After an avalanche of criticism from fans and journalists, Mercedes finally listened and ordered the AMG engineers to squeeze two more cylinders and a liter of displacement under the hood of the new GLC 53. They did so, although without the help of electrics, the second one was not possible.
Mercedes-AMG is partially correcting its path in the world of AMG and is putting more cylinders under the hood of some models. While we wait for the official unveiling of the new six-cylinder C 53, its SUV version has already suffered the same fate. The new GLC 53 comes as a patch on the wounds of the controversial four-cylinder 43 and 63 models, and at the same time brings a pleasant surprise compared to the CLE 53, from which it inherited its engine.
The engineers from Affalterbach have updated the 3,0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, which now produces 600 Nm of torque, which is 41 Nm more than in the aforementioned coupe. With the “overboost” function, the torque increases to 640 Nm in 10 seconds. The engine boasts a new cylinder head, modified camshafts and a more powerful intercooler. The power of 330 kW (449 hp) is transmitted to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission, enabling acceleration to 100 km/h in 4,2 seconds and a top speed of up to 270 km/h.
The GLC 53 will also be available in a coupé version with a sharply lowered roofline for those who put style before practicality. To celebrate the return of the six-cylinder, a new exhaust system with special resonators for a deeper soundstage has been prepared. Interestingly, the GLC 53 is the first Mercedes crossover to offer an optional “drift” mode for fans of rear-end drifting, while rear-axle steering (up to 2,5 degrees) is standard for better agility at low speeds.
Technically, the GLC 53 is not the first six-cylinder of this generation in Europe, as Mercedes has been selling the diesel GLC 450 d for some time. Nevertheless, the petrol GLC 53 will certainly raise more dust with its return to its roots. Prices for our market have not yet been officially confirmed, but according to American forecasts (around 40.500 euros for the basic GLC models), it is expected that the price of the sporty AMG 53 in Europe after all taxes and with rich equipment will be much higher, probably above 90.000 euros.
