[nitrogary]

Introduction

We are an automotive enthusiast family. Together, three of us (mom, dad and myself) have around 100 years of work experience in the automotive industry (40+ years each for my parents and over 15 years for me including relevant technical education). As my parents step into retirement years, I wanted them to get a luxury car which will they will be able to enjoy and do some relaxed traveling in. Also, it felt a suitable homage to the automobile as we know it by getting home the brand which invented the automobile.

The discussion started somewhere in April/May 2019 where we were discussing how one of the company cars will have to go back once my mom retires and I was suggesting multiple options for them to look at. She expressed the following desires / constraints

1. Budget - 30 to 40L (this had to be revised to a higher number)
2. Car style - Mid size luxury SUV
3. Pre-owned - OK for up to max 2 year old car
4. Mileage - max up to 15k km per year
5. Diesel, automatic - We were not sure at the time how the BS VI vehicles would do, so BS IV was more preferred. I also felt that this may be one of the last diesel cars which we buy (before watching how the transition happens to electric)
6. Variant - preferred is top end
7. Loan - not required.
8. Service cost - as low as possible
9. Time frame of purchase - before end of year 2019.





Contents summary

1. Likes / Dislikes
2. Alternatives considered
3. Booking and delivery experience
4. Exterior
5. Interior
6. Electronic features - infotainment, MID and music systems
Engine, chassis and drivability

Likes

1. Interiors are stunning. They are at a class apart from the equivalent competitor cars.
2. Comfort for 4 people (3 at the rear is a squeeze, but we have done over 500 km at a stretch with 5 people and packed luggage)
3. NVH: It's hard to describe the value of this. Mercedes have done a terrific job in isolating the occupants from external noise, weather and road irregularities.
4. Refinement: Just mind blowing. Be it how the car turns, suspension, interior quality, fit and finish, overall plushness.
5. Engine and Drivability: The GLC 220 is not a "performance" car but in real world, it drives beautifully. I am loving how the gears shift and how the torque is laid on the road.
6. Suspension and Handling: Superb. And you can change the feel and feedback with 5 different drive modes.
7. Sufficient off road capability: I don't go on the lookout for off road adventures, but this car can take whatever most roads can throw at it. It does well on broken tarmac and has nice ground clearance.
8. That 13 speaker Burmester music system :*
9. My parents love it

Dislikes

1. No memory seats. I mean seriously? 1,2,3 buttons and settings is what is needed (maybe some special motors) but 10-12L cars also have this feature now-a-days
2. Build quality could be better. You can tell this is not a CBU. I am nit-picking here but there is a difference.
3. No GLC 250d engine tune. Would have liked the 250 (450~500 Nm) engine tune instead of the 220 (400 Nm). I do understand this eats up into GLE 250 territory. The GLE needed to be 300d to begin with
4. Only 2 zone climate control (only 2 vents at the rear). Would have preferred 3/4 zone climate control
5. Spare wheel eats up the boot space. It's inconvenient. And there's actually enough space to keep the wheel under the hard floor.
6. Expensive service and extended warranty package
In general you get the feeling that Mercedes has underspecced the car to match a price point and not step on the toes of their more expensive models. This should come with 4 matic-plus, air suspension, 250d spec tune, memory seats and spare wheel under the boot. For that, a difference of 5-7 lacs may be happily accepted by the customer.

[nitrogary]

2. Alternatives considered

Let's look at what all were considered. Sorry if this is a bit lengthy, but I loved all the cars which we tested and thought they all deserved space here. Hopefully anyone who is in a similar situation can benefit from this.
New and pre-owned

BMW

As a brand, I am big BMW fan. I already have the 2017.5 R1200GS and hence there was a natural affinity towards BMW. Team-BHP also needs to be thanked for documenting so many details about many BMW cars. I was keen to experience their cars and they do focus a lot on driver experience - true to their "ultimate driving machine" tag.

The experience with BMW was the best. I had been talking to their sales executive for a long time and he did keep 3-4 hours for us exclusively (went through all the car details with us and gave a test drive for all the models). Since our budget was in the range of 40L, we were OK with higher end being pre-owned. But my parents weren't too keen on too old a car. So it had to be less than 10k km and or 1 year old.

Here's my GS


Now let's get back to the cars

1. X1


a. There were some really good offers on the X1. It comes in 4 variants I believe (S drive 20i-Sport, S drive 20i x-line, S drive 20d x-line and S drive 20d MSport)
b. This was the car we would have most likely got. The car is nice to drive - engine and gearbox are really nice and you can't really tell it’s a front wheel drive.
c. The biggest low point of the X1 was the comfort and seats. The rear was bumpier than we expected and the seat is too rounded off in the corners and gives lesser support than expected.
d. I believe for the German luxury brands, you should go for the mid model (X3 and X5 in this case) which will give you the most value for money. The highest and most expensive models are their canvas for experimentation of new technology and the entry level are more of brand experience than features.
e. I would have liked the x drive variant, but BMW was asking around 37 lacs on road for this.

2. X3


a. My ideal car would have been a pre-owned X3, 30d - purely to satisfy the enthusiast in me. However, I realized somewhere that this is car for my 60+ year old parents and not for me. So the X3 30d has to wait.
b. When we test drove the new X3, it was really underwhelming. This was the car that I was hoping that my parents would like. But the rear seats were too uncomfortable for their liking.
c. It handles well but the damping on that X3 was something we all felt was harsh. I don’t know if you can make them softer, but it wouldn't be a BMW then
d. My parents and wife were sitting at the rear and they were not comfortable at all.
e. The interiors on the BMW are consistent across the range and this is slightly discouraging. They need new interiors which are slightly more premium for the money.

3. X5


a. I just loved the X5 and BMW was giving some pretty mouth-watering deals on the 2019 X5 which they had limited stock of.
b. Everything is just fantastic about this car, but its big and may have been suitable if we had ran upwards of 30k km per year. It would be under-utilized if it ran any less.
c. The comfort is nice in there, soft closing doors, comfortable rear space, plenty of room for all passengers, 4 wheel drive, dynamic suspension adjustment and that 3 litre straight 6 are mind blowing.
d. Overall, great car but largely beyond our budget - however, you could get 1-2 year pre-owned examples for about 40L and that’s a steal. We did check out a few X5s in the pre-owned market but somehow those deals didn't work out.

4. 3GT


a. We saw the GTs because they were there in the showroom.
b. I had received good feedback about the cars from a couple of owners but as much as I liked the 3GT, it feels overpriced and again they felt that the car is a little delicate (largely due to the rimless doors)
c. I did not drive either of the GTs, but have heard very good things about the cars from owners who I interacted with.

5. 6GT


a. This is truly a beautiful car and something which we would have considered if the budget permitted.
b. The interiors of the 6GT are in a different league and it is close to the 7 series in terms of some features.
c. There is a large difference in price between the 620i GT and the 630d GT which I really wanted. For that price, it should come with the X-drive.
d. It was coming upwards of 65L so it was not to be.

Audi

Moving on to Audi. These seem to be the least flashy but are loaded with gadgetry and have really sweet chassis and powertrains. The Quattro tempted me and I wasn't keen on getting a non 4wd Audi. My friend Coriolis has a Quattro Q3 and he helped in getting connected with Audi Pune. Overall, these cars seemed to be the most over-priced. In the past they have been giving good discounts and that made their vehicles worthwhile. We did not consider any sedans from Audi.

1. Q3


a. Much has been written about this car on the forum and I test drove it quite some time back.
b. My issue with this car was again the pricing. Audi at the time wasn't having large discounts and as much as everyone liked the car, it just wasn't feeling that we were getting a nice deal.
c. The rear seats on the q3 need to be better.

2. Q5


a. Probably the sweetest handling car to drive among all that I test drove. Period. Its seriously good.
b. This is probably the saddest reality in Indian luxury cars. Sales of Audi have plummeted to new lows and this car could have completely transformed them, but it was just so overpriced that it was not funny.
c. They were asking 74L on road for the Technology variant and the discounts offered were very less.
d. Audi - we love you, but we don't.

3. Q7
a. This car was quite out of budget but I test drove it anyway besides being too big for our preference.
b. The 8 speed DSG is mind blowing. You just can't tell that the gears are shifting and when the car was already in 8th gear.
c. The engine on the Q7 is also wonderful, the 3.0L V6 is quiet and very peppy.
d. Lovely car to buy pre-owned.

Toyota

I didn't want to regret not looking at these two cars which are so popular in the country even though the Innova was well within the budget and the Fortuner would have fit very nicely in our original range. However, I wanted a premium car for them and hence Toyota wasn't our first choice. Both the cars considered were also slightly larger than our preferred size and my mom wasn't too excited about it.

1. Innova


a. I actually got the opportunity to drive this car because a friend was planning to buy it.
b. It's very impressive to drive and if one is looking for space and carrying more than 4 people on a regular basis, then the Innova is excellent. The 3rd row is spacious and the engine doesn't feel underpowered.
c. As much as the car is good, it wasn't for me.

2. Fortuner AT


a. I test drove the AT and it's so nice!
b. The rear seat comfort is mind blowing and this is a car which I might seriously consider as a next car option.

Volvo

1. XC40


a. The ride quality and interiors of the XC40 are wonderful but just like Audi, they weren't interested in giving any discounts and hence the car was coming to 55L OTR Pune.
b. We largely dismissed it for this reason.
c. However, it’s a nice car to buy pre-owned but there aren't too many of these sold to begin with.
d. Volvo is trying to pitch the XC40 with the GLC, X3 and Q5 but the brand value of the 3 Germans is in general higher and they are yet to establish themselves as a big brand in India, so in due course of time they might do well.

2. XC60


a. I was trying to find if a pre-owned XC60 would be available, that would be ideal. However there were none and I had to give up on Volvo.
b. New XC60 was going to cost about 73L OTR Pune and they weren't prepared to give any discounts either.
c. I hope Volvo sell more cars in India.

Skoda

We have 2 Skodas in the family already - a 2011 Superb 1.8TSI MT and a 2014 Octavia 1.4TSI MT so we were not keen on getting a 3rd Skoda.

1. Kodiaq 4x4


a. Also, we were not extremely impressed by the Kodiaq's handling (maybe it had to do with the test drive vehicle) so discarding this option was easier than I expected.

Jeep

1. Compass AT petrol


a. The first car that we tested because my dad liked the interiors of the top end Jeep Compass.
b. However at the time, the automatic was available only with the 1.4 litre petrol engine and neither was it the Trailhawk version.

Mercedes-Benz

My test drives of the Mercedes cars was the first time I was ever driving them so I had very little experience and
wasn't sure what to expect. But driving one gives you a different perspective. I was very biased against this brand and this is partially due to the people who own these cars as well as horror stories of the dealerships. The service costs of Mercs are the highest amongst all three Germans.

1. GLE


a. With the new GLE announced globally, Mercedes was having good deals on this car.
b. Similar to the X5, it would have been worthwhile if we were doing 30000 km in a year to justify the purchase of this car.
c. The weight is evident, but the car moves beautifully and has the 250d engine tune. That means it has 205 hp and 500 Nm torque. That's a full 100 Nm over the 220d tune. That’s roughly one small hatch engine extra. How I wish this was the engine they gave with the GLC - it has the chassis to manage that torque.
d. There is no fuss or drama with this car. It lurches forward and the 0-100 kmph numbers on the GLE are mind boggling.
e. The interiors are dated on the car and you can tell that this car is not too apart from the ML250. Nothing wrong with them, but the GLC interiors are really classy.
f. We got some good deals on the car, but it was still out of budget.

2. GLC 300 petrol

a. Oh god! The engine on this car is so good! 245 hp is just stunning and 0 to 100 comes in just 6.5 seconds. It’s a fast car and if you are an enthusiast, you'll love it.
b. The interiors are same between the petrol and diesel cars (in the progressive variant) so it was purely a decision between the diesel and petrol.

3. GLC 220d diesel

a. It was love at first sight for the GLC.
b. The diesel feels so relaxed and on the highway, it just wafts away at in the range of 1500 rpm. I love that in a car that lazy elegance attracted me towards the diesel GLC.
c. We loved the comfort of the interiors, the 360 camera, the softness of the drive, refinement in the engine and vehicle etc.
d. After some discussions with the dealer, we decided to go with this!

Thus ended the search which lasted almost 8 months.

[nitrogary]

3. Delivery

3.1 Complete booking & delivery experience with the dealership
3.2 On-road price & discounts
3.3 Extended warranties & service packages

We debated a few days on what color to go for. The options were
1. Polar white - most common color, so no.
2. Obsidian Black - difficult to maintain.
3. Mojave Silver - black interiors, so they heat up.
4. Cavansite Blue - Option 2, but is pretty difficult to maintain and you can see swirl marks on it easily.
5. Hyacinth Red - Too flashy
6. Selenite grey - Option 1.
I had seen a few blue Mercedes SUVs so I thought the Grey was a little less common color and hence we went for it.

Key differences between the Progressive and Sport variant (if there are more, please add them)
1. 19" wheels (vs 18")
2. That really gorgeous 360 degree camera
3. Burmester music system
4. Open pore wooden trim (vs the glossy black trim)
5. I am not sure if the automatic boot opening and closing is available in Sport variant?
It was a no-brainer to go with the Progressive variant for the two features - music system and the 360 camera. They are both lovely and I'll try to cover them in some detail later.

We had two options from the company - a new GLC or a pre-owned (by Mercedes Benz factory) one. The difference was over 10 lacs so for a 8 month old car which had done 8000 km so it was not a very difficult decision. We were not too fussed about having a zero km car and the one which we got was as good as new. I saw it this way - every 1000 km done was worth 1.5 lacs on the car.

The wait between the booking and delivery feels like an eternity! But the day finally arrived.

I wish for all new car buyers, this time is as minimum as possible. As it often happens, banks had 4 straight days holiday so the payments couldn't be received in time for our desired Muhurat and after that my parents had planned a 8 day trip out of Pune. So Dussehra was ruled out :(

Some follow ups were required for the registration and some other formalities which could have been handled better by the dealer.
Next earliest muhurat was Diwali so we finalized Padwa to do the puja and take delivery of the vehicle. It was a very exciting time and BU Bhandari made sure that the delivery was an experience to remember. They arranged for a cake, coffee and some snacks.


It was time














Super happy!

Now starts the real ownership experience.

Extended Warranty and service packages
Following were the numbers which I received (also posted them separately here some time back) but reproducing them here. I believe the company which offers the extended warranty is a different one that Mercedes-Benz.

For a 0-3 month old GLC, the extended warranty packages are as follows
4th year - 1.32 lacs
4th & 5th year - 2.59 lacs
4th ,5th & 6th - 3.96 lacs

if the car's age is 3 to 12 months, it is as below (applicable for our vehicle)
4th year - 1.80 lacs
4th &5th year - 3.54 lacs
4th, 5th &6th year - 5.49 lacs

These prices go further up in case you buy it later. The rates are not negotiable.

4 year service pack is 2.25 lacs.
Estimates I got are: 55k for 1st year (or service), 80k for 2nd year (including diesel filter), 55k for 3rd year, 1.5 lac for 4th year.
A set of brake pads and discs are about 60k extra. All this adds up to just around 4 lacs.

I have decided against buying any of the above for now. Maybe at a later date, I might consider buying the service pack. It seems to be a sensible option, but I feel the dealer should give better deals if I am committing a 4 year service agreement.

Usage pattern

Our usage is almost exclusively on highways and maybe in the range of 10-12k km per year is what I am expecting so it's OK for me to wait and watch. In worst case, I think I can service the car at home and take it to the service center for any software updates if it's possible.
We have now covered over 6k km in the car (14k total). Past 2-3 months, the mileage hasn't increased by much at all because of the lockdown. The main purpose of the car is to enjoy it on long drives, vacations, drive to the farm house, family outings, etc. so mainly non work travel. From November to February we did some really memorable trips. Regular drives to Lonavala for late evening Maggi, dinner, breakfast also continued.

Here's some pics for you to enjoy


2000+ km to Kerala to see the Solar eclipse (Pune-Manipal-Kerala-Goa-Pune). 3 Trips to Goa (1 every month)

[nitrogary]

4. Exteriors

The GLC joins the Superb 1.8 TSI Manual and the BMW R1200GS.


It looks beautiful and proportionate. It's not big and bulky like bigger SUVs and neither is it skinny and small and has lovely road presence. The size of the car is big ~ 5 meters for city traffic, so you need to be careful while driving the first time.



It almost looks like an estate and feels like one. I have been a fan of this body style for a long time.


Build quality is typical Mercedes-Benz and the doors close with a lovely clunk. It’s a tall car to get into and the footboard comes in very handy when getting in and out of the car.



This must be a pleasure to see in your rear view mirrors!






Headlamps: I can't say for sure if these are cornering lights, but they are adaptive LEDs.


The Progressive variant gets really pretty 19 inch alloys and have 235/55 R19 tires all round. They are tubeless and not run flat. Car gets all 4 discs.


The car came with Birdgestone Dueler H/P sport tires and I like them, no complaints. I am not too picky around tire brands and go with what I like the most - which is a plush ride. I intend to keep them stock for now.

Spare wheel is a skinny 155/80 R19 tubeless, but its made by Continental unlike Bridgestone which is there on the main 4 wheels.


Currently they have covered 14k km and are looking good.

The paint quality is lovely and this paint is called Selenite Grey and interiors are beige.

Practicality & boot space

The spare wheel consumes a substantial space in the boot and I was very worried that the space may not be enough to store luggage for 4-5 passengers. However I was wrong. We were able to manage luggage for 5 people and 5 people in the car. This was on a road trip to Kerala from Pune. 5 people were us on two legs of the journey - Manipal to Kannur and Kannur to Goa. Together they must be about 1000 km. It was tight but the comfort of the car makes up for it. In this image, the spare wheel is also there below all the luggage.



The boot opens and closes electronically and you can set the height till which you want it to open by long pressing the open button on the boot. Press it again and default (highest) setting gets activated.



There is a lot of space under the boot floor board. On the long trip, I had stored the parcel tray, a 12V air pump, emergency car care kit as well as our laundry so that the luggage got lighter as the trip progressed.



Which is lockable with the emergency key.



The rear seats fold electronically with the press of this silver button. There also is a 12V charging socket provided.


You get a fruit / picnic basket which sits nicely folded away in the boot.



There is a fuse box in here too



5. Interiors

When you get in, this is what you are greeted with. I love the illuminated Mercedes-Benz scuff plates.




Both seats are extremely comfortable and have retractable (manually) squabs which really give excellent under thigh support.


If you hadn't been told, you wouldn't have known that the leather is artificial and is called Artico leather. There is ample space for front and rear passengers. However, seating at the rear is not the most comfortable. One of my friends who has an M class said that the space is not comparable between the two cars. I think its similar between the E class and C class.

You get a nice dead pedal for the left leg to rest and its never uncomfortable.


This is really not a chauffeur driven car and you should enjoy it yourself. It does an extremely good job of cocooning you from the external world and you are immediately transported to your happy place.

If you try to slide into the seats, the side bolster of the seat gets damaged and I am particular about this in any car. So to get in, I open the door, put my right leg on the foot board and hold the grab handle or the steering wheel to get into the car trying not to touch the sides of the seat. I also ensure that the back pocket buttons are not fastened so that they don’t cause too much friction. We have all seen 50-60k run cars with the driver's seat worn off and every other seat looking beautiful. Nothing uglier than that.

The fit and finish is so wonderful you can feel the effort Mercedes put in the design, development and manufacturing of the car.

There is no uncomfortable driving position in this car. Steering and MID. Horn is lovely 'paamp' and I have noticed that people on the highway do respect the 3 pointed star quite a bit. So I don't use it much. The effort needed to press is just about perfect.


Controls
Left Stalks - Indicators, wiper controls (front and rear). They have an automatic mode also. Press the silver button once and the wipers engage. Press it further and it engages the windshield washer



Cruise control is lovely. Speeds can be increased in increments of single digits or in 10s so (70-80-90-100)
Silver button on cruise control is speed limiter (set this speed if you don't want to exceed this speed)

Right Stalk - Gear shifter. It takes time getting used to this. But once you are used to it, everything else feels a little silly.


Behind the stalk - engine start stop button, headlights, fog lights,
Buttons on top row - Park assist on / off, camera on / off (covered later)


The unique position of the shifter frees up space for the lovely centre console. Hence, it makes way for the comand wheel which you can use to control the display screen.


Driver side window and mirror controls
The panel is so tastefully done! I love it. The tactile feedback from all the buttons is just lovely. No extra efforts anywhere but very positive feedback and no false engagements.


Windows and mirror controls. One touch up / down for all windows. They can be locked for others to operate (in case there are kids, etc.) Mirrors can be individually adjusted and folded as well. If you are in reverse, press the left mirror button so that it can lower itself automatically for better visibility.


The rear view mirror, reading lights, small storage space for your shades and the sunroof control are extremely well integrated.


Parking brake is electronic. But the car gets into P mode the moment the driver side door is open. This is a wonderful safety feature to have.

[nitrogary]

5. Interiors continued

Sunroof is quite big and a line with most Mercs, there are two glass panels. The rear one doesn't open. I feel the curtain allows too much light into the car and driving around in the sun it’s a bit too bright for my liking.

A view of the sunroof controls


Panoramic view gives you a very airy feel to the interiors


Sunroof opened fully, notice the wind deflector


The sunshades are nice. They are same for driver and passenger


When you open the flap for the vanity mirror, the lights turn on


Storage spaces
There's plenty of storage spaces in the car. You can keep many water bottles in the door bins and the airplane style back seat pockets are nice too to keep paperwork.

The goggle compartment is lined with felt and soft touch materials to ensure your expensive shades don't get scratched


Cup holders (the holders are removable) along with 12V socket and a cigarette lighter. Remove the cup holders by unlocking it from the up/down arrow toggle switch. With the fast-tag you don't need to keep a lot of money for long trips here anymore


Massive arm rest storage. Two usb ports allow fast charging for your phones. Port 2 is used for screen mirroring. SD port is also provided (mostly for navigation maps)


Three bottles can easily fit in there. 2 large one litre bottles and 1 small 500 ml


Notice the boot opening button here. You can open / close the boot electronically with this button. You can also make it stop at a point where you want it to stop


Passenger side dashboard


Lockable, cooled glove box


On the inside


How things look from the back seats




Beautiful trim. I am in love with the brushed aluminum door handles


They also have manual retractable blinds


I wonder what will fit in that small space next to the 12V charging point?


Excellent storage for the rear passengers too


Air conditioner cooling & effectiveness
This GLC has only 2 zone climate control and really misses out on 3 zone climate control for the rear passengers


Also the number of vents for the rear are less


Having said that, the AC is just fantastic and the filters are noteworthy. There was one time where some agricultural stubble was being burnt on the roadside and the entire area was filled with smoke. I did not get a clue that there was smoke outside.

We are yet to experience the AC on long summer drives but I am sure there will not be any issue. The AC controls are fairly intuitive and with the 2 zone control, each side gets their own settings.

What I love are the controls of the vents. They ooze class and elegance.

Turn the knob to 3 o clock position to turn the airflow to zero


Rotate it back to 12 o clock to get full flow


And the 3 slat design is lovely and you get really nice control. They remain horizontal but there are louvers inside to direct the flow on your left / right to give excellent directional control. The additional vent in the middle goes a long way in sending additional cool air at the back. In their extreme up/down/left/right positions








- Audio system & sound quality
Burmester are a 40+ year old company who have recently starting making music systems for premium car manufacturers. Currently they make sound systems for Bugatti, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. I am no audiophile and actually I listen to very little music while driving. Even with this inexperience, you can tell this music system is something special. There are 13 speakers at multiple levels and do indeed give you the feeling of sitting in a concert. Even listening to my regular YouTube songs is very satisfying. You can focus the sweet spot anywhere in the car and the difference is very perceivable. I think I need some good quality DVDs to be able to experience the best in this system.

Mercedes and Burmester have claimed that you can close your eyes and there is no difference in sitting in a concert hall and the car.

Front door speakers (1 in each front door)


Two speakers in each rear door


Speaker on each side above the rear passengers


There are 13 speakers in total and you are not left wanting for anything else.

[nitrogary]

6. Engine, chassis and drivability

Open the hood and this is what you will be welcomed with. What a thing of beauty


Engine performance & driveability

This is how the power and torque curve look like. It does not have one particular sweet spot. The sweetness lies everywhere. Dollops of torque right from as low as 1200 rpm and its seamlessly integrated with the silky gearbox.

Torque curve


This figure is called an acceleration diagram. It shows how the vehicle speed varies with engine rpm in every gear. This is one of my favourite concepts in automotive engineering. Enjoy!


How the vehicle picks speed


I can say that the 2.1 something litre diesel engine is "adequate" in the 220d tune. I would have loved the 250d in this car. How does a remap sound after warranty? I would appreciate any leads!

I have a friend who is an automotive genius and I asked him a question "which is characteristic of a good engine" he said "An engine which can make the car go fast at low rpms". The wisdom in these words is immense.

Accordingly I took this photo which is self-explanatory. I forced the car to go into 9th gear, else it was chugging along at 100 kmph in 8th.



Having said all this, everything else about the engine and gearbox is fundamentally focused towards refinement, smoothness, creaminess and all other nice things which you associate with a luxury car.

In city, I am never going to be thrashing this car, so it drives along with poise and elegance.

Drive modes
There are 5 drive modes. Each drive mode has 4 parameters which can be controlled - engine and gearbox response, steering response, suspension and air conditioning control.

1. Eco - Strictly if your driver is driving. Engine response is sluggish, you can't overtake cars very well, air conditioner also goes into a fuel preservation mode and auto start-stop remains on. Steering is obviously soft and suspension is rather cushy.


2. Comfort - This is what you'd probably drive in over 80% of your time. All the settings are focused towards comfort. Engine, steering and suspension. Honestly, with 4 of us in the car (wife, parents and me) this is going to be standard.


3. Sport - I love the car in sport mode on the highway if the road is smooth. We don't have many of these roads in Maharashtra but whenever possible, I try to get into sport mode. Immediately the engine sharpens up and suspension stiffens up. The gearbox drops a gear or two and you are welcomed by the heavier and more responsive steering.


4. Sport plus - This is everything in the sport mode but even more aggressive. Everything else in the car is too soft to manage this. The gearshifts become so frantic that you kinda get surprised that this is coming from a Mercedes. I used it only a few times in Khambatki ghaat while going uphill and I could reasonably push the car. Yeah it's there, but not really to be used regularly. I think I've used this mode to show how it feels to my passengers more than actually use it


5. Individual - I don't spend much time in Individual mode but all the above parameters can be customized. My ideal setting is - engine in sport, steering in comfort, air conditioner in comfort and auto stop-start in off


In here, you can set these parameters as per your liking





The only thing I'd want more is to be able to set the suspension and engine behaviours individually. Again I am sure MB has this in their higher level cars. Some day.

One excellent feature I discovered accidentally was hill hold. If you are going up a slope and need to stop you can just press the brake and let go. The car doesn't roll back. The most beautiful sensation came when I needed to continue forward. The car moved ahead like it was on level ground. No fuss, no squat / dive at all when the brakes were released.

In traffic if the car is stopped, you can press the brake deep and a hill hold symbol comes up meaning that the brakes will remain engaged until you tap the throttle and you can crawl ahead in bumper to bumper traffic.

Gearbox

Cut section of the planetary 9G tronic gearbox


The gearbox is just magnificent. 4x4 full-time (4Matic all-wheel drive permanent, 45/55 torque split, multiple-disc clutch in the centre differential).

There are many fans of the DCT on Audi and BMW but this 9g Tronic is not too far behind. You really cannot tell the gearshifts except when the car is in first or second and you push it. How nice it feels depends on your throttle input.

Fuel economy is really impressive. In city, we get anywhere between 9-14kmpl but the car comes of its own on the highway. Many times I have got an indicated economy of over 20kmpl but it most commonly hovers around 16-18 kmpl mark. With a 65 litre tank, that’s almost a 1100 km range - this is a very real range and I can do Goa and back to Pune in one fuel tank easily


The car is not fussy on what kind of diesel you put in. It may perhaps reflect in the fuel consumption. But with such frugal fuel economy, it can't be noticed really.

The engine is rather silent during every day running and it doesn't seem to bother you at all.

Chassis

Handling of the car is somewhere between an SUV and a sedan. There is body roll in comfort mode when you are slightly enthusiastically driving but that can be sorted immediately by switching to sport mode.

The 4 wheel drive - 4 matic is permanently engaged and the only time when I feel it's lacking in refinement is when you take really slow full lock turns. The front inner wheel skids and wants to go more straight than in the direction you have pointed it. Maybe this has to do with the steering geometry also, but I have read that many owners have mentioned this as an issue.

The car is not really something which you should buy if you are only looking for a sporty ride. I'd recommend a GLC 43 AMG for that. There are quite a few in the pre-owned market in the 40-50 lac range.

Ground clearance is more than sufficient for what I am using the car. We have taken it on really bad roads and as much as the car can take the abuse, you really don't feel like doing this to the car.

Reverse Camera and park assist

I don't know where else to put this, but the reverse camera is so good that it deserves a special mention in the review.
The car has 4 cameras - one on each side and it stitches the images together from all 4 to show as a top view from the car. This is always on display in the left part of the screen. It also indicates proximity warning.

You can go to the camera from the menu as well as the camera button near the engine start / stop switch. It will not turn on in the vehicle speed is more than a value (15 kmph I think)



Default view is this


The guidelines move with the steering wheel


On the right side, you can toggle between what view you like.

Rear view - straight


Rear view, seen from top


View from the side cameras (located below the mirrors) is split in two. This is the rear half of the side view


Front half of the side view


Moving to the front camera views. Top view


Front view. This is especially useful in bumper to bumper traffic.


Excellent feature this.

7. In conclusion

In summary, this is such a fantastic car you cannot go wrong with it. Yes, there are equally capable cars out there and those will be worth the money too. However, we as a family totally loved the vehicle and have been pleased with it in the past 6 months of ownership. I only pray that in the long run, it gives us happy miles and stress free ownership experience.

Thank you so much for taking your time out and going through the review. Hope I have given it justice. There are a few things which I'd like to add in future about more details of the vehicle and updates. Till then, safe motoring.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Amazingly detailed review, many thanks for sharing . This will be very helpful to potential GLC owners. Your car will be going to our homepage today!

[asit.kulkarni93]

Congratulations Sarang!
That is one comprehensive review
Considering your usage and primary users being your parents, you chose the right option. I can understand the need for a 250d state of tune but that is something a remap should easily solve post warranty. Happy mile munching!

[//M]

Many Congratulations nitrogary for adding another beauty to your enviable garage.

The GLC is a beautiful car. Me and bhpian 599gto had once taken a GLC 220d for a spin some time in 2018, before I relocated to NCR from Pune. The stance really feels sporty and the power delivery is pretty linear and smooth. The space and comfort available is great and the quality of controls are absolutely top-notch. I however agree with you that a 250d variant would have been ideal, had it been on offer.

The paintshade, Selenite Grey, looks amazing on the GLC though. Infact it is quite surprising that this paintshade is not as popular as the white or silver or blue. Glad you chose yours in Selenite Grey, looks handsome and sporty both at the same time !

Thank You for sharing such an in-depth review about the car. Wishing you many happy miles with your Three-Pointed Star !

[scorpio2107]

Beautifully written. The GLC is one very comfortable car to ride in!
This is the first time I have seen selenite grey. Just one question - was it a paid option?

[harikr]

Nice review Sarang. Really detailed with some nice pictures. Still remember your zen and figo from Nashik days. Nice step up to one of the finest machines on road. Hope to see few travelogues also with the beast.
Hari

[Sunny_ST3]

Just awesome. Very detailed but no unnecessary things.

First line "100 years of work experience" is setting tone the blog.

[RaceHorse]

Excellent review, thanks for the detailed pictures, this made me shift my focus from Kodiaq . We will definitely consider this before finalizing. Good to know that spare wheel doesn't eat into boot space much.

Please post the pictures of rear seat also.

[hareshjethwani]

As good as an official review ! Nice choice of colour, wish you happy miles. Please do put up a travelogue for the Goa trip with lot of pics

[Slickshift99]

what a beautiful review of the GLC, The Allows were the first thing i noticed in the pics, they look awesome. This shade of grey is indeed very uncommon. I hope you have a great time with your GLC, Congratulations.