h: 7.71 sec
0-120 km/h: 10.57 sec
0-160 km/h: 19.23 sec
400m: 15.4 sec @ 145 km/h
80-120 km/h: 5.33 sec
120-160 km/h: 8.66 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 243 km/h
Fuel: 5.5 l/100 km
CO2: 147 g/km
Range: 1125 km
Warranty/Service: 5y 100K/5y 100K km
LIST PRICE: R1.347M
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