All-new GLC takes fight to Q5

Advanced tech, including long-range PHEVs and AMGs, underpins SUV's challenge

- GREG KABLE

The Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV has grown in size, moved upmarket and adopted an exclusively hybridised powertrain line-up for its second generation.

Since the GLC arrived in 2015, its global sales have climbed to almost two million, making it one of Mercedes’ strongest-selling models.

Developed alongside the latest C-Class, with which the it shares a large part of its mechanical package and engine line-up, the Audi Q5 rival is based on the latest incarnation of Mercedes’ MRA platform.

This supports a more advanced electrical architecture than the platform used by its predecessor, providing the basis for a range of new features. These include optional rear-wheel steering, which offers up to 4.5deg of turn angle at the rear wheels and a reduction in the turning circle from a standard 11.8m to 10.9m.

The styling of the new GLC is more evolutionary than revolutionary, with an appearance that updates the original with smoother surfacing and new detailing but without straying too far from its predecessor’s look.