Compact crossover SUVs are the most popular vehicles in America, including those built by luxury automakers like Mercedes-Benz. In fact, for the past two years, the automaker’s GLC has racked up more sales than any other model wearing a 3-pointed star on its grille. That means the company has a lot riding on the new 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC.
Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to tell that the 2023 GLC is completely redesigned. As they say, you don’t fix what isn’t broken.
When the SUV goes on sale later this year, it will come in GLC 300 and GLC 300 4Matic specification. Naturally, you can expect AMG-tuned performance models to arrive afterward, perhaps for the 2024 model year. A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant is also in the works, with an improved electric driving range compared to the previous, short-lived GLC 350e.
You are excused if you look at photos of the new 2023 Mercedes GLC and you can’t spot anything different.
Like the previous GLC, the redesigned model adheres to the automaker’s “Sensual Purity” design language, which means Mercedes styled the old and new GLCs common themes. Furthermore, Mercedes adapted many of the new GLC’s details from its existing models, such as the new taillight shapes, which also breed familiarity.
However, the 2023 GLC is all-new, longer, and lower to the ground than the model it replaces. The body width is the same as before, but Mercedes widened the track. Designers also honed the GLC’s aerodynamics, bringing it down from a 0.31 coefficient of drag to 0.29, helping to improve efficiency and quiet the interior, the automaker says.
Mercedes says the GLC’s front and rear styling purposely emphasizes the SUV’s width. Standard LED headlights bleed into a chrome-ringed grille, and the new GLC features chrome-plated front and rear underguards as well as gray side cladding to emphasize its SUV status. Running boards are an option and are almost certainly unnecessary. A range of wheel designs with diameters of 18 to 20 inches is available.
Mercedes will offer an AMG Line package to add a sporty look to the GLC, complete with aggressive front and rear bumper covers, a grille pattern employing small Mercedes star patterns, toned-down chrome ornamentation, and body-color exterior detailing. An optional Night package is also available to give the GLC a trendy blacked-out appearance.
To replace the standard LED headlights, Mercedes offers an optional Digital Light upgrade for superior nighttime illumination. You can further upgrade Digital Light to project auxiliary markings or warnings onto the road ahead of the SUV.
Changes within the GLC’s cabin are more pronounced. From the front seats and door panels forward, the interior is lifted essentially intact from the recently redesigned 2022 C-Class sedan. As such, aircraft-inspired air vents decorate a dashboard otherwise dominated by a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel and a portrait-mounted 11.9-inch center infotainment touchscreen display.
To simplify ordering, Mercedes is adding more standard equipment to the GLC and bundling popular options into trim packages, similar to what it has done with the new C-Class. Details on what these are and what they contain will be available closer to the SUV’s arrival in showrooms.
For now, know that every 2023 GLC 300 and GLC 300 4Matic will have standard MB-Tex simulated leather upholstery and heated front seats. Confirmed options will include leather seats, a panoramic sunroof, thermal insulation glass, and both direct and indirect ambient lighting.
An Easy Pack power liftgate is also standard. Open it to find more cargo space in the new GLC. Mercedes says the volume increases by 2.5 cubic feet behind the back seat to 21.9 cubes. The 40/20/40 split rear seat folds down, but Mercedes does not offer a maximum cargo space number for the new GLC.
Mercedes will equip the new GLC 300 and GLC 300 4Matic with a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that the SUV shares with, you guessed it, the C-Class.
The turbo four makes 258 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, the latter available starting at 2,000 rpm. A 9-speed automatic transmission powers the GLC 300’s rear wheels, while the GLC 300 4Matic comes with all-wheel drive. Mercedes says the new GLC accelerates from zero-to-60 mph in 6.2 seconds.
The drivetrain has a next-generation version of the automaker’s 48-volt mild-hybrid electrification system. The company used to call this EQ Boost, but it appears that branding is falling out of favor. In any case, it employs an integrated starter-generator (ISG) electric motor to enhance the GLC’s performance, fuel economy, and overall efficiency.
To improve performance, the ISG can provide an added boost of 23 hp and 148 pound-feet for short periods, helping to make the GLC 300 feel quick when accelerating. Let your foot off the accelerator, and under the right conditions, the GLC 300 can glide or coast with the engine turned off to conserve fuel. The ISG also recuperates energy to keep the 48-volt electrical system’s battery charged. Mercedes says it makes the GLC 300’s automatic engine stop/start system’s operation nearly undetectable by the driver.
Mercedes says, “the new GLC is at home on any terrain.” The SUV has a completely redesigned suspension with amplitude damping, which the automaker says will enhance the GLC’s ride and handling both on and off the pavement. Additionally, the GLC 300 4Matic includes an Off-Road driving mode and Downhill Speed Regulation as standard equipment.
A new Off-Road Screen mode displays off-road driving data to the driver and provides access to the new “transparent hood” viewing system. It comes with the SUV’s available surround-view camera and supplies a virtual view of what’s under the front of the SUV, allowing drivers to see rocks and ruts and steer clear of them.
Mercedes has not detailed the new GLC’s standard safety equipment other than to confirm that Pre Safe Front and Pre Safe Rear collision-preparation technologies are standard. However, it is safe to assume that it will include what the previous-generation GLC did.
Two option packages containing advanced driving assistance systems will be available. One of them is the Driving Assistance Package, and it provides three key upgrades for 2023:
Additionally, the new GLC is available with a Driving Assistance Package Plus. It includes Pre Safe Impulse Side, which inflates the outboard seat bolsters to move the driver or front passenger closer to the center of the GLC in a side-impact collision.
A new Parking package is also available, including a surround-view camera, front and rear parking sensors with automatic braking, and semi-autonomous Active Parking Assist technology.
The new GLC will have the latest version of the automaker’s MBUX infotainment technology. It comes with improved natural-voice-recognition capability, Online Music access to major music-streaming services, Newsflash news delivery in specific topic categories, and a fingerprint scanner allowing a driver to log in to a profile containing personal settings and data.
Mercedes keeps MBUX current via over-the-air software updates. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and wireless smartphone charging are standard, and GLC buyers can upgrade the system with full-screen navigation, including augmented reality. This feature uses a video feed supplied by the forward-view camera and overlays data, directions, and more onto the imagery. A 15-speaker Burmester surround-sound system designed specifically for the new GLC is also optional, as is a color head-up display.
Guard 360 vehicle-protection technology is standard. It monitors the exterior and interior of the SUV, senses parking collisions, and triggers visual and audible warnings and owner notifications via the Mercedes Me app if something happens to the GLC while it is parked. Upgrades to this feature include a stolen-vehicle locator and remote emergency key-deactivation capability.
The list of Mercedes-Benz GLC rivals is a long one. Nearly every luxury brand competes in this segment. Among the best-sellers, the new GLC will battle the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Lexus NX, Tesla Model Y, and Volvo XC60. The Genesis GV70 earns an honorable mention thanks to its similar configuration.
As we noted at the top of this article, you don’t fix what isn’t broken. Instead, the 2023 Mercedes GLC benefits from broad enhancements to an already successful compact luxury crossover recipe. However, sometimes the most significant risk is not taking one at all.
Mercedes-Benz is the source of information in this article. It was accurate as of June 1, 2022, but it may have changed since that date. Always confirm product details and availability with the automaker’s website or your local dealership.
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