Mercedes GLC, price, range, features, performance, long term review – Introduction

After brimming the tank, the journey pc of our long-term Mercedes GLC 220d indicated it had 888km of vary. That’s a determine EV house owners can solely fantasise about. I’ve to admit that after months of driving noiseless, clear and environment friendly EVs, it felt good to leap right into a diesel automobile and be reminded of their resilience and simply how far they’ve come. And equally, simply how lengthy and much they go between fill-ups. 

Practically 900km doable on one tank of diesel.

The actual fact is that nothing beats a very good diesel SUV for a protracted street journey. Tall gearing, a great deal of torque and low gas consumption nonetheless make a diesel automobile (or SUV) the go-to selection for the freeway – extra so if you don’t have to fret about discovering a gas pump even within the remotest areas of the nation. 

So it was solely becoming then that the primary outing for the GLC 220d after it arrived on the Autocar HQ was on a somewhat fascinating street journey via the Konkan area of Maharashtra. It was drafted in as one of many assist automobiles for ‘Mango Trails’ – a street journey underneath our Autocar Expeditions banner. We took our readers to – you guessed it – mango nation, or extra particularly, to the Fern Samali resort in Dapoli, Ratnagiri, a very good 220km from our workplace. The long-legged GLC 220d was in its ingredient on NH66, the previous Goa freeway.

With no pace cameras to fret about, I made full use of the two.0-litre turbo-diesel’s 197hp and 440Nm of torque. Overtaking was a chunk of cake, and the 9G-Tronic – Mercedes nomenclature for its nine-speed torque converter auto gearbox – performed a powerful supporting position, particularly in guide mode. Taking part in with the paddles, you’ll be able to eke essentially the most out of this engine, which, I have to say, sounds a bit gruff when revved arduous. However it’s doing its job if you look on the speedo and get shocked. Like all diesels after the shift to BS6, the mid-range punch or the sudden surge of energy that characterised a diesel engine is unfortunately lacking. That’s to not say the GLC is sluggish; quite the opposite, earlier than it, you’ll activate the pace warning gong. And it’s annoyingly loud. The diesel’s linear and clean energy supply masks the GLC’s pace, as does its sensible dynamics and unflappable poise. Actually, the one factor that impressed me essentially the most concerning the GLC is how rock regular it feels at freeway speeds whereas being equally confidence-inspiring on the undulating terrain resulting in the coast. 

Agile dealing with is a pleasure on twisty roads.

Peeling off NH66 onto slender secondary roads simply earlier than Dapoli, the GLC shocked me with its sporty behaviour. You don’t count on a mainstream diesel Merc SUV to be agile and hunkered down on a twisty street, however that’s precisely what the GLC is. I’ve mentioned this earlier than, and I’ll say it once more: trendy Mercs have one of the best steering on the subject of really feel and suggestions. There’s a beautiful fluidity and precision with which the GLC dives out and in of corners. Physique roll is minimal, which, once more, just isn’t one thing you count on from a reasonably high-riding SUV. And the final 30km of the drive to the Fern resort was an absolute blast. I used to be amazed at how clean the roads on this a part of Maharashtra had been—of their very best form simply earlier than the monsoon arrives and destroys them. And when you have got one thing playful and entertaining to drive, why not get pleasure from it to the fullest? And that’s precisely what I did. So, as a substitute of going house after a weekend of gorging on the juiciest Alphonso mangoes, I took a ‘slight’ detour to the one place that’s a magnet to each new automobile I’m driving. Sure, Mahabaleshwar. Being simply 105km away from Fern, it was too tempting to cross up, particularly for the reason that freshly paved Ambenali ghat resulting in the hill station was in a spanking form. These 40km had been an absolute blast, however for the uphill climb, I might have favored a bit extra punch that may have complemented the chassis. Hey, Mercedes! Can we’ve a 300d, please? 

A fast blast as much as Mahabaleshwar within the GLC too tempting to cross up.

What astonished me was the GLC 220d’s gas effectivity regardless of some fairly arduous driving. There was no want to go to a gas station, and I did the 550km Mumbai-Dapoli-Mahabaleshwar-Mumbai loop with 1 / 4 tank to spare.

Downsides? Again on the town, the experience feels too agency for Mumbai roads and lacks the pillow-soft consolation that’s all the time been on the core of the Mercedes model. Personally, I don’t just like the pinstripe dashboard design, which seems to be a bit tacky. However on the subject of infotainment techniques, Mercedes does it finest. I really like the graphics, the logical structure, and the way simple and intuitive it’s to navigate all of the features. However it’s on the freeway that the GLC feels finest, and I can’t look forward to my subsequent Mahabaleshwar drive in it.

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