While Mercedes-Benz is going all in on its EQ lineup of EVs, the luxury automaker still makes gas powered engines for the time being. But the brand has been downsizing, especially with its AMG performance division. Gone are the days of big, American-sounding V8s and V12s. They’ve been replaced by smaller engines; turbocharging and hybrid tech to achieve power levels that are the same or better than those big gas guzzling engines from before. Mercedes has done this again with the new Mercedes-AMG GLC.
Buyers of this new generation of midsize AMG crossover will get to choose between two impressively powered engines. The base — if you can call any AMG vehicle “base”— AMG GLCs are powered by AMG’s hand-built M139l 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Alone the engine makes an impressive 416 horsepower, but you can get an additional 13 HP of boost via a belt driven starter generator. This engine is paired with a rear-biased all-wheel drive system and AMG’s nine-speed SpeedShift with a wet start off clutch. Mercedes says you can expect the GLC 43 to hit 60 mph in 4.7 seconds.
If you want serious power to go with your GLC, you can choose the GLC 63. While the GLC 63 is powered by the same M1391 turbocharged engine as the 43, it gets exclusive hybrid power thanks to a 48-volt generator with start/stop functionality that Mercedes says is “almost imperceptible.” On the GLC 63, the rear axle has been fitted with a 201-HP electric motor. Combined with the turbocharged engine’s 469 HP, combined output is a massive 671 HP and 752 lb-ft of torque. You can expect sports car performance from this thing, with Mercedes saying 60 mph arrives in just 3.4 seconds before it tops out at 171 mph.
Mercedes’ Formula 1 know-how introduced in the C63 and S63 E Performance cars shows up here as well in the form of a high performance battery that Mercedes says was developed in conjunction with its race team.
Other performance goodies for the AMG GLC pair include high performance braking — 14-inch perforated discs on the GLC 43 and composite brakes on the GLC 63 — speed sensitive and rear axle steering, customizable drive mode systems as well as the usual design and customization packages to make your GLC as luxurious or sporty as you want.
Mercedes hasn’t released any details on pricing but we can expect the Mercedes AMG GLC 43 to hit dealers in early 2024 while the GLC 63 will arrive in late 2024.