Photo: Mercedes-Benz Passion
If you want a luxury small SUV for under $40,000, look no further than the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. They've just announced that the GLK's replacement will arrive in November 2015, available as the GLC300 and GLC300 4MATIC.
"What is the GLC?" we hear you ask. Good question! According to the new Mercedes naming system, the GLC is the SUV equivalent of the C-Class. They put the GL at the beginning to remind you of the G-Class and then add the corresponding letter at the end.
The GLC is based on the same platform as the W205 C-Class and offers many of the same features. The interior will stay largely the same as on the sedan, but we don't think anybody is going to complain about that.
Not only will it feel more upmarket inside, but the amount of space available will be considerably larger for rear occupants. Compared to the GLK, this new model is about 5 inches longer and 2 inches wider.
All told, the long overdue GLC is exactly what you might expect from a C-Class based SUV. It’s a refined and classy medium SUV that puts the boring old X3 and Q5 on notice. We just wish there was more to talk about in the powertrain department.
The basic model is the GLC300, a rear-wheel drive car that uses a 2-liter turbocharged engine making 241hp and 273lb-ft of torque. It's not what we'd expect to see on an SUV and at $38,950, it's also more expensive than the outgoing GLK350, plus that thing comes with a 302 hp V6 plus AWD.
To have your front wheels stuck to the road, you're going to pay $40,950.
Audi's Q5 2.0 TFSI is the only one with standard AWD at under 40k, but its turbo four-pot only has 220 hp. How about a nice, cheap Volvo XC60 T5 AWD for $37,900?
The GLC is based on the same platform as the W205 C-Class and offers many of the same features. The interior will stay largely the same as on the sedan, but we don't think anybody is going to complain about that.
Not only will it feel more upmarket inside, but the amount of space available will be considerably larger for rear occupants. Compared to the GLK, this new model is about 5 inches longer and 2 inches wider.
All told, the long overdue GLC is exactly what you might expect from a C-Class based SUV. It’s a refined and classy medium SUV that puts the boring old X3 and Q5 on notice. We just wish there was more to talk about in the powertrain department.
The basic model is the GLC300, a rear-wheel drive car that uses a 2-liter turbocharged engine making 241hp and 273lb-ft of torque. It's not what we'd expect to see on an SUV and at $38,950, it's also more expensive than the outgoing GLK350, plus that thing comes with a 302 hp V6 plus AWD.
To have your front wheels stuck to the road, you're going to pay $40,950.
The competitors aren't cheap either!
BMW's competitor in this segment is the X3, and it's pretty old. However, the X people aren't too generous when it comes to prices either. The RWD X3 sDrive28i with a 240 hp 2-liter engine starts at $38,600. If you want xDrive, it will cost you $40,600 more.Audi's Q5 2.0 TFSI is the only one with standard AWD at under 40k, but its turbo four-pot only has 220 hp. How about a nice, cheap Volvo XC60 T5 AWD for $37,900?
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