2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLC 43 Coupe

To speak honestly there aren’t night and day differences feature-wise if we compare the base 300 GLC and the AMG 43 trim level apart from performance upgrades. As the AMG name suggests the SUV gets a better Bi-Turbo V6 engine and adaptive air suspension as standard. 

On the inside, the SUV still lacks some features that should have been standard like leather upholstery, apart from this though we do have almost everything else like dual-zone climate control and power-adjustable and heated front seats. Luxury is all about convenience and this SUV can be turned on remotely via a smartphone app. 

This feature doesn’t seem like a utility but once you get used to that pre-heated or pre-cooled cabin, there’s no going back. This app can even track your SUV if stolen or diagnose the system for service or any other faults. The things this app alone can do make the AMG GLC 43 an amazing high-tech SUV.

Which trim should you buy?

The AMG GLC 43 trim is a nice balanced option compared to the base SUV and V8-powered AMG GLC 63 trim levels. Feature-wise this is almost the same story as the base SUV but we almost get everything in terms of creature comforts and little convenience features. If you wish to have a fully loaded SUV then it will cost you an extra $6,000 approximately making the final price much higher.

The AMG badge on Mercedes vehicles means top-of-the-line performance and the 2021 AMG GLC 43 is no slouch, even though it has a Bi-Turbo V6. The 3.0L engine produces 385 horses and 384 lb-ft of torque. The power is sent to all 4 wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission. These power figures are much more than adequate for any average user and the handling upgrades that the AMG comes with make this a fun-to-drive SUV every day. On the highways, the SUV feels relaxed and the transmission shifts gears quickly and smoothly. 

In the cities, there’s enough torque to pull it even in the high gears so the transmission doesn’t overwork shifting up and down. Acceleration on this SUV is astonishing considering the size and bulbous aerodynamics, it only takes 4.2 seconds to reach that magic number of 60 MPH.

All these SUVs are not really what we call affordable but the performance costs money and the AMG 43 with its higher price also provides the best performance among its peers. Speaking bout on paper figures BMW and AMG both are neck to neck but the BMW X4 takes fractions of seconds more to reach the desired speed, while both the Jaguar and Porsche are almost a second slower and also produce lower power and torque outputs.

How well does the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe handle?

The SUV comes equipped with a 4WD drivetrain, powered & tuned by AMG, and that makes it a pretty nimble handler. The torque split provides an optimal balance of power and grip while accelerating hard or exiting a corner. Moreover, the user can tweak almost every setting like gear shift points, steering response, and suspension with AMG Dynamic Select. The steering wheel on the GLC Coupe feels light and responsive at slow speeds and gets heavier as you speed up or change the driving mode to Sport or Sport+. The air-suspension setups are well known for their plush ride characteristics but on our AMG SUV, we have 20-inch wheels and that makes things rough, just a little though. 

The overall ride quality is comfortable enough but you will feel the bumps and the more serious ones rattle the SUV at high speeds. This is the main reason why we always are against such low-profile tires, at least on daily drivers. Overall, the driving dynamics are great but the ride quality could have been much better with 18-inch wheels. 

2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe Braking Performance

The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe SUV comes with decently sized brakes and they provide a good stopping force to the vehicle. in the front, it's 14.2 inches and at the rear, it's rather small at 12.6 inches. This setup is potent enough to stop the SUV at manageable distances, even in panic barking situations.

Well, there aren’t fully detailed braking performance specs available but that doesn’t mean that these SUVs won’t stop in split seconds. The X4 comes with smaller yet balanced brake sizes compared to the competition and the weights of all the SUVs are very similar to each other, thus all should perform pretty similarly.

People are smart enough to anticipate the economy when the name says AMG, the SUV returns a decent fuel economy but the rivals are doing better. 2021 AMG GLC 43 returns 17/24/20 city/highway/combined. The fuel storage as well suffers a little with only 17.4 gallons capacity. The combination of the efficiency and storage capacity together bestow a combined range of 348 miles, which is the lowest in the segment. 

The BMW X4 has a very similar power output to the GLC and yet it returns a much better fuel economy of 23 MPG, the best in its class in fact. The Jaguar F-Pace gets an in-between fuel economy in the group but aces the tank capacity giving it the best driving range of 477 miles. Even the Macan is a better performer in this aspect, despite averaging a similar mileage as the AMG. 

The GLC class stands on the entry levels of the Mercedes catalog but doesn’t fail to provide a high-quality interior. There are no changes in the 2021 AMG GLC 43’s interiors, they already have found a sweet spot in between luxury and utility so there won’t be any changes for many years to come. There isn’t any genuine leather upholstery inside as standard but the kind of faux leather they use called the MB-Tex feels close to the real deal and it’s been used with a free hand. The dashboard, door panels, steering wheel everything is clothed in the MB-Tex. 

This is the era of touch screens but Mercedes has still retained the good old switches for most of the jobs like climate control and radio and they are made of solid aluminum and feel great to operate. The steering wheel is full of controls and you can control everything with this alone, it’s a blessing when driving alone. The front seats on this SUV are immensely adjustable and come with 3 profile memory settings as well as thigh extensions. 

The front row is good with passenger space but things start getting awkward on the second row, thanks to the sloping roofline in the coupe trim level. Getting in and out also is a little tedious as there is little space remaining. Overall the quality and fit/finish are top-notch, only the second-row space takes a hit.

The AMG 43 gets better overall space but the BMW X4 has more headroom in the front and less at the rear. It also gets a bit more cargo capacity to carry more stuff inside but the increment in space is not much than the Mercedes. The Jaguar F-Pace is on par in terms of interior space but gets much more storage capacity due to its excess height and width when compared to the rivals. The AMG’s cabin is very well put together and contains a bevy of posh materials to add a luxurious flair to the performance it boasts of. 

Some of the standout interior features are as follows:

• AMG sill plates
• Ambient lighting
• Memory seats
• Oakwood trim
• Red contrasting stitching

What’s there to keep you entertained in the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe?

The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe SUV comes with a 10.25-inch screen with Mercedes-Benz User Experience software for all the infotainment duties. There is even an option to get the 12.25 inch fully digital instrument cluster where you can navigate through music or navigation without the need to look at the main screen. 

All the features of this system can be controlled by the driver with on steering touch navigation pads and switches. Smartphone integration with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay is standard along with general features like Bluetooth and AUX inputs. The standard sound system contains a 6-speaker setup with FrontBass technology. This system basically uses the hollow points in the car's door panels and overall structure to move around sound waves and create a more immersive listening experience.

Some of the highlights of the infotainment system are as follows:

• 10.25-inch infotainment screen
• Android Auto & Apple CarPlay
• Navigation
• Center console trackpad
• Steering mounted control
• 12.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• FrontBass sound enhancement

Just like some enthusiasts, there are still a lot of people out there who might never accept this SUV Coupe design concept but we think Mercedes has done an okay job with the exterior of this SUV. At least much better than Porsche. There are a lot of similarities with the regular SUV like the grille and LED headlights. The AMG body styling adds some aggressive bits like a sharper more angular front bumper with air intakes but there is no room for fog lights. Low-profile tires are the soul of any sporty machine and the 20-inch Y-spoke wheels elevate the character of this SUV by a lot. 

The most important aspect of this exterior is the sloping roofline which makes it stand out from the boxy design of regular SUVs. The rear end is a little odd-looking one as it resembles a 2 door coupe on steroids. The LED taillight and twin port quad exhaust setup with air diffusers complete the sporty look. Overall, this design can’t be liked by everyone, people will either love it or just hate it.

The Porsche Macan S is the smallest SUV by comparison but that also makes it more manageable in tight spaces. Jaguar F-Pace on the other side gets more width and height along with the best ground clearance as standard. The ground clearance on the AMG can be increased with that air suspension though so that’s not an issue.

Some of the standout exterior features are as follows:

• LED headlights
• Panamericana grille
• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Quad exhaust setup
• Y-spoke wheels
• Puddle lamps

Expensive vehicles don’t get crash tested and this 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 isn’t tested by federal agencies. The IIHS however tested the SUV fully and has given it a Top Safety Pick accolade. Only except for the standard headlights the SUV has got a Good rating in every crash test. To add to this impressive result the SUV comes with a lot of active safety features for its occupant’s safety. 

Some of the standout safety features are as follows:

• Rearview camera
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Hands-free parking assist
• Blind-spot monitoring system
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Forward collision warning
• Automatic emergency braking
• Driver drowsiness monitor
• Surround-view camera system
• Heads-up display
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane departure warning
• Lane-keeping assist
• Adaptive LED headlights

2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 vs 2021 BMW X4 M40i

Power and performance-wise both the SUVs are very similar but the X4 handles just a bit better than the AMG. The interior of the BMW is as classy as it can get, something BMW is known for. Both the SUVs have much more powerful trim levels available as well. 

There's a slight safety advantage to the AMG as there is no crash test data available for the BMW but the safety features list on the X4 is similar to its rival. Overall, both the SUVs are quite similar in every aspect except for the interior and the exterior design, thus only these 2 factors will impact your decision-making the most.

2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 vs 2021 Porsche Macan S

Both these SUVs offer similar things but in a different taste. For the performance aspect, the AMG wins for brutish power but on the handling side, the Porsche Macan takes the crown for its super agile handling. 

On the inside, the interior of the Macan S is drastically different with straight lines and symmetry being present everywhere. In terms of the quality of the material both the SUV comes with man-made leathers for upholstery and ask extra for the genuine thing. In terms of fuel economy, Porsche has a similar number compared to the AMG SUV.

2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 vs 2021 Jaguar F-Pace S P340

In the performance aspect, the Jaguar lags behind a little with fewer horses and torque on offer; it is slow in acceleration as well. The SUV is much roomy inside compared to the AMG and also gets almost double the cargo space compared to the Mercedes SUV. 

The interior of the Jaguar is something that will be adorned by minimalist buyers. There are no curves or bold shapes, everything is just plain and simple yet it feels much superior to the AMG’s cabin. This interior factor alone might change your mind and make you get this one.

The 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 Coupe wants to be everything. It is compact so it won’t be a size hindrance to most people, it has more than enough power for an average buyer but while doing all this it doesn’t feel like settling down in a place. The coupe design language sacrifices second-row comfort and overall cargo space. The fuel economy and handling of the SUV are great but that’s not all. So give it a thought, see if it makes sense to pay more for a vehicle that doesn’t look like an SUV or a coupe.