While it’s true to record that the GLC-Class shares a platform with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, it’s a poor description of the design and engineering effort put in by Mercedes in order to make its new SUV stand out in an increasingly crowded segment.
The car’s body-in-white is a mixture of aluminium and high-strength steel and features structural reinforcements normally seen only on cabriolets and convertibles.
Such a construction has allowed the GLC to grow by 120mm in length and 50mm in width compared with the GLK and still weigh 80kg less, model for model.
Our scales had the car at 1965kg with fuel and fluids – slightly more than the most recent like-for-like versions of the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 we weighed, but not by much.
Suspension is multi-link all round, consisting of significantly wider tracks than the GLK and steel coil springs and passive variable-rate ‘selective’ dampers as standard.
Ground clearance is 181mm, and although AMG Line examples have firmer sport suspension springs fitted, they don’t affect the car’s ride height.
An off-road package delivers another 20mm of ground clearance, improved clearance angles and an underbody guard.
Mercedes also offers height-adjustable air suspension that can extend ground clearance to as much as 227mm, which trumps all of its rivals bar the only one that also offers optional air suspension: the Porsche Macan.
