GLC [Spyshots] Spy Photos 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLC (AKA GLK)
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The Mercedes-Benz GLC is a compact luxury crossover SUV introduced in 2015 for the 2016 model year that replaced the GLK-Class. According to Mercedes-Benz, it is the SUV equivalent to the C-Class.
Wolfgang
Kraftwagen König
2015 Mercedes GLC: first ride
Forthcoming X3 and Q5 rival shows its mettle with an early off-road blast - and it looks on track to be a decent offering in a hard-fought class
Mercedes has had a sizeable hole in its UK line-up in recent years: a genuine rival to the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. Continental buyers have been able to pick the GLK but that car was never engineered for right-hand drive and, despite intense pressure from British dealers, the costs of factoring it in later on never stacked up.
Here, then, is the solution - the GLC, order books for which will open in mid-June, with deliveries due to start from November. The car itself will be officially unveiled next month too, although the light disguise worn by the prototype we’ve just had a spin in should give you a fair idea of what to expect.
The GLC is based on the same modular underpinnings as the latest C-Class, although it looks like it gets a longer wheelbase than the small executive saloon. It has an impressively short front overhang and a modest one at the rear - enough, Mercedes claims, to allow it more than acceptable levels of off-road ability.
To prove this, the firm lined up a disused quarry and an hour of abuse and asked us along as ballast in the front passenger seat. Merc’s engineers were quick to point out that the GLC does without proper differential locks; we’re talking an electronic ESP-based system here, coupled with an air suspension set-up that has three ride heights beyond normal: raised by 30mm or 50mm, or lowered by 15mm.
You add this feature as an optional ‘off-road’ pack, and while you can also specify greater ability on regular steel suspension, that only adds up to an extra 20mm of ride height. Mercedes’ product wizards expect most customers who want this sort of functionality to go for the air option, and we’re inclined to believe them. The full ‘off-road’ pack also includes settings for snow and towing, and a natty data display that shows everything from ramp and lateral angles to throttle and brake pedal percentages and a compass.
The GLC did tackle the test site’s mixture of steep inclines, ‘rocking’ tracks (which place two of the wheels in the air) and sharp angles with plenty of aplomb. It always felt unmistakably like a software solution, with occasional rasps from the four corners as the ESP system did brutal things with the brakes, but given the road focus that 99% of these vehicles end up having, it seems easily strong enough for most customers. There are a few neat tricks, such as a front camera that guides you down steep slopes ahead of you when the view out of the windscreen is blue sky and little else.
What else could we tell from the prototype? The styling looks neat if predictable, although it’s good to see that there’s less of the fussy surfacing that has featured on many recent Mercs.
The packaging in the cabin feels clever; there’s room for four six-footers to travel in comfort, or for three to squeeze in across the back. The front occupants will be treated to the same dashboard architecture as in the C-Class, which is no bad thing; you get that single slab of wood in the centre console, with ‘uninterrupted’ grain, and either a large screen if you tick the option box for Comand, or a more modest display that features a Garmin-based navigation system. The materials feel every bit as plush as the C-Class’s. The boot looks a decent size, and there are buttons at either side of the load space to lower the rear seats without having to stretch in. There’s no awkward lip to load items over, either.
Our car’s petrol engine - the higher-powered version of Merc’s M274 motor, with 208bhp and 258lb ft of torque - felt punchy enough and refined during a brief squirt on surfaced road. The ride was pretty compliant too, given that our car wasn’t on the smallest wheels (likely to be 17in).
Merc is keeping other technical details, such as the engines, CO2 emissions and dimensions, under wraps until the new car is revealed. However, we’d say the firm’s OM651 four-cylinder twin-turbodiesel will be the main choice for UK buyers. A hybrid is a near-certainty, too; expect a system similar in concept and execution to the petrol-electric plug-in set-up that features on the C350e.
Even from this short off-road experience, then, there’s enough promise here to suggest that the GLC will be a very credible rival to the X3 and Q5. If anything, it feels a strong enough package to embarrass the GLE (the new name for ML), with as much off-road ability as many buyers will need, a plush enough cabin that’s scarcely any less practical and, one presumes, a tidy saving on purchase and running costs. Merc’s British dealers are about to get their wish, therefore, but quite a few customers could end up considering the GLC a bit of a result too.
2015 Mercedes GLC: first ride | Autocar
Wolfgang
Kraftwagen König
Mercedes GLC 250 first ride review
Our off-road passenger ride in the new Mercedes GLC in the mud, water and even the air...
While Audi and BMW have been cleaning up in the UK with the Q5 and X3, Mercedes has been left staring at a medium-sized SUV-shaped hole in its line up. In other markets Mercedes has sold its rival - the GLK – for a number of years, but its decision not to make the costly and complicated conversion to right-hand drive has left them languishing in the UK in fastest-growing sector of the premium SUV market.
That won’t be the case for long, though, because in mid-June the all-new GLC, based on a stretched version of the new C-Class’ architecture, will begin rolling off the production line, with first UK deliveries in November. To get an early taster of what the GLC is capable of, we were invited to take a passenger ride around Mercedes’ off-road testing facility near Stuttgart.
Given the type of family buyer the GLC is pitched at, it might seem strange to choose an off-road assault course to showcase it - but the location was carefully chosen to help shift perceptions.
“Not everyone will use it, but this car can be used as a real off-road car,” Marc Soukup, part of the GLC test team, explained. “With this combination of air suspension and off road package, plus a special ESP system that works like a diff lock it’s more accomplished off road than its competitors.”
From where we were sitting it certainly made light work of 45 degree inclines and descents, showed its chassis stiffness by cocking a wheel on a series of alternating bumps, scythed through a few feet of standing water and was quite happy clambering over rocks and deep mud – and all fitted with a standard set of tyres. We even drifted around a corner with armfuls of opposite lock and caught some air over a sharp crest, to show the GLC can do the dynamic stuff, too.
Order the off road pack and you’re presented with a series of modes in the central display, including Ice, Offroad, Uphill/Downhill, and Trailer - each tailored to specific situations you might encounter. In each mode there’s customised graphics showing, among other things, a compass, angle of incline or descent, and the amount you’re applying the throttle and brakes. You can even order special knobbly off-road tyres with 18-inch wheels if you need to do some serious mud-plugging.
Although the off-road pack is available with standard steel springs (raising the ride height by 20mm permanently), Mercedes recommends going the whole-hog and ordering the optional air-suspension to go with it. Do so and you have five different ride heights to play with – 15mm lower than default in Sport+ mode, and then 30mm or 50mm higher depending on the level of ground clearance you’re after. It's hard to tell exactly how the GLC will deal with UK roads, given the gravel surface we encountered, but the extra suspension travel seems to make things smoother than the occasionally-brittle C-Class.
Whether you go for the off road pack or not, all GLCs will come with four-wheel drive as standard initially, with a cheaper rear-wheel drive version joining the range next year. And there’s a treat in store for UK buyers. Due to packaging issues with the right-hand drive conversion, a smaller differential had to be fitted on the front axle - resulting in a permanent torque split of 31/69 front/rear, whereas all left-hand drive markets get a torque split of 45/55. It doesn’t sound like much but according to Uli Zillmann, project leader for development, “it’s definitely more fun to drive.”
Although our prototype was lightly camouflaged is doesn’t take a detective to see how the finished GLC is going to look. Mercedes’ is yet to release the official dimensions, but up close it looks lower-slung than its competitors from Audi and BMW. Inside there’s just enough of a raised seating position to give you that all important commanding view of the road ahead.
Room in the rear is surprisingly generous, too, certainly more so than the C-Class and not far off the E-Class in terms of space for your knees. Be warned though, the prototype we had access to was fitted with an optional panoramic roof, which flooded the interior with daylight, but nibbles into headroom for taller passengers.
We’ll have to wait and see how the boot stacks up on paper compared to its rivals, but its large square shape makes the most of the exterior dimensions. There’s extra under floor storage, too, and two buttons that drop the split second row forward with a simple click. The rear seats can also be fixed in a more upright position to free up a few more litres if needs be. Order the optional air suspension and another switch lets you lower the boot lip to make loading larger, heavier items that little bit easier.
If you’ve driven or been driven in a C-Class before, then the interior design will hold few surprises, but it’s worth reiterating how Mercedes has hit its stride recently in this respect. The tablet style screen, infotainment graphics, bulls eye vents and general quality of materials is right at the top of the class, while the seats support, rather than squeeze you.
For exact engine, trim and pricing details we’ll have to wait a few weeks yet, but our prototype was fitted with a 208bhp 2.0-litre four-cyl turbo petrol engine. It’s expected that only four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines will be offered initially, with a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid to come. Zillmann also hinted that a GLC 450 AMG Sport with the same 362bhp twin-turbo V6 as the C 450 AMG Sport, and a more rear-biased four-wheel drive system is likely to follow in due course, although a full-fat V8-powered AMG variant is unlikely.
Price: £35,000 (est)
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Transmission: Nine-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power/torque: 208bhp/350Nm
0-62mph: 7.5 seconds (est)
Top Speed: 140mph (est)
Economy/CO2: 40mpg/160g/km (est)
On sale: June 2015
New Mercedes GLC 2015 review
ThroughandThrough
Kraftkurve King
Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
Although I agree that the very round and curvy interior isn't the perfect fit for stately shape of the car, I can see where Merc are going with this. The GLC is not an new car but just a derivative of the C-Class and shares every almost everything.
V8-powered Mercedes GLC AMG is unlikely to happen – Report
According Auto Express UK, a full fledged V8-powered AMG version of the GLC (or Mercedes GLC 63 AMG) is unlikely to happen. Although the new GLC is based on an extended version of the C-Class’s MRA platform, which could support the AMG GT’s 4.0-Liter Bi-Turbo V8 engine, Mercedes have decided to not offer a top-of-the-line V8-powered AMG version, reportedly.
However, AMG will play a role in the development, as the SUV will be available in a less-powerful ‘GLC AMG Sport’ variant. Likely to be called the Mercedes GLC 450 AMG, it will pack a 362-bhp 3.5-liter twin turbo V6 engine from the C 450 AMG, which will serve as the top-spec variant for the GLC range.
Like the C450 AMG, Merc’s Skunkworks division will tune up the suspension for better road handling as well as adjust the torque bias of the 4MATIC AWD system for more power at the rear, resulting in a relatively spirited driving performance. At launch, the Mercedes GLC will be available with 2.0L petrol and diesel engines, that will come paired to a new 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission as standard. The Audi Q5 rival will make its global debut on June 17, while an Indian launch is expected in the first half of 2016.
Source : Mercedes GLC AMG is unlikely to happen
According Auto Express UK, a full fledged V8-powered AMG version of the GLC (or Mercedes GLC 63 AMG) is unlikely to happen. Although the new GLC is based on an extended version of the C-Class’s MRA platform, which could support the AMG GT’s 4.0-Liter Bi-Turbo V8 engine, Mercedes have decided to not offer a top-of-the-line V8-powered AMG version, reportedly.
However, AMG will play a role in the development, as the SUV will be available in a less-powerful ‘GLC AMG Sport’ variant. Likely to be called the Mercedes GLC 450 AMG, it will pack a 362-bhp 3.5-liter twin turbo V6 engine from the C 450 AMG, which will serve as the top-spec variant for the GLC range.
Like the C450 AMG, Merc’s Skunkworks division will tune up the suspension for better road handling as well as adjust the torque bias of the 4MATIC AWD system for more power at the rear, resulting in a relatively spirited driving performance. At launch, the Mercedes GLC will be available with 2.0L petrol and diesel engines, that will come paired to a new 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission as standard. The Audi Q5 rival will make its global debut on June 17, while an Indian launch is expected in the first half of 2016.
Source : Mercedes GLC AMG is unlikely to happen
alexschoen
Precision Tuner
Already a great step though from zero AMG with current GLK to AMG "light" with the GLC . Even BMW only has a M package for their X3, not a full fledged M (as it has for the X5/6).
Wolfgang
Kraftwagen König
^ There's a rumor, though. 
http://www.germancarforum.com/threads/new-bmw-x3-already-2016.49394/page-2#post-748654
http://www.germancarforum.com/threads/new-bmw-x3-already-2016.49394/page-2#post-748654
Wolfgang
Kraftwagen König
Mercedes-Benz may prepare these GLCs for the upcoming press drives near Sindelfingen.
The Mercedes-Benz GLC will arrive at the dealerships in September 2015, after celebrating its world premiere in mid June 2015. The Air Body Control chassis with 3-chamber air suspension is a novelty, and with the optional 5-point off-road driving program and 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission, the vehicle will probably exceed its predecessor. The car is about 12 cm longer than the GLK, and 5 cm wider, and the trunk increased by around 100 liters in volume.
With regard to the fuel consumption MB Passion expects updated engines which consume around 8 percent less for gasoline and 16 percent less for the diesel engines. For now, the manufacturer will offer the GLC exclusively with 4MATIC all-wheel drive, while RWD only models may join the lineup a little later.
In 2016 the GLC Coupe follows, which is based on the same technical platform, but may be a little longer. The top model here will be - at least initially - the GLC 450 AMG Sport, with a trunk volume of 500 to 1500 liters. Translated from MB Passion.
Erlkönig: GLC Testwagenflotte in Sindelfingen - Mercedes-Benz Passion Blog / Mercedes Benz, smart, Maybach, AMG
The Mercedes-Benz GLC will arrive at the dealerships in September 2015, after celebrating its world premiere in mid June 2015. The Air Body Control chassis with 3-chamber air suspension is a novelty, and with the optional 5-point off-road driving program and 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission, the vehicle will probably exceed its predecessor. The car is about 12 cm longer than the GLK, and 5 cm wider, and the trunk increased by around 100 liters in volume.
With regard to the fuel consumption MB Passion expects updated engines which consume around 8 percent less for gasoline and 16 percent less for the diesel engines. For now, the manufacturer will offer the GLC exclusively with 4MATIC all-wheel drive, while RWD only models may join the lineup a little later.
In 2016 the GLC Coupe follows, which is based on the same technical platform, but may be a little longer. The top model here will be - at least initially - the GLC 450 AMG Sport, with a trunk volume of 500 to 1500 liters. Translated from MB Passion.
Erlkönig: GLC Testwagenflotte in Sindelfingen - Mercedes-Benz Passion Blog / Mercedes Benz, smart, Maybach, AMG
Merc1
Premium
Mercedes might just hit pay dirt with this. It looks bigger and it is (unfortunately) blander in the sense that it will fit in with the average buyer's expectations. Then you have that interior that is to die for. This just has to sell better than the GLK. Mercedes really needs the C-Class (success) effect to happen here with the GLC.
M
M
Mb is expecting BIG numbers as compared to the GLK. They see this as capturing a larger demographic, from the Lexus RX to the Audi Q5 among others. The previous GLK in addition to being cramped, was a bit polarizing in it's styling. Yep, this is more bland, but keep in mind the coupe version will not be far behind. Essentially this is a C wagon, jacked up a few inches. My GM saw the GLC in Vegas this week and was very impressed. One can't argue with the success of the new C-class, and this is simply a C-class in SUV guise. Hard to argue with that. Things are rocking at MB and new products and variants will be coming faster than we can keep up.
Regarding a V8 AMG version. Likely won't happen. Mercedes has a settled plan for AMG. The Macan turbo is a V6, not a V8. You'll definitely have a 450 AMG sport version, which is going to permeate through all the Mercedes models. Based on driving the GLE450 AMG yesterday, I'm pretty excited about seeing this engine in the C and the GLC. A GLC 450 coupe will rival the Macan and be significantly less.
Mr. Mercedes
Premium
It's blander. But it's far better proportioned and far more tasteful. It looks delicious in an Audi Q5 sort of way (I've always loved the Q5), and the sports pack will spice things up nicely.
When is the reveal by the way? Any idea @Wolfgang?
Wolfgang
Kraftwagen König
Yes, it's a Daimler event near Sindelfingen. MB Passion will post official photos on June 17. Dealers can accept orders starting on June 18. The GLC fleet seen on the video below the other day, is to be shipped to Portugal, to train Mercedes-Benz Dealer GLC Product Experts with. Initially only 4 cylinder 4MATIC models are expected, with others engines, incl RWD to follow lateron. In September the GLCs should begin to arrive at the dealerships.
Wolfgang
Kraftwagen König
Mercedes-Benz reconfirms GLC reveal for June 17; preliminary details released
Fuel consumption reduced by up to 19%
[update] Official design sketch added.
Mercedes-Benz has reiterated its plans to unveil the all-new GLC compact crossover on June 17.
Promising to bring an "all-new design", the second generation GLK will be sold as the "GLC" to better illustrate its size similarity with the C-Class upon which it will be largely based and carry over its interior cabin. The decision to rename the model is part of Mercedes-Benz's new naming scheme that has already affected the ML (now GLE) and will be followed by the GL (to be called GLS) and the SLK (to be called SLC).
Getting back to the GLC, it will be available with the company's multi-chamber air suspension AIR BODY CONTROL, along with the DYNAMIC SELECT system and 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive. It's also getting the latest safety and assistance systems while fuel consumption will be down by as much as 19%.
We've known for quite some time the GLC has been engineered for right-hand drive markets, unlike the outgoing GLK.
Source: Mercedes-Benz via WCF
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Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz Group AG is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.
Established in 1926, Mercedes-Benz Group produces consumer luxury
vehicles and light commercial vehicles badged as Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG,
and Mercedes-Maybach.
Its origin lies in Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's 1901 Mercedes
and Carl Benz's 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which is widely regarded
as the first internal combustion engine in a self-propelled automobile.
The slogan for the brand is "the best or nothing".
Official website: Mercedes-Benz (Global), Mercedes-Benz (USA)
Official website: Mercedes-Benz (Global), Mercedes-Benz (USA)
