Mercedes-AMG heavily relies on its handcrafted 4.0-liter V8 mill for the high-performance credentials of the vast majority of its models. As far as the high-riding GLC 63 is concerned, it’s good for either 469 or 503 horsepower when opting for the “S” configuration. That means a Lamborghini Urus, the mighty Trackhawk, or a Hellcat Charger should make short work of this Merc at the strip.
Still, if there’s one thing we’ve learned since enjoying the quarter-mile action from YouTube outlets such as the Drag Racing and Car Stuff, it is never to judge a car by its metal wraps, even if everything looks bone-stock.
After all, we’ve seen people get their fair share of surprises when six-second Maxda RX-7s pull big-block Chevy gaps on just about everything or sleepers like a 1982 Ford Fairmont shame both Porsche 911s and Chevy Camaros with eight-second results. And these are just a few examples.
The latest comes in the form of a nice-looking blue Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 that lined up at the strip against a seemingly impossible crop of contenders. If this compact premium crossover SUV were stock, nobody would even dream it would remotely stand a chance against a Lamborghini Urus, Jeep Trackhawk, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and perhaps even the Challenger Scat Pack.
But acting as the high-performance underdog, this AMG GLC 63 probably hides many modifications under the hood because things get put into a very different perspective from the very beginning. An initial solo run gives us an ET of 11.1 seconds, so we’re already intrigued by the time it starts a couple of skirmishes against a white Lamborghini Urus.
The match ends with a shameful defeat for the super-SUV, which has a couple of uninteresting 12.4 and 12.6-second results. Those are nowhere nearly enough to claim the victory, as the GLC enters ten-second territory with 10.8 and 10.6 runs to catch the attention of the public.
With the audience clearly enticed, it’s time for the Dodge chapter, with the AMG making short work of the Challenger Scat Pack with another 10.8s run against the opponent’s clean 12-second result. The higher-powered Charger SRT Hellcat doesn’t fare any better even though it delivers a solid 11.1-second ET.
Still, the next outing against a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk shows the GLC driver needs to have better consistency because the prior 10.7-second result is now erased with a 11.4s run that basically handed over the victory to the 11.1-second Jeep on a silver platter.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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