New 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 Petrol Review

The new GLC is bigger, longer, more spacious and importantly there is a lot of technology as expected.

In the looks front, the new GLC is cleaner and looks more premium over the earlier one with some important updates mainly to the front via a new grille along with new headlamps being connected to it plus a healthy amount of chrome on the lower half as a skid plate.

Source : Somnath Chatterjee

For Mercedes-Benz, the GLC remains its best-selling SUV and over 13,000 have been sold and it is not hard to see why. The size and the design has been a hit as also the price positioning. Now, the GLC comes back to the Indian market after some time in a new avatar and Mercedes has changed a lot to keep it as the sales leader in its class.

The new GLC is bigger, longer, and more spacious and importantly there is a lot of technology as expected. In the looks front, the new GLC is cleaner and looks more premium over the earlier one with some important updates mainly to the front via a new grille along with new headlamps being connected to it plus a healthy amount of chrome on the lower half as a skid plate.

The new GLC is 60mm longer and also gets sharp-looking 19-inch alloys which looks great too. There are new tail-lamps and a mildly refreshed bumper design too. That said, the interior is the real deal in terms of the changes as it gets a completely new look with a 11.9-inch portrait touchscreen plus a new digital instrument cluster along with a revamped dashboard design.

Like on the new C-Class, the dashboard details are taken from the flagship S-Class while the display quality both from the dials or the touchscreen is fantastic in terms of clarity or the look/feel.

Mercedes has also added new screens for off-road on the digital instrument cluster too. The main touch screen though has all of the controls which means everything is touch operated including the climate control. The touch controls have also moved elsewhere to even the sunroof or the steering or even the seating controls.

The sunroof controls work really well but the steering controls are slightly difficult to use while driving- proper buttons, please. The feature list is big as you would expect with a panoramic sunroof, a superb 15-speaker Burmester audio system, an all-round camera view, connected car tech, fingerprint recognition and natural voice recognition plus more. There is also 64-colour ambient lighting, and heated seats but we would also have liked massage or a cooling function.

The front seats are comfortable and the driving position is great while the all-important rear seats feel sufficiently spacious with a good amount of comfort. Despite a centre tunnel, legroom for two passengers is very good although the seats are slightly firm. A powered tailgate reveals a vast bot at 620 litres.

Both petrol and diesel engines remain but the petrol is what we drove with a turbocharged four-cylinder 2.0l unit with 258 hp and 400Nm. However, there is also a 48V mild hybrid electric boost which brings in an additional 23hp and 200Nm. The electric boost is for reducing lag and having a smooth power delivery which it does. It is linear but there is no explosion of power but it drives smoothly. That said, if you push hard it does sound sporty in dynamic mode.

The steering is light and it is easy to drive while also not being big in terms of size too. Mercedes has increased the ground clearance by 20mm and that is important considering our roads or even taking it slightly further for a small amount of off-roading. Speaking of which, the off-road transparent bonnet also gives a superb view of the front tyres below 8km/h. The overall ride is softer and better while it does get thud through the bigger potholes or the seriously bad roads due to the 19-inch wheels. It is an enjoyable SUV to drive and now you can also take it further off-road.

The new GLC is priced at Rs 73.5 lakh and comes across as a well-rounded package with more luxury and technology now while the added ground clearance and smooth power also help. It is surely a luxury SUV which is neither too soft nor too sporty but just right.

What We Like —  Looks, quality, features, tech, performance, ground clearance.

What We Do Not —  Slightly firm ride, and too many touch controls.