Wheels UAE – July 26, 2019

(John Hannent) #1

mercedes-benzglc


“a short


drive on a


moderately


challenging


off road


course proved


entertaining,


since heavy


rainhadmade


thesurface


very slippery,


but the glc


dealt with


the terrain


andobstacles


ratherbetter


thani’d


anticipated.”


more,soplentyofchoicesforthedrivertomake selections.
Theinteriorofthecaris, despitetheabundanceofonboard
systemsandcontrols, notoverlyfussyinappearanceandclearlyput
togetherwiththeattentiontodetailyou’d expectfromMercedes. The
dashboard oftheAMGmodelshavea verysmartlookingartificial
leatherwithcontrastingstitching, whichsetsofftheinteriornicely.
WhendrivingtheGLC 300 4MaticI foundtheinteriorbright
andairyenoughwiththefulllengthsunroofexposed,thoughthe
granitecolouredroofliningwas a littledarkformytaste. Theseats
inallmodelsare adjustableina dozendifferentways, theoptional
Multicontourseatscomingwithinflatableairchambersinthelower
backrest andinthesidebolstersfortailoredlumbarsupport.Taking
tothebackseat,tallerpassengerswillbemore comfortableinthe
standard GLC, sincethelower rearrooflineoftheCoupéreduces
headclearance. At184cmI couldsitintheCoupéwithmyhead
upright,butonlyjust, andonlongjourneysI knowI’d ratherbeinthe
regularmodel.
Anoffroadpackageisavailableonthe4Maticmodelsonly, featuring
adjustableraisedgroundclearance, downhillspeedreductionand
additional‘Offroad”and“Offroad+”drivingmodes, alongwith
increasedunderbodyprotection.SelectingOffroadpreparesthecar
foruseinsand,gravelorsnow,whilst Offroad+isforrockyterrain.
Ashortdrive ona moderatelychallengingoffroadcourseproved
entertaining, sinceheavyrainhadmadethesurfaceveryslippery, but
theGLCdealtwiththeterrainandobstaclesratherbetterthanI’d
anticipated.
MercedeshavegoneallouttofitthenewGLCwitha dazzlingarray
ofhightechelectronicdriveraids, whichcombinedwiththenew
enginesandseveral choicesofsuspensionsetup, offera tempting
packageforthoseinthemarketfora luxurymidsizedcrossover. The
implementationoftheDriverAssist functionsisgenerallyextremely
impressive andlikelytoensure theGLCsellswell intheGulf.
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