Driven: Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe Snarls Like a Puppy, Bites Like a Big Dog

Yahoo

17-02-2025

Some cars tell you what they're all about the moment you wake them up. The Mercedes-AMG GLC43 Coupe comes to life with the snarl of a happy puppy wanting to play. And what you hear is what you get: a feisty, fun-loving compact SUV that nips at your inner enthusiast. It's always ready to romp but is never vicious.
The 416-hp GLC43 Coupe is the underdog to the overdog GLC63 S E Performance Coupe plug-in hybrid, which pounds out a combined 671 horses between its gas engine and electric motor. But don't be fooled by the 255-hp difference between these two; the GLC43 is lovable in its own right. Its M139l turbocharged four-cylinder is shared with the GLC63, and even here, the turbo four makes an impressive 416 horsepower, or 208 horsepower per liter. (In the GLC63 it belts out 469 horsepower, a mega number for such a small engine.)
Both engines employ Mercedes's Formula 1–inspired electrically assisted turbocharger, which is intended to help the turbo spin up faster, mitigating boost lag and improving throttle response at lower revs. The GLC43's belt-driven starter-generator also adds 13 horsepower at low revs for the same purpose, though it's not factored into the engine's overall output. The turbo four channels its power through AMG's nine-speed automatic, which substitutes a wet clutch for a torque converter. The standard all-wheel-drive system is rear-biased, permanently splitting torque 31 percent front, 69 percent rear.
In comparison to the GLC63's Rube Goldberg powertrain—a 4.8-kWh battery, two electric motors, and a two-speed gearbox for the rear-axle motor—the 43's setup seems from a simpler time. But less is also more: Absent the 63's mother lode of plug-in-hybrid hardware, the 43's curb weight should be considerably lighter, though we haven't been able to weigh either model. It's far less complex to boot.
This is a good parts list, but in the end, the magic comes from how the engineers meld the pieces to work together. In the GLC43, it all clicks. This sporty SUV is a happy companion in almost every situation. The playful snarl on start-up lingers in the background as a constant presence that makes even modest acceleration sound exciting, let alone rips to the 7000-rpm redline. Thankfully, the raspy exhaust note quiets down to a distant hum during interstate cruising. Still, if you like your performance cars to speak in their indoor voice, this is not the one for you.
The current model's 2.0-liter four replaced the twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 that resided under the GLC43's hood through 2023. It delivers 31 more horsepower but loses 15 pound-feet of torque. We expect its 60-mph time to land around four seconds. Despite the electrified turbo and motor-generator assistance, there's still some lag below 2500 rpm; it takes a couple of beats for the engine to gather itself up when you push deep into the throttle. This dearth of low-end torque is exacerbated off the line by the transmission's wet clutch. It engages fluidly, but the take-up happens so slowly that moving off from a stoplight feels like driving through a vat of molasses until you're across the intersection. From that point, the power swells and the GLC43 surges ahead like a Jack Russell chasing a squirrel.
Sadly, shaving two cylinders and one liter of displacement from the GLC43 Coupe's engine barely changes the overall fuel economy. The turbo four's 18-mpg EPA city number is but 1 mpg better than the previous V-6's, while its 24-mpg highway rating is unchanged. We'd wondered whether we'd like the turbocharged four-cylinder as much as the sonorous twin turbo V-6, and the answer is yes. It's not better, though, just different.
Beyond the powertrain, AMG buttresses the GLC43's chassis with adaptive dampers and speed-dependent four-wheel steering. Summer tires, size 265/45R-20 front and 295/40R-20 rear as standard, promise ample cornering grip. The GLC43 drives cohesively, with direct steering, sharp brakes, and a taut ride that never gets harsh—even in Sport+ mode. It feels wide awake and ready to cut sharply into bends, even on the winter tires our test car was fitted with, but it settles down comfortably on the highway. It's never boring and always playful, even on trips to the supermarket. And if you want this formulation in a more conventional SUV profile, it's also available in the squareback GLC SUV body style.
This being an AMG, the GLC43 Coupe is both well dressed and well equipped at its $71,750 base price. It uses Benz's crisply rendered, multilayered MBUX infotainment system, which is sometimes cumbersome to navigate through. As with other AMG products, it's easy to inflate the MSRP with all manner of goodies that don't alter the GLC43's core driving character. Our test car had more than $11,000 of those options: special paint, leather and carbon-fiber interior trim, a Burmester Surround Sound system, additional safety gear, black 21-inch AMG Y-spoke wheels (up from the standard 20s), dynamic engine mounts, AMG's Track Pace performance video-and-data recorder, and more. Had they all been absent, it wouldn't have changed how the GLC43 drives, or how we feel about it.
The best cars are more than the sum of their parts, and the GLC43 manages to be exactly that. It offers a surprising and rewarding balance of capability and fun, with a side of SUV-ish practicality—a car that's ready to play whenever you are. Kind of like a happy puppy. And everyone loves puppies, don't they?
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