The new four-cylinder Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 is much faster than the SUV it replaces – even though that means it’s had an entire personality transplant. This is a very different beast to its thunderous predecessor.
The big news with this SUV is, of course, the axing of AMG’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 and the installation of a four-cylinder plug-in-hybrid powertrain in its place – required to meet ever-tightening emissions regulations in Mercedes-Benz’s home German market.
Built on the same MRA2 platform as the latest W206 C-Class, this second-generation GLC 63 is, from an engineering perspective, a vastly complicated vehicle, sharing its powertrain with the equally intriguing new AMG C63 S E-Performance.
There’s a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder – the same basic unit as in the A45 S hot-hatch – producing 350kW and 545Nm, which are very impressive figures on their own, forgetting the drivetrain’s total system output. This engine is fed by an F1-inspired, electrically assisted turbocharger that promises to spool up much quicker than one fed solely by exhaust gases.
Then there’s the electric component. A rear-mounted electric motor and lithium-ion battery supply an additional 150kW/320Nm, giving the GLC 63 a staggering combined output of 500kW and 1020Nm. That’s quite a step up on the old V8’s 375kW/700Nm.
With 2310kg to shift – about 200kg more than the old model – that results in launch-control-assisted 0-100km/h acceleration in a claimed 3.5sec, or 0.5sec quicker than the old V8.
There’s also a sophisticated, performance-focused all-wheel-drive system, active anti-roll bars and rear-axle steering. If you’re into technology, there’s plenty for you to love.
Mercedes-AMG will offer the GLC 63 S E-Performance in two bodystyles – traditional SUV and sloping-roof Coupe. To our eyes, no matter the body, this is a tough-looking vehicle – somehow perfectly sized and shaped, and with great proportions. It’s definitely an SUV we’d be looking back at gleefully while hitting ‘lock’ on the keyfob in a supermarket carpark.
Rivals include the straight-six $178,000 BMW X3 M Competition (375kW/650Nm) and, at $162,700, the twin-turbo V6 Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV (with 375kW/600Nm). You could also potentially count the thumping, V8-powered $177,800 Audi SQ8 (373kW/770Nm).
What are the GLC 63 S E-Performance’s features and options for the price?
The GLC 63 S E-Performance costs $191,814 before on-road costs – an increase of around $5300 compared to the previous wagon model, which isn’t too rude in the context of massive price hikes with new models from other premium manufacturers of late.
At $198,415 before on-road costs, the new GLC 63 Coupe costs an extra $6601. That’s an increase of about $8100 compared to the previous V8-engined GLC 63 Coupe.
Both versions of the new four-cylinder model are generously specified, especially compared to overseas versions. Highlights include:
- 1991cc 350kW/545Nm turbocharged four-cylinder engine
- 150kW/320Nm rear electric motor with two-speed transmission
- Combined outputs of 500kW/1020Nm
- 9-speed wet clutch automatic transmission
- Performance all-wheel-drive system
- Limited-slip rear differential
- 21-inch staggered-width forged alloy wheels
- Six-piston front brake calipers with 390mm discs
- Single-piston rear brake calipers with 370mm discs
- Rear-axle steering
- Active anti-roll bars
- Adaptive dampers
- 6.1kWh lithium-ion battery
- “Night Package II” blacked-out exterior elements
- Panoramic sunroof
- Burmester sound system
- Nappa leather upholstery
- Heated front seats
- Head-up display
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 11.9-inch infotainment touchscreen
- Wireless Apple CarPlay
- Wireless Android Auto
- Wireless phone charger
- Augmented reality in-built sat-nav
- AMG Track Pace app
- Electrically opening and closing tailgate
There are plenty of options including the $6900 Performance Ergonomic Package which adds a bit of microfibre to the steering wheel, and the AMG Performance front seats with multi-contour function.
The $2600 Carbon Interior Package adds a bit of carbonfibre trim to the dash and steering wheel. And for $8300 you can get carbon-ceramic brakes with trademark gold brake calipers.
An Edition One is also available, for now, for an extra $12,900, adding matte charcoal paint, some menacing exterior decals, an AMG Aerodynamics Package, and yellow interior and exterior highlights such as brake calipers and seatbelts.
How does the GLC 63 S E-Performance drive?
The new GLC 63 is blisteringly fast with spectacular torque, acceleration and traction – even if its weight blunts its ultimate handling ability.
As you’d expect, the most interesting thing about this SUV is its powertrain – and it’s certainly intriguing, not least because there are eight drive modes to choose from and an almost limitless combination of various settings for everything from suspension to stability control.
Our drive begins in Brisbane CBD and in pure electric-only mode, 8km of range is displayed on the dash – somewhat less than AMG’s own “up to 14km” claim.
Moving away near-silently with a bit of a cool, high-tech whine from the electric powertrain, the GLC 63’s sole, rear-mounted motor gives it plenty of shove in its single EV-only mode.
Once the battery is depleted – which really doesn’t take long at all when driving around town – it’s very impressive how the GLC 63 switches from petrol to electric modes, totally seamlessly. That’s often mentioned by car reviewers for hybrid vehicles, but the AMG somehow takes it to another level. It’s a masterclass in hybrid powertrain calibration.
We love that at low engine speeds, especially pulling against a taller gear, you can easily hear the turbo hissing away – even with the windows up. You can’t get that with an EV.
Around town, this is a comfortable, if still highly focused vehicle. While there’s a general suppleness to the suspension and damping, the GLC 63 lets you know it’s an AMG even at low speeds with a hard edge to its ride, and plenty of noise and vibration from its tyres – especially as you increase to highway speeds.
The seats are also increasingly firm and tight, and have the dubious distinction of being the first ever to give this road-tester an actual sore back. No joke.
Find yourself on a winding road, however – Mount Glorious west of Brisbane for us today – and it takes just a flick of the steering-wheel-mounted drive mode button to Sport, Sport Plus or Race for the GLC 63 to instantly transform from a hard-riding GLC into something seriously angry.
As you’d hope, there’s plenty of acceleration – making this one hilariously rapid vehicle. There’s abundant muscularity anywhere in the rev range thanks to the torque-filling electric motor and quick-spinning electric turbo, meaning there’s minimal waiting around for the full 500kW to arrive.
Press your foot flat to the floor and through the détente at the end of the throttle pedal travel, and there’s an awesome sensation of the GLC 63 throwing everything it can at accruing speed – electrons, hydrocarbons, the lot.
Yet despite the anger of its acceleration, we just couldn’t make ourselves come to equally love the sound. Given how important sound would be to owners of the previous model, the synthetic induction noise coming through the front speakers is too obviously fake for our ears. Luckily there’s plenty of hilarious cracks, bangs and pops from the exhaust on upshifts and overrun, somewhat making up for the lacklustre speaker fakery.
While the GLC 63 carves up corners in a very enthusiastic way, we must reserve ultimate judgement on its handling until we get the GLC 63 back at Chasing Cars HQ. There’s just so much going on, and so much left for us to explore.
Our drive was limited to wet and cold winding roads with very sensible speed limits, where the GLC felt a bit heavy and nervous on cold tyres. On a dry, bitumen road, the GLC 63 could either start to wither towards its limit – or transform into something physics-defyingly sensational. From the launch drive, however, we wouldn’t know.
There’s every chance it would be a total animal pushed to the limit, the active anti-roll bars, rear-steering, torque-meting all-wheel-drive and tricky ESC system all working as one – stay tuned for a more in-depth test of the GLC 63 E-Performance’s handling soon.
The GLC 63’s advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) is very good – one of the best we’ve tested – confidently tracking within its lane with the cruise control on. If you do a lot of freeway driving, the GLC 63 will be a willing companion with its decent highway economy and excellent, fatigue-reducing active-safety systems.
What is the GLC 63 S E-Performance’s interior and tech like?
The GLC 63’s interior is classic Mercedes-Benz class and luxury, with a brooding AMG touch.
You sit high compared to any Mercedes sedan or coupe – in classic SUV fashion. But still the interior fortunately has a way of making you feel like you’re sitting ‘in’ the GLC, rather than ‘on’ it, rising up and wrapping around you.
Our test car made its AMG DNA very well known, too, with its generous carbonfibre trim and Alcantara-like inlays where your hands go on the steering wheel.
One touch we love are the small displays on the steering wheel allowing you to quickly toggle between various drive modes. On the left, you can breezily activate items such as the (slightly awful) fake noise, and on the right, a rotary dial permits easy switching between modes such as electric-only and Sport Plus.
Like with so many brand-new cars, there are dual screens – a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, and an 11.9-inch portrait infotainment display. The graphics are lovely and modern, and there are plenty of various speed/rev displays to choose from within the instrument cluster.
While there’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Merc’s own MBUX infotainment looks good, is easy enough to work out, and is plenty responsive. Technophiles will love that there’s also a head-up display – and a very good one at that.
In the back there’s lots of space for adults, although while there’s a clever tablet holder built into the centre armrest, curiously we couldn’t see any USB ports for second-row passengers whatsoever. There are two sets of ISOFIX points on the outboard rear seats, and three top tether anchorages.
Compared to a regular GLC, the 63 treatment eats into boot space by a factor of 110 litres, to accommodate the electric motor unit on the rear axle. Visually, the boot floor is obviously raised, although unless you regularly pack the boot to the absolute ceiling, it doesn’t really impact rear luggage space that much. There’s still plenty.
The GLC also uses a handy 40/20/40 rear seat split, and the rear seats can be electrically folded with boot-situated buttons.
There’s no spare wheel – just a puncture repair kit.
Is the GLC 63 S E-Performance a safe car?
The GLC 63 S is about as safe as new SUVs get.
In 2023, the current generation GLC scored five stars in Euro NCAP crash-testing. It scored 92 percent for both adult and child occupant protection, 74 percent for vulnerable road user protection and 84 percent for safety assist.
The GLC 63 S comes with the following safety features as standard:
- Nine airbags
- Semi-autonomous adaptive cruise control with active lane-keeping
- Autonomous emergency braking (forward and reverse, with pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist detection)
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- 360-degree view parking camera
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Adaptive high beam
- Blind-spot monitoring
What are the GLC 63 S E-Performance’s ownership costs?
The GLC 63 would be expensive to own by normal SUV standards – although perhaps cheap by those of performance models.
With a fully charged battery, Mercedes-AMG claims combined fuel consumption of 7.3L/100km – an improvement of 4.9L/100km over the old twin-turbo V8. The GLC 63 requires 98RON premium unleaded petrol.
During our test we saw general combined fuel economy of 9.0L/100km – although this was with some very enthusiastic driving. We’d love to retest the GLC 63’s efficiency in a purely urban setting. We saw 100km/h highway economy of 6.3L/100km.
While service intervals are a generous 12 months/20,000km (whichever comes first), servicing itself is expensive. A five-year servicing plan costs $7180 which is a lot.
Tyres for a GLC 63 would not be cheap, while depreciation could sting more than usual. This is just our speculation, but it’s possible the GLC 63 S E-Performance won’t hold its value quite as strongly as the outgoing V8 model.
The GLC 63 S is warranted for five years/unlimited kilometres and comes with five years of roadside assistance.
The honest verdict on the GLC 63 S E-Performance
The new GLC 63 is undoubtedly faster and more capable than the one it replaces, although it makes us wonder – is it the answer to a question nobody asked? Nobody, mind you, other than EU legislators looking to get car companies to create more efficient vehicles.
That’s being a bit harsh because there’s lots to love about the new GLC 63. The fuel efficiency is meaningfully better, it looks awesome, and it’s a triumph of technology and calibration. Just driving it and knowing what’s going on underneath you – invisibly – is an awesome feeling.
You could wonder, why did AMG bother with all the complexity and not just skip the PHEV phase and go full BEV? The PHEV route has made for hardly a lightweight SUV.
Well, that’s because even though it’s a fiendishly complicated piece of overall technology, all those different systems and all those moving parts give it a genuine, mechanical personality a battery electric vehicle (BEV) could only dream of.
It’s just a question of whether that personality will appeal to those who loved the old V8.
