The Mercedes AMG GLC43 is confusing AF!

Imagine you as a kid. Back when life was simple. Things like the rainy season or playing football with your society friends meant everything to you. And when a Mercedes or a BMW passed by, you would point at it and go crazy over it. It just made your day. Remember that feeling? Falling in love with the car. 

Design:

Fast-forward to 21, seeing the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupé for the first time, that same feeling came back to me. And since I am a bit older, a bit wiser (questionable), I can tell you why I felt that way. The design of this car does that to you. The muscular yet athletic stance with the sloping rear roofline is a big middle-finger to the conventional design of ergonomics, practicality, blah blah blah. The matt grey paint (Graphite Grey Magno) and those stunning AMG alloy wheels are the cherry on the cake. It is the textbook definition of road presence. The car screams for attention as people stare at the beauty of it. 

Performance:

Okay, she’s got the looks but what about her personality? The GLC43 is powered by the M139 engine, same as the A45s and the C63 SE. And for those of y’all living under a rock, this is the F1-inspired tech, a turbocharged inline-4 attached to an electric motor. Welcome to the world of downsizing! The combined output is 416 hp and 500 nm. The electric motor helps to spool up the turbo and it minimizes the turbo-lag down low.

All of this trickery somehow works. Performance is strong and you have to remind yourself to slow down quite often. Since Mercedes have given this the full AMG treatment, this car is a missile in a straight line!

The party trick is the Launch Control or what Mercedes likes to call “Race Start.” It is pure drama. The graphics turn red, the seatbelts tighten, and the car launches itself violently! The front of the car lifts like a speedboat and the 4Matic+ shoots you to 100 in just 4.8 seconds.

Driving Dynamics:

For a big SUV, this car handles exceptionally well. But when you turn the steering in the first corner, you feel every kilo of those 1.8 tonnes. The steering has weight but you are left wanting for more feel and feedback. The stiff suspension pays dividends for a spirited drive in the ghats. The 9-speed dual-clutch transmission is quick with shifts but is not a PDK.

Switch it to Race Mode, the revs drop dramatically and the engine, gearbox and the electric motor unleash their full potential. The exhaust is raspy but subdued because of the electric motor and turbocharger. The speakers pump in fake engine noise for that feeling of added drama. Put it back to Comfort Mode, and you can fool yourself into thinking that this is a normal GLC; as the gearshifts might as well disappear and the drive becomes sedate and calm.

Interior:

Look inside and the interior is typical ‘modern Mercedes’ with massive screens and vibrant ambient lighting! However, the AMG badge gives you sporty visual elements like the sports seats with contrast red seat belts, carbon-fiber finish on the dash and the steering wheel wrapped in Carbon Fiber. The MBUX is complicated and all the controls stuffed into a single screen makes it overwhelming. It has AMG-specific displays for track-related data and even an off-road display; very handy for navigating potholes.

The sound-insulation is top-notch. You can literally meditate peacefully in it or you can blast Coldplay songs on the brilliant Burmester Stereo.

The rear-seats are upright and super-stiff. The under-thigh support is decent. The coupe shape means compromised rear-headspace, and it all adds up being uncomfortable for the rear passengers on long road trips. 

Final Thoughts:

The final verdict? If you ever want a high-riding sports car(ish), with the added practicality of a SUV but also the enviable looks of a coupe, this is the one.
But, do you buy it just for the looks and settle for an engine fallen prey to downsizing? Or do you go for a more soulful and tuner-friendly engine? Like the B58 in its competitor, the BMW X3 M40i?

It’s confusing but such cars have their own niche market with enthusiasts bold enough to slide a briefcase of a whopping Rs. 1.12 crores (ex-showroom) just to stand out from all those similar-looking blocks of cars!

The kid in me just loves to watch it go!

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Abhay Wadkar
Abhay Wadkar

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