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First drive Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S
THE GLC is a mid-sized SUV, so you won’t be shocked to learn it’s one of Mercedes-Benz’s most popular models in the UK. It’s just received a minor mid-life facelift, with a slightly different look and some new engines. But we’ve been driving the hot version, in the form of the AMG GLC 63 S – the S denoting this is the hotter of the two hot versions.
AMG: Those three letters mean lots of performance, lairy styling plus an addictive exhaust note– and despite being an SUV, the recipe is no different here. We got behind the ‘coupe’ version of the go-faster GLC to see how it stacks up in a competitive market.
It’s fairly standard facelift fare. On the outside, the changes are quite subtle, with minor alterations to the headlights, redesigned bumpers and grille.
Inside, the changes are a bit more noticeable, although still marginally so – the GLC gets a similar dashboard to the recently updated C-Class executive saloon on which it’s based, with the most notable change being the new touchscreen running the latest MBUX infotainment system.
Other than that, it’s largely as you were, although there’s a new AMG steering wheel with touchpads built in to control menus.
Again, nothing particularly revolutionary here, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing because this AMG staple is a delightful unit. It’s a 4.0-litre V8 with two turbos that makes 469bhp and 650Nm of torque in the ‘standard’ GLC 63, and 503bhp and
700Nm in S guise. Unsurprisingly, given the performance figures – and despite the relatively large SUV they relate to – acceleration is brisk. Zero to 60mph takes less than four seconds in both engine variants, with the four-wheel-drive and fat, grippy tyres ensuring stomach-curdling pace with little effort or skill required from the driver. Just stamp on the right pedal and off you go.
The GLC 63 S manages to tread a contradictory line between being totally unremarkable and utterly mind-blowing. It’s difficult to explain how something that’s holding back such a stampede of horsepower can ever be anything other than intoxicating, but when you’re doing the boring stuff – school run, commute, weekly shop – it could be any other GLC.
When you do decide to give it some welly, boy does it come alive. Straight-line speed defies all logic. The soundtrack that accompanies this blistering pace is pure AMG theatre, too. Naturally, it feels a little unwieldy in corners – it feels quite large when you’re pressing on, and keeping it between the lines on a committed countryside blast takes genuine effort – but the GLC was really made for ludicrously quick motorway overtakes and slip road shenanigans. And at this it excels.
The looks of this ‘coupe’ version are probably most politely described as ‘divisive’. German manufacturers love to fill a niche, and that’s what’s happening here – it’s essentially an SUV at the front and middle, but with a drooping, coupe-like roofline to the back that infringes on rear headroom. It’s a curious look, but these styles sell well across the industry – buyers love them.
The AMG GLC is also available in more traditional SUV form, which will save you about £3000 compared with the coupe, depending which specification you go for.
As you’d expect from a top-spec Mercedes, the interior is fantastically appointed and provides a real premium appeal. Much like the pre-facelift version, it has a sweeping centre console, now with a new trackpad between the seats to control the infotainment. It’s all very upmarket.
The GLC 63 S carves a niche for itself in being unashamedly extroverted, with brutal performance and a barking V8 soundtrack. Herein lies much of its appeal.