2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Review

C-Class luxury meets SUV practicality

The center console is surprisingly deep and capacious when it comes to storage, but we were most impressed by the cavernous storage available in the front door compartments. How’d they do it? By migrating the speaker components from the lower section of the doors to hollow openings in the body architecture. German engineering is not always about lap times.

One powertrain, at least for now

We previously drove the GLC in Europe, but the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine makes quite a bit more power and torque in the land of Stars and Stripes. As in the C300, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 makes 241 hp and 274 lb-ft of torque, while the Euro-spec GLC250 makes do with 208 hp and 258 lb-ft.

We’re delighted Mercedes didn’t shortchange us with any less power — the pairing of the turbo-four with Benz’s new nine-speed automatic transmission is right on the money. The so-called 9G-Tronic transmission is very eager to upshift on the highway to keep fuel economy numbers high (Mercedes expects a 20 percent improvement over the GLK), but there’s plenty of low-end torque in every gear to keep the GLC on the move. Particularly in Sport and Sport+ drive modes, the transmission fires off snappy downshifts at a moment’s notice, and the engine is content to rev all the way to redline. Peak power actually comes fairly late at 5,550 rpm, which means you actually get to hear this engine sing a decent tune when you floor the gas pedal.

The turbo-four is the sole engine for the moment, although there is a diesel-powered GLC300d arriving next year. This is probably a blessing for Mercedes-Benz, as it’ll allow some time for the VW-inspired hatred of German-branded diesel powerplants to cool off. Down the line we’ll also likely see a GLC350e plug-in hybrid, as well as sportier variants including but not limited to an all-out GLC63 AMG. We already know a biturbo V-8 can fit in the C63, so whether we eventually get a 469-hp GLC63 or a 503-hp GLC63 S is merely a matter of will.

Smooth operator, no matter the setting

As expected, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 proves to be an ace crossover while shuttling around Atlanta and peacefully piling on highway miles. But there’s an excellent set of winding roads in the hill country two hours north of Atlanta, and we weren’t about to pass that up just because we were driving a crossover. While the GLC is far from a corner-carving sports car, it is surprisingly satisfying to drive quickly.

Although the GLC can be had with Mercedes’ Airmatic air suspension, both rear-wheel-drive and 4Matic all-wheel-drive versions we drove were equipped with the standard steel springs. The suspension calibration is soft enough to shrug off road imperfections, but this also permits a fair bit of body roll in some of the tighter sections. The GLC’s electric-assist steering is totally numb in Comfort mode, but it really comes alive when you switch into Sport. The added steering effort doesn’t feel overly artificial, and GLC responds quickly and accurately to sudden inputs.

A clear winner at any price point

High-dollar variants of the GLC equipped with the sexy Designo leather interior, Burmester sound system, and full tech package can easily fly north of $60,000, but it’s hard to deny the quality of the stylish materials and useful features you get. Fortunately base models don’t get totally overlooked, as the aforementioned M-B Tex (vinyl) seat upholstery is more than adequate, while goodies such as a rearview camera, push-button start, and emergency braking with attention assist are all standard.

As with the C-Class from which it’s derived, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC is a genuine luxury vehicle, despite its relatively compact size. Once it hits dealerships in the U.S. later this month, we expect to see a lot of them on the road.