It might not get as much attention as the all-electric EQ models, but the redesigned 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC is easily the German automaker’s most important new model this year. The future may be electric, most people still live in the combustion-engine and hybrid present, and the GLC has been Mercedes-Benz’s best-selling global model for the past two years.
Redesigning such bread-and-butter models is a high-stakes game, particularly when the outgoing model is a well-liked overachiever. The first GLC, which replaced the angular GLK in 2016, was exactly that. Its combination of luxurious solidity, style and just-right size resonated with crossover-hungry luxury buyers. Covid-19 briefly blunted its momentum, but despite its age and last summer’s announcement of its replacement, 2022 was the GLC’s best ever U.S. sales year.
No musician wants to go on stage after Adele, and for that reason, Mercedes-Benz hasn’t rocked the boat with the 2023 GLC. This is a total redesign, not a refresh—the engine is more efficient and the safety tech more sophisticated, there’s a little more space, a whole lot more screen acreage and even some added off-road ability—but the GLC recipe feels fundamentally familiar.
This is no bad thing, for while the GLC is still not the fastest or most extroverted compact luxury crossover, It feels like the most luxurious vehicle in its class, and despite a recent (and vigorous) challenge from the Genesis GV70, it still does. More excitement is coming, too, as AMG and Coupe versions of the GLC will drop later this year, and plug-in hybrid versions (already offered in Europe) might eventually follow.
For now there’s only the standard (and best-selling) GLC 300, in rear-wheel drive or 4Matic all-wheel drive (AWD) configurations. The GLC 300 still uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, but it’s all new and, the same mild-hybrid assisted mill from last year’s C 300, the GLC’s equivalent in Mercedes-Benz’s sedan lineup. Indeed, the GLC closely follows the upgrades of last year’s C-Class and has a similar interior and personality.
To get a feel for how different the new GLC is from the old one, and how it compares to similar machines, I spent several days and nearly 600 miles with the 2023 GLC 300 4Matic. From the streets of Manhattan to the rolling hills of Central Pennsylvania, the GLC was utterly unflappable and handier, posher and more efficient than ever.
Driving the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC
At the heart of the new GLC is the “M 254” turbocharged four. As in the C-Class, it uses an integrated starter-generator that provides 23 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of added torque and a twin-scroll dual-flow turbocharger that’s loosely related to the kind used in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 cars. With 255 hp and 295 lb-ft in total, you probably won’t be channeling your inner Lewis Hamilton in the GLC 300, but that’s not what most buyers are looking for here.
The integrated stop-start system, helpful for fuel savings, can be a little laggy at stoplights but it’s easily turned off.
Once you’re off, it’s a little over 6 seconds to 60 mph (Mercedes-Benz says 6.2, which lines up with what I experienced). It’s a quiet sprint too, as there’s plenty of sound insulation in the GLC, and only a modest amount of wind and road noise even cruising on old highway pavement. Whether it’s quieter than the GV70 is an audiophile’s dilemma, but it’s certainly smooth and refined, and the nine-speed automatic is well-matched to the engine.
The steering is weighty and precise, though there’s a fair bit of body roll in hard cornering, perhaps a consequence of the soft suspension that gives the GLC its relaxing ride. It soaks up the bumps without complaint, even on its big 20-inch wheels. In addition to the overall size increase, Mercedes also made the front and rear tracks wider (by 0.3 and 0.9 inches), which helps it feel a little more stable.
Thanks to the 48-volt mild hybrid system, fuel mileage is much improved. In over 500 miles of combined driving, I saw 27.3 mpg. That’s a big jump over the old GLC 300 4Matic’s 23-mpg rating and also bests the X3’s frugal 25 and comes close to the non-hybrid Lexus NX. There’s no full hybrid yet to take on the Lexus NX, but the GLC 300 can also glide on electric power alone. When gliding, the stop-start function is far less perceptible than at stoplights.
While few owners are likely to take their GLC off-road, the 4Matic’s AWD system is really capable of properly putting power where it needs to be.
There’s still not a huge amount of ground clearance, but the suspension is able to cope with significant moguls and best of all, the surround-view monitoring system offers a trail cam view with a transparent hood for clearing obstacles that are hard to see. This is especially helpful given the big domed hood, one of many changes that make the GLC look impressively larger even though it’s only grown a little.
Bigger and Sleeker
Even at a casual glance, the 2023 GLC looks more substantial than its predecessor, but also smoother.
“Aerodynamics were a big focus for the GLC redesign,” says Mercedes-Benz product manager Ashley Baird, and indeed the new GLC’s drag coefficient is just .29, down from the old one’s .31. “The LED headlamps also give it a wider and more aggressive stance.” Indeed, it does look bigger thanks to 2.4 inches in added length (all aft of the rear wheels) and a slightly higher hood line.
The added size means only one real gain and it isn’t in passenger space, but the GLC was already one of the roomiest SUVs in its class. There’s a 0.1-inch reduction in rear legroom, but with 37.4 inches back there, the GLC still bests rivals like the GV70 and Jaguar F-Pace (37.2 inches each) and the BMW X3 (36.4). Cargo room behind the rear seats grows by a useful 2.5 cubic-feet, to 21.9. That’s still shy of the others, but passenger comfort is clearly the GLC’s priority.
And it is comfortable. After eleven rainy hours of hiking in Pennsylvania, a quiet, cosseting cocoon for your four-hour drive home is exactly what the doctor ordered. The GLC’s front seats are well-contoured and supportive, and after a few hours turning on the seat kinetics helps keep fatigue at bay.
The cabin materials in the cabin are unsurprisingly first-rate, and the design almost exactly echoes that of the C-Class, just with more room. While the color choices are more limited and sedate than those at Genesis, the GLC’s optional ambient lighting brings the interior alive at night. As the sun faded on the trip back from the wilds of Pennsylvania, the ambient lighting glowed to life, highlighting the fine detail work of its air vents, dash surfaces and speaker screens.
Those speakers can make great noise, too, with the optional 15-speaker, 710-watt Burmester 3D surround-sound system. This SUV’s smooth, understated personality befits a record like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, and every note feels warm through this system.
Technology Versus Complexity
The audio controls, like many other things, are now controlled through screens and haptic buttons, for good or ill. The C-Class’ vast 11.9-inch tablet display and 12.3-inch digital drivers’ display are ported over to the GLC entirely. There are touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel and for the optional panoramic sunroof.
On the plus side, the screens are gorgeous and the automaker has made major improvements to its MBUX infotainment system (carried over from the C- and S-Class models), including a highly responsive voice command system activated by saying “Hey, Mercedes.” On the other hand, the screens can be a little distracting at night and the touch-sensitive controls a bit fussy.
Mercedes-Benz has also upgraded the GLC’s safety systems, though the best gear is still part of an optional Driver Assistance package ($1,700 on the C-Class, and likely the same on the GLC). Included in that are adaptive cruise control with lane centering and stop-and-go, and new functions like automated lane changes. While it feels like more of this should be standard (as at Genesis), the systems are seamlessly smooth in use, quick to detect trouble and don’t throw too many false alarms.
2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC: When and How Much?
First announced nearly a year ago and on sale in Europe for a few months now, U.S. deliveries began this month and cars are flowing to dealers now. In fact, I spotted my first new, fresh-off-the-lot, temp-tagged GLC “in the wild” on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania.
Although we don’t have full pricing on the options list and the build-your-own online configurator won’t be live for a couple of weeks, the new GLC starts at $48,250, including an $1,150 destination fee. That’s a hefty $4,650 more than last year’s base model, and more than most of its rivals, especially the GV70 2.5T ($44,275) or Volvo XC60 ($44,545).
As on the C-Class there will be three trims, the base level, Exclusive ($50,500) and top-level Pinnacle ($52,600). The Exclusive will get a big jump in equipment, including the Burmester stereo, navigation, enhanced ambient lighting and surround-view monitoring. In all cases, adding 4Matic AWD will add $2,000 to the bill.
Additional GLCs are expected later this year, including the hotter AMG and Coupe versions, but they too will be powered by four-cylinder engines instead of their former inline-six and V8 mills. There’s no current timeline on a U.S. PHEV, but with BMW and Volvo already in that game, a plug-in GLC seems inevitable.
Mercedes-Benz has preserved nearly everything customers liked about the old GLC and addressed its few weaknesses, so it looks poised to continue as a fan favorite.