There’s no denying that the SUV sector takes a very big share of the car market these days.  Maybe it’s part of the trend towards making cars bigger and wider.  Maybe it’s because people believe that SUVs are safer.  Or maybe it’s because people are fed up with just about taking out the tailpipe every time they go over the judder bars in the local supermarket car park.  It’s therefore no surprise that Mercedes-Benz have developed the GLC SUV.

Now, if you want a large SUV for whatever reason, you will want a diesel engine. If you are hoping to go offroad at all, then you need the torque at low revs.  If you want a large family style vehicle, then you probably want something that can tow the trailer, caravan or boat at some point, so lots of torque, like you get with a diesel engine, is in order.  And if you’ve got slightly older children who are learning to drive, diesel engines are much more forgiving of low revs when the gears are being handled by beginner drivers.  It’s no wonder, therefore, that this popular luxury German marque has come out with the Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel.  Not that your learner drivers have any problem with changing gears in the Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel, as it comes with a 9-speed automatic transmission.

Although you can’t get a manual variant of the Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel, you can pick between two rather nice diesel engines that benefit greatly from the engineering traditions of Mercedes.  Both of them come harnessed to all four wheels via the 4Matic transmission, so no matter which of them you pick, you can have fun with four-wheel drive.  They both have a braked towing weight maximum of 2000 kg (unbraked: 750 kg).  The 250 d is the more powerful of the two, as it has 150 kW at 3800 rpm; however, the 220 d can deliver its maximum power (125 kW) over a wider range (3000–4200 rpm).  The 220 d also has a wider range for its maximum torque (400 Nm across 1400–2800), although the 250 d has more torque across a narrower range (500 Nm at 1600–1800 rpm).  The 250 d is a shade quicker in the 0–100 km sprint, doing this in 7.6 seconds compared with the 220 d’s 8.3 seconds.  There’s not much between the two in the fuel economy figures, however, with the 220 d getting 5.6 L/100 km under test conditions and the 250 d getting 5.7 L/100 km (Eco Stop/Start help these figures along).  You can’t use raw speed to judge between the two either, as both have been limited to a maximum of 210 km/h. Both are turbocharged, although the 250 d has two-stage turbocharging to give it that extra tweak.  So it really depends on how you are going to be using your Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel when it comes to deciding which is the better of the two.

This means you may need to look beyond just the engines if you want to choose between the 220 d and the 250 d.  The trim may do the job for you, as the 250 d is the more upmarket version, with 20-inch twin-spoke alloy wheels instead of the 220 d’s 19-inch single-spoke alloys.  The 250 d also has leather upholstery, hands-free keyless entry and the Driver Assistance Plus package.  The Driver Assistance Plus suite of driver aids features Pre-Safe braking with pedestrian recognition, lane keeping assistance, active blind spot warning assistance, cross-traffic assistance and steering assistance.

It’s not that the Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel 220 d variant has any lack of driver aids, though.  Personally, I think that parking assistance, passive blind spot assistance, hill start assistance, Mercedes’ Attention Assist, front and rear parking sensors, ESP, ABS brakes, traction control, skid control, a 360-degree camera, speed-sensitive steering and everything else that’s available (including the electrical opening and closing function in the tailgate) are quite enough – and you’ll find all of these in the 250 d as well.  Neither the Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel 220 d nor the 250 d lacks anything in the comfort and entertainment area either: dual-zone climate control, keyless starting, lumbar support for the driver and front passenger, and lots of storage space (I quite like the ambient lighting system: five lighting levels and three colours; pick what you want depending on your mood and the conditions).  The infotainment and communication system you’ll find in both choices is everything that you ought to find in a modern SUV like the Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel: full Bluetooth connectivity, 7-inch colour touchscreen display, DAB+ digital radio, Garmin navigation, five loudspeakers (including Front Bass, meaning that the people in the back don’t get blasted by the bass while the driver and front passenger can hardly hear it), iPod and USB input as well as auxiliary and CD input and audio streaming.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel is a luxury SUV, not a rugged bush-basher, so it’s got some pretty little touches here and there.  Roof rails come as standard and you can use them to take a bit of extra gear (if the   ) or you can leave the aluminium looking bright.  The same goes with the brushed aluminium side steps, although it’s a bit harder to stay off these and leave them untouched.  Touches of chrome on the key fob, leather on the steering wheel and more hints of chrome on the exterior complement the main colour schemes.  Black open-pore ash comes as a standard interior trim along with a black roof liner in all models of the Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel.  In the passive safety department, the Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel doesn’t stint things either, what with nine airbags placed strategically around the cabin.

Incidentally, we have heard more than just a rumour that the Mercedes-Benz GLC is about to come out with a “sports utility coupé” style.  Mercedes Australia is staying coy on the exact details of what will be in this interesting new crossover package, but watch this site for more details!

Current model series include:

• Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel 220 d
• Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel 250 d

For any more information on the Mercedes-Benz GLC Diesel, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Mercedes-Benz dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!