New Car: Mercedes GLC 2019 review

New Car: Mercedes GLC 2019 review
Visit buy in car Mercedes GLC:http://bit.ly/2wH5B51

At first glance, the interior looks similar, too, but it’s the changes to the tech that are most significant. The GLC now adopts Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system, which means a new widescreen 10-inch display sits – still rather incongruously – on top of the dash. It can still be operated using the laptop-style touch pad on the centre console or, for the first time in a GLC, via touchscreen.

All but the basic Sport trim (only available in the UK on the cheapest diesel model) now have digital dials, too: a seven-inch screen is standard, while an optional 10-inch display offers greater customisation. Just ahead of it sits an S-Class-like steering wheel, which gets touch-sensitive pads to allow little thumb swipes to move through on-screen menus. It’s much more intuitive, and the new tech looks fantastic, too.

Save for some minor trim pieces and colours, the rest of the interior is just the same as before. That means that it boasts a classy dashboard layout that’s up with the Volvo XC60 as one of the nicest driving environments in the class. It also means that it’s not quite as spacious as an Audi Q5 in the back (unless you’re carrying three, in which case it’s slightly better), but overall even tall adults will be more than happy.

Perhaps the biggest changes for the GLC come under the bonnet. The engine line-up has been overhauled, and of the five new units offered in Europe, the UK will get just two 2.0-litre diesels from launch – each lifted from the updated C-Class range. The 220 d makes 191bhp – only slightly down on the previous GLC 250 d – and 400Nm of torque, while the more potent 300 d driven here makes 242bhp and 500Nm.

At a later date, UK buyers will also be offered the 254bhp GLC 300 petrol. A revised turbocharger and cam timing help to heat up the exhaust particulate filter more efficiently, while a mild-hybrid system recovers energy that would be otherwise lost under braking and deploys it under acceleration. A plug-in petrol-electric hybrid will arrive later, but the hydrogen-powered fuel cell variant, will not.

It’s hard to argue against the two diesels, however. The 300 d unit is as smooth and refined as the 300 petrol alternative, yet the useful extra torque means that it feels much more muscular in the real world. We’ve yet to try the less potent 220 d, but given that it’ll still sprint from 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds, we’ve got a hunch that it’ll be more than adequate for most buyers – and the likely be pick of the range.