Car Review (launch report): Mercedes-Benz GLC
The SUV market, as you know, is huge in South Africa and there are no signs of it slowing down. The compact SUV market even more so! Mercedes-Benz is no stranger to the SUV market, in fact, they have been playing in this field since its much loved Geländewagen made its debut way back in 1979. The G-Class is possibly one of the most iconic SUVs on the road. You just have to picture the rich and famous in Hollywood and the G-Class will come to mind. But its the compact SUV segment (think BMW X3) that Mercedes-Benz has yet to compete in in this country, until now.
We headed to Namibia to drive not only the updated G-Class and GLE SUV, but to experience the new GLC mid-size SUV. If you are little bit confused by the naming, don’t be, it is far less complicated than it was before and once you understand it, it will make much more sense.
Mercedes-Benz has renamed its SUV models to GL. So the GLA is the A Class SUV, namely GLA. The GLC is the C-Class SUV (previously known as the GLK), the popular M-Class or ML is now the GLE (E-Class SUV). And so it goes. If you are still a little lost, this will help:
- GLA = GL A-Class
- GLC = GL C-Class; previously GLK
- GLE = GL E-Class; previously M-Class or ML
- GLE Coupé = GL E-Class Coupé
- GLS = GL S-Class; previously GL
- G = unchanged
The new GLC is, like mentioned above, the C-Class mid-size SUV and it is noticeably a C-Class. Which is of course a good thing, the C-Class did win our Women on Wheels Car of the year 2015 award for best sedan after all. The GLC is comfortable, refined and good looking.
This car is not necessarily built for off-road but it doesn’t mean it isn’t capable. Mercedes-Benz wanted to showcase just how capable this little SUV is. Unfortunately it fell short on too many occasions, however, the terrain we were traversing would be difficult for even the most robust off-roaders. This includes the G-Class, which got stuck on one or two occasions as well. Bearing in mind, the GLC will more than likely spend most of its time on the urban streets of the city, but it’s a comforting thought knowing that a dirt road or even rocky mountain path will be no challenge for this little guy. Especially if you opt for the Off-Road engineering package which includes four extra driving modes (you will already find Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport+ as standard) namely, Off-Road, Incline, Rocking with a ground clearance of up to 227 mm in conjunction with Air Body Control, and Trailer.
The GLC is offered with two diesel and two petrol engines and all offer 4Matic (all-wheel drive) mated to a 9G-Tronic transmission. Being in Namibia, there wasn’t a lot of on-road driving, but from what we did experience, this car is comfortable, ride quality is superb and it’s quiet! We predict that Audi and BMW have a real competitor on their hands!
PRICING:
GLC 220 d – R599 900
GLC 250 d – R619 900
GLC 250 – R604 900
GLC 300 – R654 900
Check out the incredible gallery of this ‘Bucket List’ trip to Namibia. The trip also included the GLE which replaces the ML and as mentioned above, the iconic and gorgeous G-Class.
Pricing for the GLE:
GLE 250 d 4Matic – R863 000
GLE 350 d 4Matic – R964 000
GLE 400 4Matic – R959 000
GLE 500 4Matic – R1 166 000
Pricing for the G-Class:
G 350 d – R1 418 000
AMG G 63 – R2 156 000
AMG G 63 Edition 463 – R2 156 000 + R152 000