Despite diesel sales being all but non-existent in the mass-market segment, and dwindling steadily for mid-sized SUVs, luxury cars, especially those made by Mercedes-Benz, continue to account for a significant portion of the brand’s overall sales.
This bodes well for the recently updated GLC, a car that has risen steadily to the very top of the Mercedes-Benz sales chart since its launch back in 2015. In hindsight, it’s easy to see why the GLC became so popular.
The C-Class was a business executive staple for the longest time, and with customer preferences increasingly leaning towards SUVs and crossovers, it made sense to marry the two forms, resulting in a C-Class on stilts.
Except the new GLC is so much more. It’s got proper off-roading tech, more power, more space and dare I say, more comfort. The looks are sleeker, with a singular horizontal chrome bar running across the breadth of the radiator grille.
A chrome-bordered bash plate is flanked by air-intakes that are more shapely. It looks just the right amount of butch and aggressive to get the eyeballs away from its chief competitors – the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and the Volvo XC60. It’s only the X3 that serves any real competition, given that the XC60 is a bit long in the tooth and the Audi Q5, however capable, does not have a diesel option.
And it’s the diesel engine that’s the focus of this particular review. The GLC 220d may not take away the lion’s share of GLCs sales, with diesel sales being higher in larger, more luxurious Merc SUVs. But it certainly makes a strong case for itself with its refinement and boatloads of torque.
GLC 220d
Merc’s tried-and-tested four-pot oil burner now gets a 48V starter generator, giving it a slight power bump of 23 bhp and 200 Nm under hard acceleration. The 2.0-litre turbo diesel is the same one found on the GLB with a winsome torque curve.
Thanks to the mild-hybrid system, the turbo lag is all but vanquished, and the added burst of power makes for an even more seamless ascent to higher speeds. Power levels max out at 194.4 bhp and 440 Nm of torque.
There’s been a noticeable improvement in overall engine refinement and a reduction in noise levels that sets this oil burner apart from Merc’s former diesel units. In fact, the diesel grunt here feels even more muted and well-insulated than it does in the GLB (which comes as a CBU).
The steady supply of delicious low-end torque at the bottom makes the GLC 220d a superior performer right off the bat. There’s a fullness to the engine note, a robustness of character that you start to miss after one too many sojourns in petrol SUVs.
The 2.0-litre engine is refined and yet earthy at the same time, with a strong bottom and mid-range that’s optimised for city driving. Quick, responsive and eager, the GLC 220d is a poignant reminder of the easy and efficient performance that will be lost to the sands of time as we dive headfirst towards electric power. Still, for a conventional all-wheel-drive SUV, a two-litre, four-pot motor feels just right.
Much like the petrol version, the GLC 220d’s suspension setting is on the stiffer side. It’s not quite bone crunching, but a bit more suppleness is called for, especially for an urban soft-roader that is perennially embattled with hard and cratered roads.
Luxury quotient
This is quite strong with the new GLC. Sitting one notch above the GLA allows the GLC to feel more premium, with no cost management measures that are generally applied to the brand’s entry-level models a la A200.
Both the GLC’s louvred exterior and lavish interiors signify its intent to provide a bona fide Mercedes-Benz experience. The pinstripes are found in the diesel, much like they are in the petrol.
In fact, on a cosmetic level, there’s really nothing that differentiates the two. There’s the large, vertically mounted, iPad-sized, 11.9-inch touchscreen interface, which now features a whole new off-reading suite, which includes Merc’s proprietary “invisible bonnet” function.
This essentially allows the driver to traverse rocky or uneven terrain at slow speeds, while being able to see what obstacles lie between its front two wheels. AWD comes as standard on both, but the GLC 220d perhaps makes a stronger case as a more off-road-capable machine, with dollops of low-end torque to match its array of cameras for precise wheel articulation.
A panoramic sunroof, machined AC vents, and a 15-speaker Burmester audio system continue to be the highlights of this very spacious interior, but the absence of ventilated seats continues to be a glaring issue, especially for those of us in tropical climes throughout the year.
This being a modern-day Merc, almost all the multimedia functions are now centralised to the touchscreen, which means that altering the temperature also means jabbing your digits on a wide silicone slab. Still, the crisp visibility offered by the screen is peerless.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto continue to remain standard fitments and so, it’s easy to acclimate yourself to a grand, top-down view of the city you’re driving in. Other screens pale in comparison. The quality of the paddle shifters could be a tad better, although in city traffic, I’m more than happy to let Merc’s fabulous 9-speed gearbox do all the work.
Gosh! The resolution of the rear-view camera is spectacular. It even changes orientation based on your proximity to an obstacle. Veer too close to a boulder, and the camera automatically switches to a top-down view. The camera system alone sets the GLC apart from its competitors, giving it a major technological edge.
Verdict
The 2.0-litre turbo-diesel unit is a needlessly persecuted breed of engine. With all the necessary BSVI fitments, and a mild-hybrid system, it’s pretty much the cleanest that a diesel engine has ever been. And with its bowlful servings of torque and heady power delivery, the 220d is arguably the better car on highways too.
The best part is how quiet and refined it manages to be. Not quite as buttery smooth as its chief Teutonic rival, but certainly more robust and characterful than anything in the market.
At Rs 74.50 lakh (ex-showroom), the BSVI-compliant GLC 220d with a 48V, self-charging starter generator is in many ways cleaner than its petrol counterpart. And yet, it remains a hunted species. Best to enjoy these diesels, before they are bred out.
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