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 @ 2500-5000

  • AMG 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.