Glamorous & functional
Mercedes-Benz SUV gets makeover with luxury stylings plus cargo space that will make serious gardeners smile
The greatest purpose an SUV has served in my life has been to haul mulch, manure and plants. In spring, nothing makes me happier than turning an offroader into a rolling greenhouse.
So right away, I pressed the 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 into service.
As a mid-size SUV, the GLC is well suited for safaris to the garden centre. It’s not so big that it feels like a hippo squeezing into tight parking spots, but it’s big enough to gobble up early season supplies. Officially, the GLC can carry about 1,600 litres of cargo, which is hard to visualize. Picture instead six bags of potting soil and a bunch of plants, including some pretty tall orchids that made up the haul from a recent visit to the garden centre.
“Useful” is just part of the GLC story. It’s also glamorous. If you follow Mercedes’ obsession for classification you’ll remember that this SUV used to be called the GLK. It was rugged looking and angular, and the interior adhered to the Shaker principles of simplicity. I loved it.
But now reborn as the GLC, it is has sashayed over to the luxury styling of the C-Class sedan. The interior is sensuous and elegant, the exterior is sexy and streamlined. It’s also bigger but weighs less and is better on gas than the GLK.
My test vehicle, the GLC 300 4Matic, starts at a base price of $45,150, but options and special packages brought the total to $57,450. It’s lavishly equipped and a delight to drive.
First off, the GLC handles bad roads beautifully. Let’s face it, sometimes it feels like we are still driving on K-W’s historic corduroy road. Throw pot holes, construction divots, road cuts at it and the GLC floats over them all like Ryan Gosling in “La La Land.” When the roads smooth out, bump the driving mode from Comfort to Sport+ and the GLC handles like a sedan.
The four-cylinder turbo produces a lively 241 horsepower and the nine-speed automatic transmission shifts quickly and seamlessly. With so many gears available, the GLC never lugs or revs too high, but settles into a gear that proves fuel efficient and keeps the engine running quietly. The brakes are superb – there’s not a hint of mushiness in the pedal and the grip is confident.
Among the options on my test vehicle was the $2,700 Intelligent Drive Package. In this bundle are the features that move us closer to autonomous driving. Using blind spot assist, lane departure, steering assist
and radar, the GLC can drive itself. You can keep your hands on the wheel and go along for the ride or take your hands off the wheel for a few seconds and let it do all the work. Self-driving technology is constantly improving, and on the GLC it worked unobtrusively. Most impressive is the way it will brake to avoid a rear-end collision. In stop and go highway traffic, the adaptive cruise control brought the GLC down from 100 km per hour to 60 km in a textbook display of smooth braking.
Combine safety and solid driving feel with a lovely interior, and the GLC is really a triple threat. From the well-contoured driver’s seat, essential controls are within reach and the view conjures up a stylish boutique hotel.
The trim in my GLC was called alpine brown glossy wood, a generic name for a wood trim produced with the environment in mind. Mercedes uses domestic wood veneers such as poplar and linden that are layered and recut to replicate exotic tropical wood. In the GLC, 70 components are made using natural materials.
However, in the drive to make the cockpit stylish and streamlined, things can go awry. The gearshift has moved from the centre console to the steering column, where its small size takes getting used to. It’s also in the traditional spot where the windshield wiper stalk used to reside. While it declutters the centre console, I think it’s a mistake.
The tech stuff is pretty functional, a high resolution touchpad is intended to be used for most tasks, but it works best when the GLC is stopped; in motion it’s imprecise to use. I also missed a dial for music volume, it can be used without taking your eyes off the road, and that’s important.
Aside from those overwrought controls, the GLC is pretty dreamy. Quiet, agile, finely detailed it makes a stylish statement whether it’s loaded down with mulch or cantering to the country club for dinner.