What's all this about?
With both the regular Mercedes-Benz GLC and its sibling, the GLC Coupe, confirmed for a midlife facelift, it's time for Mercedes-AMG to step up to the plate. So here we have a quartet of bonkers-quick SUVs, updated for the 2019MY: the GLC 63, the GLC 63 S, the GLC 63 Coupe and the GLC 63 S Coupe.
Wow! That's a lotta V8s! Have they got more power?
Er, no. As before the facelift, the GLC and the GLC Coupe cars which are adorned with a 'mere' 63 badge have to slum it - SLUM IT, MARK YOU - with just 476hp and 650Nm. Step up to the GLC 63 S and the GLC 63 S Coupe, and outputs from the majestic 4.0-litre biturbo V8 are knocked up to 510hp and 700Nm. So we really shouldn't complain about the lack of a change to the Merc-AMG SUVs' motive power.
Maybe not. What's the performance like, again?
One new feature for 2019 is that the GLC 63 S twins gain the AMG Driver's Package as standard, which means their electronic speed limiters are set at 174mph, rather than the 155mph of the 476hp variants. Acceleration, courtesy of 4Matic+ all-wheel drive and a nine-speed AMG automatic gearbox, is thunderous whichever model you go for: 0-62mph takes four seconds dead for the two plain 63s and just 3.8 seconds for the S-enhanced duo. CO2 emissions are anything between 275- and 283g/km, so don't go expecting any tax breaks. But do brag to your friends that you're in the fastest SUV in the world, at least around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The GLC 63 S holds the record time there, with a searing 7m 49.369s lap.
Has anything changed on the GLC 63s, mechanically speaking?
Yes, the electronically controlled locking differential - that was previously only the preserve of the S-model 63s before the facelift - is now standard fit across the board. The AMG Dynamic Select programme has another function, called 'Slippery', while AMG Dynamics handling control has been enlarged with multiple different 'agility forms'; there are three in the 476hp GLCs and four in the 510hp models. We've already touched on the addition of the AMG Driver's Package for the 63 S, so all that remains to be mopped up here is the addition of Trailer Manoeuvring Assist for the Mercedes-AMG GLCs.
And, presumably, visually they follow much the same update pattern as the regular GLCs?
Indeed so. New head- and taillights are drafted in, as are 90mm trapezoidal finishers for the quad exhausts at the back. A huge set of 21-inch light-alloy wheels are added to the options list, while Graphite Grey metallic swells the ranks of the paint palette. S models gain 20-inch, five-spoke rims from the off and extra bits of matte Iridium Silver detailing, but all versions come with the usual AMG external signifiers: stocky stance, bulging arches, aggressive bumpers with whopping air intakes at the front and a twin-louvre grille. Inside, the MBUX infotainment system is added and is presented on a 12.3-inch instrument cluster plus a 10.25-inch central touchscreen. The Dinamica microfibre-clad AMG steering wheel is also fresh, as it bears the square 'Touch Control' for the MBUX system. If you want it, a Magma Grey/Black bicolour upholstery option with contrast yellow stitching is now on the cards.
Matt Robinson - 16 Apr 2019
