2020 Mercedes Benz GLC43 AMG
For this week’s review we’ve gotten our hands on the 2020 Mercedes Benz GLC43 AMG is the high performance variant of GLC-class, a perfect balance of luxury and speed. The 2020 model gets mild updates with redesigned front and rear body and lights. It gets their latest infotainment system MBUX as well.
Disclosure: Mercedes Benz Canada provided me with the 2020 GLC43 AMG for a week to test drive, and photograph. All photos in this blog post was taken by me. #MercedesBenzGLC43AMG
ACCELERATION: 10/10
3.0L AMG-enhanced V6 biturbo
385HP @ 5500-6000 / 384 lb-ft @ 2500-5000AMG Speedshift TCT 9-speed
4.3 second 0-100 km/hr
BRAKING: 9/10
Thanks to the very wide tires it has excellent stopping
HANDLING: 9/10
Feels very precise
RIDE: 8.5/10
In comfort mode it is very nice in the city. In sport mode
ECONOMY: 7.5/10
18/24/21 mpg MPG (City/Highway/Combined)
CABIN NOISE: 7.5/10
A bit of tire noise
EXTERIOR: 9/10
Vehicle dimensions remain the same, putting it on the smaller side of the competition
Front and rear body and head/tail light updates.
The new grill update looks great!Real exhaust tips
INTERIOR FOR DRIVER: 8.25/10
Seats are very comfortable with lots of range of motion
Extending tight cushions
Tilt/telescopic column
3 position memory
Passenger seat has same range of motion as captain’s seat.
Has heated and ventilated seats
Interior isn’t as modern as other vehicles in the line up but it still looks very attractive
Audio system is one of the best on the market
On the left of the steering wheel there are slots to fit in parking tickets or credit cards. I found that a neat quirk that I don’t see in other vehicles and seems to be quite handy!
INTERIOR FOR PASSENGERS: 7/10
Class leading headroom but legroom comes near the bottom of the list. Friend who’s 6”1 had no issue fitting in the rear so I don’t think it’s going to be an issue for most people
All power outlets are usb-c, you’ll need adapters if you have older tech. There is wireless charging in the front
Panoramic sunroof helps prevent the back from getting too dark
Combined Legroom:
80.7 - XT5
80.0 - RDX
79.5 - XC60
79.3 - Discovery Sport
78.9 - NX
78.7 - Q5
78.3 - QX50
78.1 - GLC43
76.7 - X3
Rear Headroom:
39.6 - GLC43
39.3 - Q5
39.1 - QX50
39.1 - X3
38.7 - Discovery Sport
38.1 - NX
38.0 - RDX
38.0 - XC60
36.0 - XT5
INTERIOR STORAGE: 7/10
19.4 Cu. Ft.
When you look at the numbers the cargo space is much smaller than rivals. For example QX50 has over 30 Cu. Ft of storage and X3 has 8 Cu Ft more than the GLC43.
Seats fold in a 40/20/40 fashion. Makes it easy to fit skis or snowboards while fitting 4 passengers comfortably.
Since the vehicle dimensions is on the smaller side, Mercedes had to sacrifice cargo space for practical cabin room.
INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM: 8/10
Added MBUX infotainment new in 2020
Has high resolution cameras that make parking very easy to see
Has touchscreen functionality
Has Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE 2020 Mercedes Benz GLC43 amg:
The Mercedes Benz GLC43 AMG has a lot of character and is so much fun to drive. Any enthusiast is going to appreciate this. On their website they wrote 4.9 sec 0-100km but I managed to get 4.3 sec. It’s surprised me with how damn quick it is!
The cargo space and leg room numbers are lower than it’s rivals so you’ll have to check it out to see if it works for you! In my opinion the cabin and cargo space is plenty of space for 4 adults going on a Costco run.
One thing to note is that the GLC has been on the same platform since 2016. It’s a bit old but the car still looks current but I expect a full refresh in 1-2 years. If you want your SUV to feel like a race car, Mercedes Benz has you covered.