Meet the new Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S E Performance. Yes, just like the hottest version of the C-Class sedan, the apex GLC has ditched its twin-turbo V8 engine in favour of an electrified 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder mill. The GLC43, meanwhile, moves from a 6-cylinder motor to a 4-pot.
Arriving as the Stuttgart-based firm’s very first high-performance hybrid SUV, the GLC63 S E Performance combines a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine (known internally as M139l) with an electric drive unit (which offers an electric-only mode, with a claimed range of up to 12 km) positioned on the rear axle.
The combined system power output stands at a whopping 500 kW, while maximum torque comes in at 1020 Nm (compared with the old V8 version’s peak figures of 380 kW and 700 Nm). The petrol motor makes 350 kW (enough to earn it the title of the most powerful series-produced 4-cylinder engine in the world) and 545 Nm, while the permanently excited synchronous electric motor offers 150 kW.
The GLC63 S E Performance features trapezoidal tailpipes, while the GLC43 employs round items.
According to the Affalterbach-based performance division, the plug-in hybrid GLC63 S E Performance will blast from 0-100 kph in a mere 3.5 seconds, with its top speed electronically governed to 275 kph.
And the battery? Well, Mercedes-AMG describes it as a “lightweight high-performance” unit which is located above the rear axle. The 400-volt battery offers a capacity of 6.1 kWh, continuous power of 80 kW and peak power of 150 kW for up to 10 seconds. Charging takes place via either energy recuperation or the 3.7 kW on-board charger (with alternating current). The German automaker makes a point of stressing the battery was designed for “fast power delivery and draw, not for the longest possible range”.
Power is directed to all 4 wheels via a 9G multi-clutch transmission, in which a wet start-off clutch replaces the torque converter. The 63-badged model features a fully variable all-wheel-drive system, which can allocate torque “continuously and as required” from 50:50 between the front and rear axles to up to 100% to the rear.
The GLC43 features the same AMG‑specific grille (with vertical struts) as the 63-badged model.
In the GLC43, the 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine – again with an electric exhaust gas turbocharger powered by a 48-volt on-board electrical system – produces 310 kW and 500 Nm (compared with 287 kW and a slightly higher 520 Nm from the old V6), and boasts an additional temporary boost of 10 kW via a belt-driven starter-generator.
Like its bigger brother, the 43-badged model employs a 9-speed transmission. According to the manufacturer, the GLC43 is capable of seeing off the 0-100 kph dash in 4.8 seconds, before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 250 kph. In the GLC43, the all-wheel-drive set-up features a permanent 31:69 power distribution between the front and rear axles.
Both the 43- and 63-badged models are equipped with Mercedes-Benz’s AMG Ride Control steel spring suspension with adaptive damping system as standard (though the GLC63 S E Performance furthermore scores the AMG Active Ride Control roll stabilisation set-up). There’s also a 3-stage speed-sensitive steering system as well as active rear-axle steering.
The AMG sports brake system in the GLC43 comprises internally ventilated and perforated discs measuring 370 x 36 mm with 4-piston fixed callipers at the front and 360 x 26 mm with single-piston floating callipers at the rear. In contrast, the GLC63 S E Performance gains 6-piston fixed callipers fore (with internally ventilated and perforated discs measuring 390 x 36 mm) and single-piston floating callipers aft (likewise internally ventilated and perforated discs, but measuring 370 x 26 mm).
Mercedes-Benz South Africa has yet to announce when the new AMG-badged GLC twins are scheduled to launch locally.
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