Sharing mechanicals with the C-Class sedan, the Mercedes-Benz GLC was the top-selling model from the German luxury sport automaker in the United States in 2021 and 2022. The GLC comes in two body styles: a traditional, square-back 4-door SUV and a 4-door model with a fast-sloping fastback roof dubbed a “coupe.”
For 2023, the 4-door SUV model is an all-new third-generation design featuring a new mild-hybrid powertrain with improved fuel economy, an all-new interior with a striking digital layout, the latest MBUX infotainment system, expanded advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and a slightly longer body with increased cargo space. As in past years, the 2023 GLC is available with a choice of rear-wheel drive (RWD) or 4Matic all-wheel drive (AWD). The 4-door SUV is the subject of this review.
The 4-door coupe version of the 2023 GLC continues unchanged from the 2022 model. However, Mercedes will update it to the new platform for the 2024 model year.
The 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV is available in GLC 300 and GLC 300 4Matic sub-models. Including the $1,150 destination charge, GLC 300 SUV pricing starts at $48,250, and the GLC 300 4Matic SUV at $50,250. Both are available in base Premium, mid-level Exclusive, and range-topping Pinnacle trim levels. The 4Matic AWD carries a $2,000 upcharge, regardless of trim.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The Mercedes-Benz GLC competes in the Compact Premium SUV market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the JD Power 2022 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, 52 percent of new Mercedes-Benz GLC buyers are female (vs. 38 percent for the segment), and the median age of a new GLC buyer is 60 years (vs. 55).
As part of the APEAL Study, owners rated the GLC in 10 primary categories. Listed below in descending order, you’ll find their preferences, from their most favorite thing about the vehicle to their least favorite:
In the 2022 APEAL Study, the GLC ranks 8th (in a tie) out of 15 Compact Premium SUV models.
In the sections that follow, our independent expert analyzes a GLC 300 SUV equipped with the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $55,250, including the 1,150 destination charge.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The exterior of the new GLC 300 may be understated and classy looking, but inside, this SUV is a wow. From the form-fitting, power-operated, and heated front bucket seats that blend just-right torso support with all-day comfort to the sweeping dash and console design, the cabin is a delight in which to spend time. Even the test vehicle’s interior color scheme, with Sienna Brown MB-Tex seats so inviting you don’t mind they’re not leather, Anthracite Wood dash trim, and Metal Weave finish console, delights the senses.
Then, there is the high-definition, 12.3-inch, driver-configurable instrument cluster and 11.9-inch vertical, free-standing infotainment screen, both populated with highly readable red and soothing blue hues. It’s a feast for the senses. Thanks to the GLC 300 SUV’s generously sized doors and slightly elevated seating position, ingress and egress are also a breeze.
Rear-seat passengers don’t take a back seat to comfort, either. Although the 2.4-inch longer 2023 GLC doesn’t add much to passenger space, what’s back there is thoughtful. The 40/20/40 rear bench seat will seat three adults, with the outboard bottom cushions carved out for extra comfort for human bottoms.
All major touchpoints, such as the door armrests, are either wrapped or soft-touch. Mercedes also pads the center armrest and offers thoughtful attention to detail with dual bomb-bay doors to the center storage bin that offer equal convenience for the driver and front passenger.
Easily accessible front storage isn’t plentiful, however. Mercedes includes a standard wireless device charger in the console but jams it so far under the stylized console exterior that reaching your phone is difficult, particularly if there’s a beverage in the forward front cupholder.
As in other Mercedes products, the power front-seat adjusters are on the doors. However, these are capacitive-touch controls, and there’s no movement or feedback when you push on them. Eventually, you figure out that with a light touch, the seat cushion is slowly moving in the direction you intended.
Cargo area storage also improves in the 2023 GLC 300 SUV. With the added overall length bumper-to-bumper, there’s 2.5 cubic feet more cargo space.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The 2023 GLC SUV has the same Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment componentry as the C-Class sedan. Standard elements include:
Moving up to optional Exclusive trim nets MB Navigation. It has excellent detail, showing streets, buildings, and topography as if you were getting a live feed from a drone hovering 1,000 feet overhead.
Pairing my Samsung Android phone quickly and easily gave me immediate access to Android Auto.
The center screen offers sharp graphics and bright colors, with good contrast for quick glances on the fly. The screen also incorporates climate control functions. It’s a striking design but not always the most practical. Case in point: There are no physical volume or tuning knobs. I had to use voice control to turn on the radio. You can adjust the radio station with on-screen arrows, and there are physical slider touch controls for volume on the steering wheel and below the display screen. Still, those controls have no tactile or haptic feedback and don’t deliver the accuracy and quick access of an analog volume knob. Of course, you can use the excellent voice-control system, but that requires asking passengers to cease any conversations, prompting the system, waiting for its response, and then giving it the command.
The native system in the test vehicle wouldn’t let me request a particular SiriusXM station until I set up a profile. Luckily, I had Android Auto up and running, and it took me right to the desired station with voice control after tapping its on-screen microphone icon. With practice, using the MBUX system and its native voice control becomes second nature.
Once you have it set up in the vehicle, the enhanced voice control is the best way to interact with the embedded MBUX system, now enhanced with natural-language understanding. You simply tap the steering wheel voice-control button or utter a wakeup phrase such as “Hello, Mercedes” or “Hey, Mercedes.” It works for tasks such as checking the weather, adjusting audio volume, selecting an audio source, locating a nearby store, adjusting cabin temperature, or finding and navigating to a destination.
Standard with the range-topping Pinnacle trim is Augmented Reality. When navigation is active, it gives a split-screen display of the selected route and a real-time view of the road and traffic ahead using the front camera. It also adds animation showing navigation instructions, lane guidance, major cross streets or highways, and the direction of any upcoming turns layered atop the camera view.
Included with Exclusive or Pinnacle trim is the 710-watt, 15-speaker Burmester surround-sound system. It delivered crisp, full-bodied sound with superb separation in the Exclusive-trimmed GLC 300 test vehicle. A 6-month trial of SiriusXM is a free-standing option.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Like the previous-generation 2022 GLC 300, the all-new 2023 iteration sports a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, modestly rated at 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. But as with the 2022 C-Class sedan, the new GLC 300 SUV has a 48-volt mild-hybrid system with an integrated starter/generator. The mild hybrid’s electric boost can add another 20 hp and a whopping 148 pound-feet of torque to the gas engine’s urgings, but only for short bursts.
Compared to the prior year’s model, the 2023 GLC 300 doesn’t feel any faster, and the company’s 6.2-second zero-to-60-mph acceleration estimates bear that out. What you do feel is a satisfactory throttle response, smoother transitions between the gears of the standard 9-speed automatic transmission, less need for transmission downshifts at part throttle and when climbing slight grades, and more graceful restarts after the engine shuts off in gear to save fuel when stopped in traffic.
The fuel-saving capabilities of the new mild-hybrid system are noteworthy. The system can shut off the engine, switch to electric power when coasting, and feed electrons back into the battery via regenerative braking. Compared to the 2022 GLC 300, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) combined city/highway fuel economy for the 2023 model improves significantly, from 24 to 28 mpg.
On the road, the 2023 GLC 300 blends luxury-appropriate levels of ride comfort with secure control. It’s stable and calm at speed. Cornering is remarkably flat with little body lean, and steering is precise and well-weighted, if not as entertaining as that in the BMW X3. The brake feel took a few miles to master as there was some free travel at the top of pedal movement immediately followed by a firmer response and ultimately confident stopping ability from the big, 4-wheel disc brakes. Also appreciated in the new GLC 300 is the hushed cabin.
Photo: Ron Sessions
As the GLC is one of the brand’s less-expensive SUVs, it possesses a limited roster of standard ADAS. Most of the topline tech is available in the extra-cost ($1,950) Driver Assistance package, which the GLC 300 SUV test vehicle had.
The 2023 GLC’s standard ADAS tech includes:
The optional Driver Assistance package—installed in the test vehicle—brings an extensive roster of ADAS technology. It includes:
A surround-view camera display is not part of the optional Driver Assistance package. It is available separately and included with the mid-level Exclusive trim package. It displays a 360-degree overhead view of the vehicle and its immediate surroundings and replaces the standard backup camera on the base GLC SUV. I found the 360-degree camera a big help when backing the GLC into tight spaces and unfamiliar surroundings. This system also includes Active Park Assist, which can semi-autonomously operate the GLC’s steering, gearshift, and brakes when entering or exiting a parallel or perpendicular parking space.
Distronic with speed adaptation ahead of curves, junctions, and such took some of the anxiety out of my broader use of cruise control.
The lane-keeping assistance with active one-sided braking proved annoying and distracting on curvy mountain roads. It was sometimes difficult to avoid running over the white lane markings. Still, it was generally helpful on well-marked limited-access highways.
I appreciated the expanded Traffic Sign Assist function when approaching road construction zones and poorly located or difficult-to-see stop signs and traffic lights.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV is 2.4 inches longer from bumper to bumper than the previous-generation 2022 model. While passenger space is no roomier than before, the 2023 model offers increased cargo room.
The 2023 GLC SUV’s cargo hold now measures 21.9 cubic feet behind the raised 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat—an increase of 2.5 cubic feet. The cargo area is accessible via a standard, power-operated liftgate. With the back seat folded flat—accomplished via power controls just inside the cargo area—maximum cargo space increases to 59.3 cubic feet.
A mini-spare tire and the SUV’s 12-volt battery reside under the cargo floor, but there’s some extra room underfloor for stashing small valuables out of sight, such as a purse, digital camera, or tablet.
As of this writing, the EPA hasn’t published final fuel-economy estimates for the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300. But Mercedes-Benz USA has and gives the RWD 2023 GLC 300 with the new mild-hybrid powertrain a combined rating of 28 mpg—a 4-mpg improvement over the 2022 non-hybrid version. The AWD 4Matic version of the 2023 GLC gets a Mercedes-estimated 26 mpg combined—2 mpg thriftier than its 2022 non-hybrid counterpart.
Based on the average 29.3 mpg observed over 157 miles of driving on interstate highways, mountain roads, and residential streets, the 17.4-gallon fuel tank in the RWD 2023 GLC 300 offers an impressive driving range that exceeds 500 miles.
As of this writing, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has crash-tested the all-new 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV.
The 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV prices range from $47,100 for the rear-drive GLC 300 SUV to $49,100 for the AWD GLC 300 4Matic SUV. The destination charge is $1,150.
In the JD Power 2023 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Alfa Romeo Stelvio ranks highest in the Compact Premium SUV segment. The BMW X4 and the Cadillac XT4 are the next highest-ranked models.
In the 2022 APEAL Study, the Genesis GV70 ranks highest in the Compact Premium SUV segment. The BMW X4 and the Porsche Macan are the next highest-ranked models.
Other competitors to the 2023 GLC include the Acura RDX, BMW X3, and Infiniti QX55.
Photo: Ron Sessions
For 2023, Mercedes-Benz builds on the elements that helped make the GLC Class its top-selling model in the U.S., significantly improving fuel economy with a new mild-hybrid powertrain, adding key luxury features and cargo space, and elevating the available infotainment and driving-assistance technology. As the automaker increases the number of fully electrified offerings in its portfolio, the all-new third-generation GLC makes a strong case for hybridized fossil-fuel models as an important bridge to the lower-carbon future.
Ron Sessions is a seasoned vehicle evaluator with more than three decades of experience. He has penned hundreds of road tests for automotive and consumer websites, enthusiast magazines, newsletters, technical journals, and newspapers.
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