Mercedes-AMG GLC63 Packs Tons of Power in Two Different Bodies
If you want the 503-horsepower version, though, you have to go for the GLC Coupe.
Mercedes has expanded the AMG lineup by yet another model...or, if you want to look at it Daimler's way, by three. Coming soon to a Mercedes-Benz showroom near you: the Mercedes-AMG GLC63, the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 Coupe, and the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S Coupe.
As you probably guessed from the "63" tacked on to the end, these new GLC-Class models aren't any of those half-caf, V6-powered models that have made up most of the recent additions to the Mercedes lineup. Like the C63 and E63, the GLC63 models all use AMG's one-man-one-engine-made twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. In this case, it's wound up to the same two states of tune as the C63: the "base" models make 469 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, while the GLC63 S Coupe spits out 503 hp and 516 lb-ft. (Which is kind of unfortunate, because the two-box version looks far better to our eyes.)
Either way, all that power leaves the engine and heads into the AMG nine-speed MCT transmission first seen in the AMG E63 S, then flows to all four wheels thanks to AMG's Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system, which constantly shuffles power about as needed for the best possible traction. (No word yet on whether Mercedes also baked Drift Mode into the GLC63, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.) A mechanical limited-slip rear diff helps distribute power to the back wheels in the regular GLC63 models, while the GLC63 S scores a computer-controlled one.
And since AMG's aren't just about straight-line speed anymore, the GLC63 models come with a new sport-tuned air suspension, complete with three-mode active dampers and a model-specific multi-link rear axle that widens the rear in comparison with the general GLC-Class.
While the GLC-Class may be the sort of compact crossover normally pointed at, as this writer put it, urban fashion plates, the full-blown AMG version packs the visual and audio boost expected from Mercedes's hi-po division. If the already-aggressive stock exhaust, which grows louder as you flip through the car's performance modes, isn't enough, there's an even badder Performance exhaust to choose. The front fascia wears the new "Panamerica" grille that shows up on the new AMG GT C Roadster, accompanied by wider wheel arches, a big ol' front bumper and splitter, new side sills, and a rear diffuser.
And of course, we fully expect the GLC63 will offer the usual array of Mercedes-Benz technology, luxury, and design options. But we'll hopefully find that out for sure—along with the price of this bad boy, which we're guessing will start somewhere in the $70,000 range—when it makes its official debut at the New York Auto Show next week.
