Mercedes-Benz is slicing the fats.
Globally, it’s eradicating slower-selling, lower-profit fashions from its lineup.
In Australia, it’s slicing again on the variety of variants it affords throughout the board – even the best-selling GLC SUV has misplaced its entry-level petrol engine possibility, together with the pair of diesels that have been as soon as accessible in native showrooms.
That leaves simply the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300. It’s not brief on showroom attraction, using on AMG Line wheels and packing extra three-pointed stars lathered in matte silver than you possibly can poke a stick at. Simply take a look at that grille.
That’s earlier than you open the door and catch a glimpse of the big central display, the costly wanting air vents, and the disco temper lighting. Then once more, it’d wish to feel and appear fairly particular.
With a beginning worth north of $100,000 earlier than on-road prices, it has some heavy lifting to do within the face of sturdy competitors from the likes of BMW and Audi, together with Lexus, Genesis, and even Mazda, in a nook of the automotive world that’s hotly contested.
How does the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class evaluate?
View an in depth breakdown of the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class in opposition to equally sized autos.
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How a lot does the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class price?
Mercedes-Benz doesn’t supply the identical vary of choices as its most important rivals in Australia, with simply two variants – each with a four-cylinder petrol engine. The distinction? One is a wagon, one has a coupe roofline.
| Mannequin Variant | $RRP |
|---|---|
| 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4Matic | $103,370 |
| 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4Matic Coupe | $113,900 |
Costs exclude on-road prices
To see how the GLC compares with its rivals, take a look at our comparability software.
What’s the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class like on the within?
Mercedes-Benz does showroom attraction higher than most, and the GLC is not any exception.
Drop into the generously padded driver’s seat and also you’re greeted with two high-resolution shows, neither of which might be misplaced in your wall at residence. The steering wheel has a chubby rim that feels nice in your palms, and also you get a commanding view of the street forward… however there are some issues.
At 6’7 I realise I’m not what you’d name regular peak. However I wasn’t capable of get correctly comfy behind the wheel within the GLC, and wasn’t capable of get the aspect mirrors right into a place that confirmed near sufficient of the lanes both aspect of the automotive.
It’s not a difficulty I’ve had in another trendy automotive – to not almost the identical extent – and simply isn’t ok in a $100,000 luxurious SUV from a model with the tagline ‘The Finest or Nothing’.
At the very least the know-how is sharp. The primary iterations of MBUX, which is the identify Mercedes-Benz offers its in-car know-how suite, have been a bit too fiddly – that’s not the case anymore.
With a lot display actual property to play with, there’s room for all the main features to take a seat inside simple attain so that you don’t have to go digging via menus to vary the temperature or fan velocity. Mercedes-Benz calls it Zero Layer, and for probably the most half it really works.
Some features like the driving force help techniques are buried deep inside, however you’re capable of create shortcuts to these options in case you use them commonly.
You’re capable of work together with the system utilizing contact, or utilizing pure voice instructions (Hey Mercedes, I’m chilly), or utilizing the fiddly touchpad on the left-hand spoke of the steering wheel.
Wi-fi Apple CarPlay appears sensible on the large display, and linked reliably all through our week with the automotive.
Music sounds glorious on the usual Burmester sound system, with punchy bass and spectacular readability if you crank up the amount.
There are two USB-C ports up entrance, together with a wi-fi telephone charger tucked away underneath the dashboard. Storage areas abound, from the open space with cupholders on the transmission tunnel, to the open door bins and respectable central bin.
We’ve criticised earlier GLC check automobiles for his or her sub-par construct high quality, from creaky door trims to a jammed lid on the cupholders.
This automotive had no such points, and felt tightly screwed collectively. The awkward seat controls, abundance of gloss black trim, and plasticky air vents don’t precisely scream high quality, however that’s a standard grievance throughout the Mercedes-Benz vary in 2024.
Down again, the GLC is on the extra spacious finish of its class.
The rear doorways have a fairly large aperture, making it simple to load or unload children from youngster seats, and when you’re in there’s sufficient legroom to take a seat adults behind adults with out an excessive amount of hassle. Headroom is appropriate, however the panoramic sunroof and classy roofline imply tall passengers will really feel a bit cramped in a method they received’t in a BMW X3.
The staggered side-step design means longer-legged adults don’t have to awkwardly step over and in, however children have a stable footing from which to clamber in. The center seat has a reasonably vital hump on it, that means it’s greatest reserved for smaller individuals on brief journeys.
The air vents, USB-C ports, and fold-down central armrest are welcome inclusions in case you’re carrying children round, and there’s loads of mild within the again for carsick travellers. A trio of high tether factors function for youngster seats, together with ISOFIX factors on the outboard rear seats.
Boot house is a claimed 620 litres, increasing to 1680 litres with the second row folded flat. That declare is class main, and the load house itself is broad and flat, with a bootlid opens increased than in its rivals.
You’ll must be cautious in underground garages, but it surely means tall homeowners can stroll proper as much as the loading lip with out worrying a few concussion. Beneath the ground is an area saver spare tyre.
What’s underneath the bonnet?
There’s no diesel engine within the Australian GLC vary, nor a six-cylinder possibility.
| GLC 300 4MATIC | |
|---|---|
| Engine | 2.0L 4cyl turbo 48V MHEV |
| Energy | 190kW |
| Torque | 400Nm |
| Transmission | 9-speed computerized |
| Pushed Wheels | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1970kg (tare) |
| Gas financial system (claimed) | 7.7L/100km |
| Gas financial system (as examined) | 8.5L/100km |
| Gas tank | 62L |
| Octane score | 95 RON |
How does the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class drive?
Prod the beginning button, and the four-cylinder engine fires to life with a delicate growl.
It’s typically very quiet, buzzing alongside within the background with the nine-speed computerized shuffling via its closely-stacked ratios to maintain the engine in its torque band.
The steering is mild and direct, there’s loads of punch if you gently lean on the accelerator, and the trip high quality is mostly good, making this a straightforward automotive to drive within the metropolis.
There’s a number of layers of insulation on every bit of suggestions that makes for a luxurious, polished feeling.
Often a pointy hit like a pothole or notably nasty velocity bump can actually thud into the cabin, as is often the case in automobiles using on large wheels wrapped in sporty, low-profile tyres.
Actually put your foot down and you may smash the serenity. The four-cylinder engine sounds a bit awkward and diesel-ish at sure speeds, and the way in which it revs out to the redline can really feel strained within the decrease gears. Will the typical proprietor care? In all probability not.
There’s no excuse for scraped wheels or bumpers on the town due to the suite of high-resolution cameras and sensors across the automotive.
At decrease speeds you mechanically get a transparent image of what’s happening across the automotive, and on the site visitors lights it makes use of the front-facing digital camera behind the windscreen to indicate the site visitors lights. It’s not at all times helpful, but it surely does turn out to be useful at occasions.
It’s impressively settled at increased speeds, too. There’s sufficient torque on faucet to get you as much as 100km/h with out an excessive amount of fuss, and at these speeds it drops into ninth gear and ticks over barely above idle.
There’s a languid feeling to the way in which it rides on the freeway, floating properly over rugged Australian nation roads.
Large crests and dips are soaked up in a single neat motion, and there’s little or no in the way in which of street or engine noise within the cabin.
Coarse chip surfaces make for a little bit of background static, but it surely’s removed from overwhelming.
It’s all very Mercedes-Benz, though it’s onerous to argue with the very fact an enormous diesel engine would make the brand new GLC a extra achieved cruiser once more.
In typical Mercedes-Benz trend, all of the energetic driver assists are glorious.
Adaptive cruise management well maintains a niche to the automotive in entrance, a the lane-keeping help is among the many most intuitive in the marketplace.
It’s abundantly clear it’s there for you, decisively nudging the steering wheel if you stray in the direction of the white strains.
In live performance, they make this an extremely low-stress automotive to drive lengthy distances. Mercedes-Benz additionally will get credit score for having capacitive sensors all the way in which across the wheel so a light-weight contact is sufficient.
What do you get?
There’s a protracted listing of ordinary inclusions within the GLC 300, however you possibly can nonetheless discover a technique to spend extra with a number of alternative choices.
GLC 300 4Matic highlights:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- AMG Line exterior
- Panoramic glass sunroof
- Aluminium-look operating boards
- Colored wheel arch liners
- Energy tailgate
- 11.9-inch MBUX touchscreen infotainment system
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- Fingerprint scanner
- Head-up show
- Wi-fi charger
- Off-Street driving mode with clear bonnet view
- AMG Line inside
- Woodgrain dashboard trim
- Piano black centre console
- Artico higher sprint
- Artico door linings
- Artico upholstery
- Powered entrance seats incl. reminiscence
- Heated entrance seats
Plus Bundle ($6900) provides:
- Digital Gentle headlights
- Adaptive Highbeam Help Plus
- Warmth- and noise insulating acoustic glass
- Burmester 3D encompass sound system
- Augmented actuality navigation
- Guard 360 automobile safety plus
Mercedes-Benz additionally says it contains “extra driving help techniques”.
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class protected?
The Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV earned a five-star ANCAP security score earlier this 12 months in opposition to the 2020-2022 testing protocols – this Euro NCAP-derived score doesn’t embody the Coupe physique type, nonetheless.
Commonplace security gear contains:
- Adaptive cruise management
- Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
- Blind-spot help
- Lane maintain help
- Parking sensors entrance, rear
- Rear cross-traffic help
- Semi-autonomous parking help
- Velocity signal recognition
- 360-degree cameras
- Tyre stress monitoring
How a lot does the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class price to run?
Mercedes-Benz was the primary luxurious model in Australia to maneuver to a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.
| Guarantee | 5 years, limitless kilometres |
|---|---|
| Service intervals | 12 months, 25,000km |
| 3yr service plan | $3100 |
| 4yr service plan | $4200 |
| 5yr service plan | $6455 |
CarExpert’s Take
The GLC 300 is a powerful luxurious SUV, but it surely’s not fairly spectacular sufficient to get away with its price ticket.
With only one variant on supply, it actually must be a standout on all fronts.
It has the flashiest, most luxurious inside of any rival – it makes the X3 and Q5 really feel previous behind the wheel, which they are surely at this level.
It’s additionally polished on the street, even when the dearth of a diesel possibility for drivers spending a very long time on the open street is a disgrace.
However… there are some flaws current within the GLC that actually shouldn’t be. Given its worth the flashy cabin feels low-cost in some locations, and the very fact there are nonetheless choices packages actually is disappointing.
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