- Mercedes-AMG is testing a facelifted GLC 53 coupe at the Nurburgring.
- The fastback SUV’s camouflage hides a new grille and star-shaped DRLs.
- AMG debuted the GLC 53 in February with a 449 hp mild-hybrid 3.0-liter six.
When AMG revealed the super-exclusive CLE 646 last week, it got us excited thinking about all the other AMGs where that flat-plane crank V8 could find a home. The hot GLC was one, and wouldn’t you know it, just days later a set of spy shots of a camo-wrapped AMG GLC dropped into our mailbox.
The compact combustion SUV is getting a facelift for MY28, having originally debuted in 2022 in Mercedes-badged form, and 2023 as an AMG. If you’ve seen how recent Benz facelifts were handled on models like the C-Class sedan, you’ll know how this one will look when the covers come off next spring.
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The visual changes will be subtle, focusing on a new grille and star-shaped DRLs at both ends, while inside, the GLC will stick with the separate digital gauge cluster and angled console tablet found in the current car. We’ll have to wait until the next-generation SUV hits around 2029 before the GLC gets the new-style digital dashboard from the electric GLC, which rides on a totally different platform.
And it looks like we’ll have to wait until then to see the CLE 646’s V8 find its way into the GLC, and the return of the GLC 63. Go back to 2025, and there were two AMG versions of the GLC, both with 2.0-liter, four-cylinder power. The base version, the C 43, made 416 hp (422 PS), and the hero-model C 63 PHEV kicked out a massive 671 hp (680 PS).
Fours Out, Six In
But the plug-in flagship wasn’t much loved, and, for MY27, AMG junked both the GLC 43 and GLC 63 for a GLC 53 powered by a 3.0-liter inline six with mild hybrid help.
It punches out 443 hp (449 PS) and 443 lb ft (600 Nm) of torque, rising to 472 lb ft (640 Nm) for short bursts thanks to an overboost function. That’s a little more than the old 43 could muster, but way off the 63’s figures. No surprise then that its 4.2-second zero-to-62 mph (100 kmh) time is also way off the 63’s 3.5-second best effort.
What it does have on its side is a pleasing six-cylinder soundtrack and roughly 330 lb (150 kg) less mass to haul around. It’s no GLC 63, but it’ll do just fine until we finally get another of those – hopefully with V8 power – a couple of years down the line.
