Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S

2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S Coupe New Dad Review

The GLC63 S Coupe is one helluva family truckster. It has voluminous passenger space, a deep, flat box-shaped cargo area—and, oh yeah, gobs and gobs of speed limit-rending power. A crossover that’s essentially a lifted four-door hatchback, this speedy pinnacle of the GLC-Class stable cranks out 516 pound-feet of torque from a not-far-above-idle 1,750 rpm all the way to 6,250 rpm.

It’s not surprising that Mercedes-AMG has been able to take the muscle car concept—smallish car, big, noisy V8 power—and execute it to a level of perfection that bean-counting Detroit manufacturers were never able to pull off. Of course it stood to reason that the sort of blistering power and big-wheeled, huge-braked performance styling seen on cars like the AMG E-Class would migrate over to Mercedes’s SUV lineup. And being a crossover and all, the GLC63 S is a little sneaky about its performance.

But you’ll need at least 82 big ones to get behind the wheel of one of these things, so the Shangri-La of the practical-fast-covert nexus won’t be attainable for most people. Then again, if you’re already looking at the Porsche Macan, Jaguar I-Pace, BMW X6 M, or others of that ilk, the GLC63’s higher-than-the-average-household-income sticker price probably won’t even phase you.

With the rear seats down, cargo volume jumps to a generous 56.5 feet, which—if you’re me—means that you can use this thing to go pick up a used small block you scored on Craigslist for $150. If you’re most other people, you can handle big Costco and Home Depot runs with ease (sans rear seat passengers, at least).

But that’s hardly the only four-digit option on the list; the advanced lighting package, which includes active LED lighting and adaptive high beams, adds another $1,050, and another package that includes active parking assist and 360 surround view cameras, adds $1,290.

The GLC, although a Mercedes, and a bit expensive looking, is still a sleeper of sorts. Even though it has nice proportions for a crossover—including, notably, a suitably long snout to denote its performance pedigree—its very shape is unassuming, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.