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Mercedes Benz has unveiled the New-Gen GLC globally; The Luxury SUV gets overhauled exterior design along with a new range of mild and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
Mercedes Benz has revealed the second generation of the GLC globally. The mid-size luxury SUV has grown in dimensions in its latest iteration and gets more sophisticated interiors with a raft of latest tech features along with noticeable design changes to the exteriors. The SUV is underpinned by a new MRA2 platform, borrowed from the New Mercedes Benz C-Class.
The exterior design of the new GLC has undergone a plethora of changes to make it stand out, however, the overall appeal seems to be an evolution rather than a revolution over the outgoing model. Its front fascia is inspired by the brand’s latest design direction, with sleeker LED headlamps adjoining the new wider grille on both sides. The front grille is more pronounced now with a large 3 pointed star finished in chrome. The sides of the luxury SUV feature sporty contour lines and it gets the option of body-coloured wheel arches. The new alloy wheels design in the GLC comes with the option of both 18 and 20-inch wheels. The rear end features new slimmer LED tail lamps inspired from the C-Class. The optional night exterior pack in the AMG trims adds black detailing to the alloys along with an aggressive front and rear bumper finished in gloss black.
The upcoming SUV in dimensions is 60mm longer at 4716mm, 21mm narrower at 2075mm and 4mm lower in height at 1650mm. The wheelbase has gone up by 15mm and now stands at 2888mm, thereby liberating more space in the cabin.
The interiors of the new GLC are inspired by the new C-Class luxury sedan right from the new dashboard layout to the placement of the infotainment system and more. The large portrait touchscreen infotainment unit powered by the brand’s latest MUBX OS sits right in the centre of the dashboard. The infotainment system comes loaded with features like over the air updates, a “Hey Mercedes” voice command feature, a fingerprint scanner to set up a personal profile among others. The 12.3-inch instrument cluster is an all-digital unit and gives plenty of information to the driver. The optional package for the cabin includes the “Invisible Bonnet” that displays a virtual image of the surface on which the car is moving, along with a 15 speaker Burmester Sound System, massage seats, coloured heads up display and many others. The aircraft-style AC vents further add to the visual appeal of the dashboard.
The New-Gen GLC gets major changes to its powertrain line-up. Now the luxury SUV is being offered with two petrol and one diesel engine with a mild-hybrid system along with three plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains. The 2.0-litre petrol mill is available in two states of tune, one with 204 bhp and another with 258 bhp, both paired to a mild hybrid system, while the diesel mild-hybrid produces 197 bhp.
The PHEV variants are also available with the same engines, but with slightly higher power output using the 31 kW battery pack. The petrol engines churn out 313bhp for lower-trim and 381bhp for higher trims, while the diesel PHEV produces 333bhp. The electric-only range for petrol PHEV is rated at 121 kilometres, on the other hand, it is slightly lower at 101 kilometres for the diesel trim. 4 Matic four-wheel-drive system comes as standard in all models and all the engines are paired to a common 9-speed automatic transmission.
Mercedes Benz India can launch the 2022 GLC mid-size SUV as early as in the first half of 2023, owing to its popularity. Once launched, the new GLC will make a good alternative for the BMW X3, Audi Q3, Lexus NX and Jaguar F-Pace.