Ideas

Review Mercedes Benz AMG GLC 43 Coupe

We've all known of AMGs to be powerful, aggressive-looking, and loud, but all these years Mercedes-AMG never gave the local assembly a thought. However, given how popular performance cars are slowly becoming in our market, the brand has finally decided on the idea of assembling an AMG, for the very first time, in India. Mercedes was also the first luxury carmaker to have its own plant built in our country. To some of you, this might seem slightly ridiculous, but for someone who loves AMGs, this might well be a good start. It will not only bring down the cost of the vehicle but will also help customers get delivery without having to wait for the car to be ushered in all the way from Germany.

Built to bully
The regular GLC goes off the showroom floors in considerable numbers, while the GLC 43 AMG can be termed anything but 'regular'. The design is inspired by the Coupe-SUV theme, and it boasts of a huge Panamericana grille and a massive air dam that give it an aggressive look from up ahead. What lures more buyers about this type of SUV, is its sloping rear roofline, which tapers off towards the end, and gives it a stubby look from the back. It also gets massive 20-inch wheels, the big side steps and those quad exhausts at the rear look cool.

And, inside
On the inside too, you'll notice lots of AMG bits, along with sports seats that come in leather and Alcantara. The interior is full of AMG elements, one of which happens to be the instrument cluster. It even features a Burmester sound system, and the quality of the materials is fantastic. It's honestly hard to nitpick in a car like this. You get equipment like dual 12.3-inch touchscreens that get the MBUX system.

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Roaring down the road
If you're buying an AMG, you're buying for its powerful engine and the driving experience. Now while the GLC 43 may not be as 'wild' as other AMGs, it is certainly more affordable, making it reach out to a wider customer base. The GLC 43 AMG is powered by a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that makes 385bhp and 520Nm of torque. The

Mercedes-Benz cars are really fast, and thanks to their all-wheel-drive system, it catapults itself from 0-100kph in 4.9 seconds. You'll enjoy making the most of all that power, but remember, this baby comes with five driving modes - and using anyone can result in the tail stepping out a little. Its exhaust note can be altered. In Sport, it gets loud. The engine is responsive, and turbo lag hardly exists, and the 9-speed automatic gearbox along with the paddle-shifters, making for a pleasant experience.

A practical AMG
Absolutely, yes. It has got the looks to impress, the performance to have your heart skip a beat, matched by driving dynamics that won't have you regret the buy. However, with the AMG-specific air-suspension system, the ride is on the stiff side, and the low-profile tires mean you could damage the rims on our kind of roads. The sloping roofline hampers the headroom and the boot isn't generously sized. But if you can ignore all the nitpicking, the GLC 43 AMG, at ₹77 lakh (ex-showroom), offers you lots of cars - and a fast one at that.