All-New 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC: A Small SUV With Extra Large Luxury

The competition within the small luxury SUV segment keeps intensifying. But so does the execution by leading luxury brands. This includes Mercedes-Benz, which just unleashed its all-new 2023 GLC 300. If you’re like us, you have pretty high expectations from a luxury player with Mercedes-Benz levels of brand equity. And if you value the same things we do in a luxury SUV, those expectations are going to be met, if not surpassed, by the new GLC.

Bigger, Bolder Designs Ethos

From its exterior and interior dimensions to its design language to its digital real estate, everything is more pronounced in the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC. At 2.4 inches longer, with a wider wheel track, longer wheelbase, and slightly lower roof, the GLC has slightly improved interior space. The SUV’s new gauge cluster is sized at 12.3 inches, while the central touchscreen is 11.9 inches. Both screens are standard on the GLC 300, with a mounting system that appears to let them hover above the dash.

The GLC’s larger dimensions are matched by exterior design tweaks, including streamlined LED headlights and a new grill with standard chrome trim. Models with the optional AMG Line package feature a star pattern in the grille. This package also adds body colored wheel arches, “Mercedes-Benz” badged brake calipers, brushed aluminum pedals, black leather interior trim, and a flat-bottom, multifunction steering wheel. We particularly appreciated the new GLC’s door panel design, which uses a simple horizontal armrest and features high-quality materials.

Mild Hybrid Powertrain, Multilink Suspension

The 2023 GLC 300’s engine, a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four cylinder, is paired with an integrated starter-generator. This mild-hybrid combination results in 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque (22 lb-ft more than last year), with power sent through a 9-speed automatic to either the rear wheels or all four wheels in “4MATIC” versions. Fuel efficiency is rated at 32 mpg for rear-wheel-drive models, 31 mpg for 4MATICs.

While the standard GLC wheel size is 18 inches, our rear-wheel drive test car had the optional 20-inch AMG wheels wearing performance tires. Riding on an adaptive four-link front suspension and multilink rear suspension, the GLC can be set in multiple driving modes, including Comfort and Sport. Mercedes-Benz says the GLC will accomplish 0-60 acceleration in 62. seconds. We found the Sport mode to our liking, and would have welcomed even more power and firmer ride quality with less body roll.

We fully expect those traits to materialize in a future AMG version, and are confident the target GLC 300 buyer will be more than satisfied with this model’s balance of comfort and performance. Between its acoustic glass, dampening out wind and road noise, and its advanced driver assist features making the freeways of LA a low-stress endeavor, there’s no denying the luxury quotient of this latest GLC. If you’re looking for a refined, relaxed, easy-to-maneuver driving partner, this SUV delivers.

Impressive Level of Standard Features

The latest GLC’ 300’s standard equipment list has grown and now includes several high-tech features. Beyond the large display screens and high-quality interior materials, every GLC has LED headlights, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, a power-sliding sunroof, rain sensing wipers, and ambient interior lighting. This system offers 64 colors and 10 brightness levels, providing soothing light along the dash and panels.

High Tech Options

Mercedes-Benz says it has simplified the ordering system for the GLC by bringing similar options together in group packages. Our car had several of the most popular packages, including the “Driver Assistance Package” ($1,950) and “Pinnacle Trim” group ($4,450). The former adds advanced technologies like radar cruise control, lane keeping assist and blind spot monitoring while the latter brings a 360-degree camera, Burmester audio system, acoustic glass, head-up display, and navigation with augmented reality.

The GLC’s navigation system is notable for using a camera on the front of the vehicle that displays its street view image on the central touchscreen. This image is overlayed with navigation graphics to provide additional guidance when approaching a turn or freeway transition. At some point this technology will transition to the windshield, where “active glass” will show drivers the exact lane or turn they should be following. Until then, the augmented reality displayed on the central touchscreen makes an effective transitional technology.

Other high-tech features include a “transparent hood” view when taking the GLC 300 4MATIC off road. It uses the 360-degree camera system to show drivers what is underneath the SUV at low speeds, helping them navigate between rocks and ruts. This view is combined with a new “off-road” screen that displays vehicle speed, vehicle angle, front wheel angle, a compass, and geo-coordinates on a single page to improve off-road maneuvering.

In Dealerships Now

The 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 is in dealerships now, with a starting price of $48,250 for rear-wheel drive and $50,250 for 4MATIC models (including a $1,150 destination charge). Our test car, with the larger 20-inch wheels, ventilated front seats, panoramic roof, and aforementioned technology packages, came in at $62,350. That amount seemed high to us at first, but after several days and several hundred miles we decided it represented solid value. The new Mercedes-Benz GLC is very bit the high-tech luxury SUV its three-pointed emblem suggests, putting it at the head of a very competitive field.