When Mercedes-AMG announced that the C63 would go from housing eight rowdy cylinders wedged beneath its hood to just four with a plug-in-hybrid system attached in the new W206 generation, car enthusiasts raised a collective eyebrow and made a pretty big fuss. Now, I drove that car, and when it was in the right mode and the battery was charged, it was so quick it gave me tunnel vision. But you simply can’t get the same thrills as a V8 with a four-cylinder engine. The C-Class’ crossover equivalent, the compact GLC, received the same treatment, so up until now every current-gen GLC on sale in the U.S. has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, whether it’s a base GLC300, an AMG GLC43 or a top-of-the-line AMG GLC63 S.
It seems like AMG has learned the error of its ways, since the new 2027 AMG GLC53 debuts as a replacement for the four-cylinder GLC43 with a much more characterful twin-charged inline-6 engine. I got a brief opportunity to drive it in Germany, and its sonorous six cylinders make a compelling case for themselves.
Mercedes-AMG
Full disclosure: Mercedes-Benz flew me out to Germany so I could sample a smattering of its vehicular offerings, including the new AMG GLC53. Granted I had a very brief time behind the wheel of the car, but these are my initial thoughts.
Eyeing that I-6
The magic of the new AMG GLC53, if I haven’t made it clear enough already, is the engine. It’s an excellent “AMG-enhanced” 3.0-liter inline-6 with an electric supercharger and an exhaust gas turbocharger that produces 443 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque in most scenarios, the latter figure increasing to 472 torques with overboost. It’s also fitted with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system with another integrated starter-generator that adds 23 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque, and it’s all hooked up to an AMG-tuned 9-speed torque-converter automatic transmission that sends that power to all four wheels. It can be equipped with an optional electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential, which enables a drift mode for the very first time on an AMG SUV. Sadly I can’t vouch for this new feature, since I didn’t get a chance to drift it.
I’m a big fan of this inline-6, and it’s been tweaked by the evil geniuses at AMG to rev higher, now making its peak power between 5,500 and 6,100 revs, though maximum torque is delivered as low as 2,200 rpm. During my short time behind the wheel, I found the powertrain to sound fantastic, provide snappy throttle responses, and execute obedient paddle-initiated shifts. Mercedes-AMG keeps talking about the GLC53’s enhanced emotional appeal, and I must say, the six-cylinder engine does indeed have a much more characterful and exciting demeanor than its four-cylinder stablemates. It’s an engine that keeps you wishing you could rip it at wide-open throttle all day long.
Supremely selectable
Like all modern Mercedes products — though not as egregious as either the Hyperscreen or Superscreen — the interior of the AMG GLC53 is dominated by its 11.9-inch central touchscreen. But having driven the GLC53 back-to-back with the 2027 S-Class, which has the new MB.OS and Superscreen, the GLC’s infotainment felt a bit clunky to me. It’s an entire generation of infotainment technology behind, after all. Regardless, hidden somewhere behind a multitude of menus inside that screen lives a bevy of tweakable traits and adjustable options from engine sound to throttle calibration to suspension stiffness.
Despite Mercedes reiterating that its engineers widened the gap between the GLC53’s Comfort Mode and other, racier drive modes, the ride never felt especially cushy, and that was on Germany’s pristine roads. I’d bet that driving the GLC53 on a U.S. highway — say, the cracked concrete surface of the infamous 101 — would reveal an awfully jiggly ride quality. But, if you’re buying anything with the letters AMG on it, then odds are you value a sportier car and wouldn’t mind living with a taut-riding tarted up crossover like the AMG GLC53. As with other GLC models, the AMG GLC53 is available as either a traditional upright crossover or as a “coupe” with a slanted back end, if you must.
Not much else is new
The 2027 AMG GLC53 is offered with a new one-year-only Golden Accents Package, which adds a small bit of visual flair to the handsome GLC. The package requires either Obsidian Black Metallic or Graphite Grey Magno exterior paint, with contrasting Techgold details and subtle AMG graphics on the rear side doors. The 21-inch matte black wheels feature Techgold rim flanges and center cap details, as well as black brake calipers with white AMG branding. It comes with the AMG Night Package that blacks out mirror housings and exterior other trim pieces, as well as adding dark chrome tailpipes and door handles, and you also get the AMG Performance Studio Package that brings a larger front splitter, an additional lip on the roof-mounted rear spoiler that looks kinda silly to my eyes, and a different high-gloss black rear diffuser.
Mercedes says the inline-6 GLC53 is slated to arrive at U.S. dealerships in the latter half of this year. The company has not announced pricing, but given its placement in the GLC lineup, expect it to fall somewhere between the $68,900 AMG GLC43 SUV it replaces and the big dawg plug-in-hybrid AMG GLC63 S E Performance SUV that costs $88,100. Opting for the GLC53 Coupe will surely cost you more money despite its decreased practicality. Considering the price differential between SUV and Coupe bodystyles of other GLC trims, the coupe is likely to cost between $6,000 and $10,000 more than the SUV.
