POWER & GLORY (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_mercedesamgglc63_2018

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 44

The SUV segment is a profitable niche for car makers - and the high performance end of it even more so. Here's the model that between 2017 and 2022 claimed to rule the mid-sized part of that segment, the thunderous V8-powered Mercedes-AMG GLC 63.

Modelsword count: 4

5dr SUV 4.0 petrol

Historyword count: 320

In the 2017-2022 period, the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 was the fastest, most powerful mid-sized SUV you could buy. It was the only V8-powered contender of its kind, it was politically incorrect and it was fantastically desirable. All the right ingredients then. In fact, it's the kind of machine you might conceivably come up with if, in a pleasant few moments, you were to mentally assemble all the elements necessary to create your ideal car - assuming you could only have one and that money was no object. It'd need plenty of interior space, yet couldn't be so large that cornering agility would be compromised. You'd want a commanding driving position, 4WD traction, storming acceleration and an engine soundtrack to die for. This Mercedes confidently ticks all those boxes. You can even have it in coupe-SUV form if you don't want the standard body shape. No other brand has more experience in high performance SUVs like this one, the Mercedes legacy in this market niche dating back to 1999 and the fast but rather wayward ML55. The company's AMG tuning division in Affalterbach has got rather better at producing go-faster versions of Mercedes products since then - they're now good for corners as well as straight lines - and it really shifted up a gear with the introduction of the 4.0-litre V8 we first saw in the AMG GT performance sportscar in 2014. Since then, that twin turbo engine has been fitted into a variety of Mercedes-AMG products, including the C63 and E63 models that share much of their engineering with this top GLC. Here, it could put out as much as 510hp and a thumping 700Nm of torque, that latter figure enough to embarrass this car's most direct segment competitors, the Porsche Macan Turbo and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. The Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 sold in X253/C253 form until late 2022. Let's check this car out as a used buy.

What You Getword count: 361

Get one of these bearing down in the fast lane upon you and you'd scuttle over pretty quickly. Whether you choose your GLC 63 in this SUV guise or in its alternative Coupe form, it's a mean-looking beast. The lesser V6-engined Mercedes-AMG 43 4MATIC model could easily be mistaken for an ordinary GLC with sporty 'AMG Line' trim, but from a glance at this V8 variant, you know you're dealing with a different thing entirely. The wider 'jet wing'-inspired front apron with its huge lower corner finned cut-outs is one component in this change of demeanour, but the main thing that enhances this '63' model's added status is a distinctive styling feature once reserved for the AMG GT sportscar - the 'Panamerica' front grille. And inside up-front? Well if you're wavering between this car and Affalterbach's more conventional C 63 model, then this is where the GLC V8 will probably sell itself to you. You know of course that this SUV's high-set stance will put it at a disadvantage to an ordinary performance saloon or estate when it comes to weight transfer and cornering agility, but somehow, it's hard to resist the allure of such a commanding driving position. The 'S' variant is differentiated by its grippy flat-bottomed AMG Performance steering wheel and AMG Performance sports seats, both of which feature DTM-style 'DINAMICA' microfibre trim. And in the back? Well if you've been persuaded to buy one of these in preference to the C 63 Estate model that the magazine experts will recommend you choose instead, it's here that that decision will pay off. The GLC 63 has 33mm more length in its wheelbase than one of those would offer and nearly all of that has been used for the benefit of rear folk who as a result enjoy significantly improved room for their legs and knees. Let's finish by taking a look at luggage space, accessed via the standard electrically-operated tailgate. There's 550-litres of space on offer. That's 25-litres more than you'd get in an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio and 50-litres more than you'd find in a Porsche Macan Turbo. The GLC Coupe body style gives you a 500-litre space.

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