LIKES
- Great looks
- Comfortable ride and interior
- Unbridled AMG performance
- Good rear seat room
- Good active safety features
DISLIKES
- Compromised rearward view in Coupes
- Small rear doors in Coupes
- V-8 takes a break this year
BUYING TIP
The 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class runs the gamut from AMG track star to urbane oasis.
What kind of car is the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class? What does it compare to?
The GLC-Class is Mercedes’ mid-size crossover SUV. With seating for five, it’s fitted with a turbo-4 in GLC 300 versions, and a twin-turbo V-6 in GLC 43 AMG spec. It’s a rival for the BMW X3, Volvo XC60, and Audi Q5.
Is the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class a good car?
We think it’s very good, bordering on exceptional. It earns a TCC Rating of 7.3 out of 10 as a GLC 300 4Matic SUV; it would score even more highly as an AMG.
What’s new for the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class?
Mercedes has put its V-8 engines on hiatus in the U.S. for 2022, so only the GLC 300 and GLC 43 AMG will be sold here during this model year. The ‘22 GLC adds automatic high-beam headlights, rear USB ports, and a standard 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster on the GLC 43.
Performance ranges from strong, with the stock 255-hp turbo-4 in the GLC 300, to raging with the 385-hp twin-turbo V-6 in the GLC 43 AMG. It’ll do 0-60 mph runs in as little as 4.7 seconds, but even the heftier and less powerful models can do it in 6.3 seconds. The 9-speed automatic gets confused by all its gear choices on occasion, but more often, the GLC clips along at the gray edges of speed limits with some coarse engine noises, bucketfuls of flexible power, and with the nimble feel of a well-tuned steel suspension—or a constantly adapting set of dampers and air springs on the stiffer, more menacing AMG edition.
Four adults fit well in the GLC, and a fifth can squeeze in whenever they’re wanted. Cargo space runs up to nearly 60 cubic feet on the SUV. The GLC gets top-flight crash-test scores from both the IIHS and the NHTSA, and its generous standard safety gear can be augmented with a head-up display, adaptive cruise control, and a surround-view camera system.
How much does the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class cost?
It’s $44,900 for a GLC 300 SUV with 18-inch wheels, heated power front seats, and a 10.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Take it, with all-wheel drive for another $2,000 and option it up with leather, cooled front seats, and Burmester sound.
Where is the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class made?
In Germany.
Styling
The GLC wraps a sleek body around a fine interior.
Is the Mercedes GLC a good-looking car?
It’s a luxury crossover with couture sensibility. We give it an 8, with a point extra for the classy exterior and two for the dressy cabin.
As either a traditional “SUV” or a droop-roofed “Coupe,” the GLC plays curves off angles to fabulous effect. The balance of details against the streamlined shapes of the GLC have played out well over the several years it’s been on the road. The more conventional shape wears its prominent grille and light-up Mercedes star logo with pride, but the sleeker shape draws all the attention toward its rear. It has an elegant stance that’s absent from other coupe-like SUVs, though it costs some functional space in the back seat and the cargo area.
Performance
The GLC raises eyebrows and pulses in AMG trim.
A turbo-4 gives the base GLC crossover discreet power, while the AMG twin-turbo V-6 leaves nothing to the imagination. We get to a 7 for the ride quality and acceleration of the GLC 300, with the GLC 43 AMG easily up for another point if it were rated separately.
How fast is the Mercedes GLC?
Base models waste no time hitting 60 mph. Mercedes fits the GLC 300 Coupe and SUV with a 255-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 and a 9-speed automatic. It’s coarse when the gas pedal’s stomped to the floor, but we don’t complain much since it’s capable of 0-60 mph runs in as little as 6.1 seconds, according to Benz. (Coupes take 6.2 seconds; GLC 300 4Matic SUVs, 6.3 seconds.) The 9-speed automatic is usually a willing partner, but occasional dithering shifts feel like it could use a shot of espresso.
GLC 43 AMG performance
The GLC 43 AMG stuffs a 385-hp twin-turbo V-6 under the crossover’s hood, which propels it to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, on to a 155-mph top speed when it’s optioned up with proper summer tires. In the GLC 43 AMG, the all-wheel-drive system adopts a rear power bias of about one-third from launch. With its AMG-tuned speed-sensitive steering and a set of adaptive dampers and air springs, all riding on 21-inch wheels, the GLC 43 AMG happily gives up some of the plusher ride quality of the base model for a flatter, more tenacious, crazy-quick driving experience that offers even more modes for drivers to tailor its responses.
Comfort & Quality
The GLC’s high-quality cabin has good elbow room, too.
With a refined interior, excellent front seats, and ample cargo space, the GLC earns its 8 for comfort and quality.
Wider and longer than some vehicles in its price range, the GLC has more elbow room, and it doesn’t let it go to waste. Front passengers have power-adjustable heated seats with synthetic leather upholstery, mounted for a good driving position. It’s soothing to drive as a result, and even better with leather and cooling. On the AMG versions, thicker padding cinches in drivers more tightly.
The GLC’s rear bench seats fit two large passengers fine, and it can be heated, but a third would be better ferried in a bigger GLE-Class or GLS-Class. It excels with head and leg room that let 6-foot-tall passengers ride behind other 6-footers. That’s in the SUV, at least: GLC Coupes and their dramatically draped roofline don’t have as much rear-seat head room.
We’re enamored with the GLC’s lovely interior. The appealing cockpit sports metallic or wood trim (or both) and a convincing synthetic leather, and it can be upgraded with a festive cranberry-red leather and walnut trim.
Safety
The GLC’s chunky pillars keep it from perfection.
How safe is the Mercedes-Benz GLC?
It’s very safe. We give it a 9 thanks to great crash-test scores, and plenty of standard and available safety technology.
The IIHS dubs the GLC a Top Safety Pick, but note that the award only applies to cars with available adaptive LED headlights. The base units are ranked “Poor” and would not get the award on their own. The NHTSA gives the GLC five stars overall.
All GLCs get automatic emergency braking, active park assist, and blind-spot monitors. Options include a package with adaptive cruise control and active lane control with lane-change assist; a surround-view camera system; and a head-up display. We’d buy them all, since the thick roof pillars at the rear blot out the view, particularly on the Coupe.
Features
The GLC’s a better value in base models.
The GLC comes well-stocked with advanced technology and its options list goes on and on, too. Infotainment’s a highlight, too. The GLC earns an 8 here; it would pick up another if Mercedes included free service with the GLC’s 4-year/50,000-mile warranty.
Which Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class should I buy?
Most drivers will be satisfied with the $44,900 GLC300, which comes with 18-inch wheels, synthetic leather upholstery, a hands-free power tailgate, heated power front seats, and a 10.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The GLC’s infotainment interface accepts touch inputs but also does well with voice commands and steering-wheel input, rendering the gesture controls and touchpad as redundant and kludgy.
Mercedes stuffs the GLC options list with “coupe” and “SUV” body styles, all-wheel drive, AMG Line and Night body kits, adaptive headlights, leather upholstery, heated rear seats, cooled front seats, Burmester sound, and a panoramic sunroof.
How much is a fully loaded Mercedes GLC?
The $60,950 GLC 43 AMG ($67,550 as a Coupe) gets standard all-wheel drive, an AMG-tuned suspension, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, and 20-inch wheels.
Fuel Economy
Fuel economy hovers in the low 20s.
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class good on gas?
The EPA rates the GLC 300 4Matic at 21 mpg city, 28 highway, 24 combined. Since that’s one of the most popular configurations, we give the GLC a 4 for gas mileage.
With rear-wheel drive, the GLC 300 garners EPA ratings of 22/27/24 mpg; Coupes with all-wheel drive check in at 21/27/23 mpg.
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