Driven: 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC Facelift
It’s only been around for 4 years, but in that time, the Mercedes-Benz GLC range has racked up more than 1.5-milion sales. This is clearly a very important model for the German premium manufacturer, so it’s crucial that they keep it as competitive as possible. This brings us to the GLC’s mid-life facelift, which has now been released in South Africa. The cosmetic changes might be subtle, but there’s a lot more going on under its skin...
First Drive Impression
Almost a third of the total passenger vehicle output of Mercedes-Benz is an SUV of some sort – and no wonder, because they have a selection of 7 very different offerings of this type. And there’s more on their way, with a new compact 7-seater model called the GLB coming very soon. But, even with such a wide spread of products, they cannot afford to rest on their laurels, because the sales battle is getting more intense by the day. With this in mind, Mercedes decided that it’s time to give their mid-level GLC and GLC Coupé a pretty thorough makeover – even if the styling changes are easy to miss.
What’s new?
On the outside, the refreshed GLC range can be identified by a more-prominent grille, re-shaped headlamps, full-LED tail lamps, new wheel designs, some specification improvements, and new bumpers at both ends. The usual mid-life update, then? Well, no. While it would take a keen eye to notice the cosmetic changes, this facelift introduces some rather more far-reaching improvements, both under the bonnet and behind the steering wheel.
Of these changes, the switch from the old COMAND user interface to the new MBUX system has to be the most easily noticeable. MBUX was first introduced in the current A-Class, and is now spreading across the rest of the Mercedes-Benz line-up. Instead of the old rotary controller, there’s now a laptop-like touchpad surrounded by a bunch of shortcut keys for various vehicle functions, which works alongside the latest AI-driven voice control system.
Just say “Hey Mercedes”, followed by an appropriate command, and the car will do its best to do what you need. To be honest, the GLC I drove on launch had difficulty to decipher my heavy “Jo’burg North Accent” when speaking, but prior experience has shown the system to be quite capable of adapting to different speech patterns, thanks to that built-in AI.
Expanded driver aids.
The driver assistance suite has received a similar make-over, with the (optional) Distronic Active Distance Assist (adaptive cruise control) and Active Steer Assist now interfacing with the navigation system to adjust the vehicle’s speed ahead of curves or roundabouts. While the lane-keeping assistance is quite violent in its action, it serves a useful purpose to provide an extra margin of safety for distracted drivers. And if these systems can’t help a clumsy pilot avoid disaster, the automatic emergency braking system’s operational envelope has also been expanded.
Lastly, those re-shaped headlamps receive full-LED lighting elements as standard, giving a brilliant beam spread even in base trim. Multibeam LED headlights are optional to give an extra margin of safety and fully-automatic operation (including a bending function and selective road surface lighting).
And the oily bits?
While the 9-speed automatic gearbox and 4Matic AWD systems remain unaltered, both the GLC and GLC Coupé receive new engines. There’s a choice of three turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engines at launch: one running on petrol, and the other two running on diesel. The petrol mill produces 190 kW and 370 Nm in the GLC 300, while the diesel engine produces either 143 kW and 400 Nm in the GLC 220d, or 180 kW and 500 Nm in the GLC 300d.
We sampled the latter at the launch event, and came away mightily impressed. Not only is there a lot more power than any locally available diesel-powered GLC has ever had, but it also has impressively refined manners. Even with the accelerator buried in the carpet, there was nary a murmur from the engine room, and only the sustained shove in the small of your back suggested that there’s some serious torque being channeled to the wheels. If you can afford it, the GLC 300d is probably the pick of the bunch, and definitely the nicest (and most potent) 4-cylinder diesel on our roads at the moment.
The suspension system has also been overhauled. Air Body Control (air suspension) is still optional (albeit fine-tuned), but the big news is the arrival of optional steel springs with adaptive dampers, called Dynamic Body Control. This system controls each wheel’s shock absorber individually, to give a composed but comfortable ride quality and top-notch handling. Alternatively, the driver can select different driving modes, with Sport and Sport+ being the firmest, and Comfort and Eco being the smoothest-riding. (The engine- and transmission programming as well as the steering assistance also varies with the different drive modes).
Related: Top 3 things you probably didn't know about the Mercedes-Benz GLC.
Primed for continued success.
Of all the enhancements applied to the 2020 GLC-Class, the new engines may be the least visible, but the most noticeable to the driver. However, when seen in combination with all the other revisions, it becomes obvious that the GLC range as a whole is more polished than ever before. In fact, this round of updates brings the GLC up to par with the best and latest on offer from its competitors, and should see it continuing on the road to sales success.
Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class Pricing (excluding options)
| GLC 220d 4Matic: | R 786 100 |
| GLC 220d 4Matic Coupé: | R 929 600 |
| GLC 300d 4Matic: | R 825 100 |
| GLC 300d 4Matic Coupé: | R 964 200 |
| GLC 300 4Matic: | R 842 800 |
| GLC 300 4Matic Coupé: | R 985 300 |
(Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 and GLC 63S variants will reach our market early in 2020)
* Pricing was accurate at the time of writing, but may change without prior notice.
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