The 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC 200 Test Drive
Entry Level. This is something many Malaysians do not like to hear especially when it comes to car ownership. This is usually the case when it comes to bread and butter models like the national car brands where you will hear up to 85% of the buyers opting for the larger engine versions rather than the more affordable, more economical base model. This type of buying usually even makes its way until cars that are priced north of RM150,000 and it shows the actual buying power of Malaysians and their preference. Logic and reason usually comes secondary.
Malaysians usually end up being quite sensible when their cars approach RM200,000. It is usually the case when their pockets aren’t as deep as they want and they then start being sensible. Or the company they are working for has capped their car allowance to under a certain amount and they usually do not want to push that envelope. But this is already knocking on the more premium end of the market. Of course an entry level model made by a premium brand is a different ball game. A very different ball game indeed as I personally think that this ‘entry level’ Mercedes-Benz GLC 200 SUV could be the best of the variants in the Malaysian GLC line-up.
Most of you readers would think I am mad. Well, most of the people I know think I am a little deranged in terms of what I think philosophically. So this is nothing new actually. I think that the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC 200 which I am writing about here could be the premium SUV that hits a lot of points in terms of actual ownership value in terms of refinement, ease of ownership, practicality and even performance for the daily commute.
I mean, it is the daily commute where most of you reading this would buy the GLC 200 in the first place right? Any of you thinking of buying a GLC for time attack at the Sepang Circuit? For Touge up Genting? For actual wading through a stream located in a Malaysian rain forest? I doubt any of you will do any of this. And so, the GLC 200 is usually for the daily grind for most of you out there. Taking you to work and back or on your school run and back on a daily basis.
Now being an entry level GLC model the GLC 200 is still essentially like the GLC 250 AMG-Line which was actually launched in 2016 here in Malaysia . It looks the same except that it does not have a more David Coulthard-like front chin spoiler, sits on high heels instead of the sports flats (Mercedes-Benz calls it the off-road suspension instead of the AMG-Line’s sports suspension), so it has a taller profile overall and it has balloon type tyres an inch or so in diameter smaller than the lower profiled GLC 250 (20inch) wheels and tyre setup. Aside from those three visible items, everything else looks similar, less sporty looking but similar.
There will be some who say that without the more aggressive front bumper the GLC 200 does not look as good as the AMG-Line variant and I would agree to that, but that could be solved if you are willing to pay for a bumper change (at your own cost of course). But the lack of an integrated chin spoiler would actually make the GLC 200’s have a better chance at attacking inclines or traversing down slopes that would murder the front lip spoiler and bumper of the lower riding GLC 250. So there are some benefits of the lack of looks here. But I also think that the GLC 200 looks as handsome as the GLC 250 at all angles aside from the front three quarter view where you can see that the lack of David Coulthard's chin makes it look a little plain.
I even like the normal sized, not really low profile wheels that come with the GLC 200 and that higher riding suspension as it actually allows this urban SUV to ride quite well over most road surfaces that I threw at it. Fatter tyres and long travel suspension make a comfortable ride in and around town. The extra ride height could be useful for kerb climbing or for that occasional off-roading. Not hard core of course as the GLC 200 is rear wheel drive only. The 4 Matic system is only on the more expensive GLC 250.
The Interior
In terms of the interior, I must say that it is the same as a Mercedes-Benz C-Class or the GLC 250. It lacks a panoramic sunroof and may lack some navigation software on the infotainment unit but everything else feels the same. Nothing lacking in this supposedly entry level cabin as it feels as plush and as premium as ever. The thing about this current Mercedes-Benz interior design language is that they’ve actually pushed the goalposts in terms of what a premium interior should feel.
There are no other premium sedan priced from RM200,000 to RM350,000 that feels this premium inside. The materials (leather, soft touch plastics, wood trim, brushed alloy) used inside look at feel premium, and the switch gear feels nice to really fondle. Air vents also feel properly metallic as it is cold to the touch when cold air blows through it. This is the best entry level premium interior out there for the moment. Full stop.
Oh, and no complaints about space, front or at the rear. It may be a C-Class sized SUV, but in terms of actual space, it will carry four, or even five people comfortably. Boot size is more than adequate too.
The Engine, theTransmission & the Drive Experience
In terms of engine performance, the GLC 200 has a 184PS 300Nm 2.0liter 4 cylinder direct injection turbocharged petrol engine. The power is sent to the rear wheels (only) via the 9 speed 9G-Tronic Mercedes-Benz automatic transmission. The powertrain and drivetrain work well together and feels very refined and quiet. Gears shift smoothly and it never feels that it is a gear out of place. Shifts are well spaced out and the transmission of power feels smooth throughout the rev range.
When you are driving the GLC 200 everything feels as it should. The ergonomics are good and the current generation of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars have that similar layout to all of its controls. You get in, start up the car via a key (or push button depending on variant), reach for the gearshift which is now a stalk on the right side behind the steering wheel, shift downwards for Drive and you’re off (as even the park brake is automated). It is quite intuitive as you no longer have to reach for a gear knob in the middle of the centre console. Everything is to one side and close to the steering wheel. Your hands are close to the major controls all the time.
All round visibility is good in the GLC and you have the commanding view like in any SUV out there. More so than the GLC 250 as this sits on the taller, off-road specified suspension. Of course, I think this is marketing talk for something that actually means ‘Standard suspension’ and not the lowered, sports suspension like in the GLC 250. But I like the standard suspension here. Coupled with the tyres the GLC 200 rides well. It has that plushness to it which must be derived from the long suspension travel it has and that taller profile tyres. Because of this, the ride is less busy on bad roads and you could take it on some dirt tracks easily. But bear in mind that it does not have all-wheel drive to properly do so.
The steering seems a little on the light side in terms of weighting but that could be slightly sorted out when you get into the vehicle dynamics adjustment. The GLC 200 also allows Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and individual settings for Engine mapping, Steering ‘feel’, Air condition settings and also the engine idle stop-start function to be changed. Best settings for city driving would be a slightly meatier steering feel, comfort engine map, stop-start off (I do not actually like the car starting and stopping) and the comfort air conditioning on (as Eco would make things slightly stuffy in our humid weather).
So anyway, I prefer a slightly heavier feel to the weighting of the steering wheel but I have to say that the steering is surprisingly full of actual feedback. When you actually put the GLC 200 through its paces the car handles very well. It actually feels less ponderous than the 4Matic equipped GLCs.
The thing with having a GLC with only rear wheel drive is that it feels lighter on its feet and actually changes direction pretty well. The front wheels are used for steering and the rears can actually power the GLC 200 through a sweeping corner quite well. Somehow, it also feels less understeery than the 4Matic equipped cars (most likely its because all-wheel drive cars inherently understeer at first before settling into a four wheel drift – when possible). So yes, the GLC 200 is a surprise to drive fast with.
Another assumption that I had about the GLC 200 is that without all the sports suspension and the all-wheel drive it wouldn’t handle. This was totally the opposite as grip levels were very high and in most conditions where you push the GLC 200 to almost 8/10ths of its capabilities it still had answers to what I was throwing at it. This was with its taller suspension and taller tyres. Did I say it was comfortable too? It was, and it still could be taken up and down a nice mountainside road whilst being driven fast.
And all in the comfort of that super nice looking interior. Again, when you sit inside it all is well. Even if you’re a passenger at the rear seats it feels like you’re in a small private jet. Fast, refined and quiet. Wind noise could only be obvious at around 40km/h over the national speed limit and I think that this is as good as it gets for a SUV of this nature.
As for drawbacks, well, most of you out there would love it to be a GLC 250 for the price of this GLC 200. The front bumper makes it look a little underwhelming up front and aside from the totally redundant and sometimes useless touch pad (that protrusion above the circular control knob you see above) which you can use for scribbling your phone contacts, everything else it fine and dandy. The touch pad basically did not recognise my handwriting – I tried writing the letter ‘M’ and basically the punctuation mark, aka a full stop, appeared on the screen....three times ('M' became '.').
It did not recognise my hand writing. Most likely because the system forces a right hander like me to use the left hand to scribble since we sit on the right side of the cabin and drive on the right side of the road. It does seem more intuitive for left handers. But that being said, a touch screen would have been a better bet. Of course, one can just forget about that and just input via the selector knob underneath the touch pad.
Conclusion
So yes, I enjoyed this entry level model immensely. It was because entry level in this category does not actually mean a lot of compromises. You still get everything you need and still get more than you ask for.For me the only differences between the GLC 200 and its pricier sibling was only down to the front bumper in terms of overall looks. The rest are not really that noticeable and actually improve the overall drive experience in some ways.
When approaching the GLC 200 I imagine this is for the urban commute where all-wheel drive isn’t really needed, the fatter tyres and tall suspension actually work better on all road surfaces and you don’t need to worry so much about avoiding potholes or that sort. The 2 (rear) wheel drive setup will also allow you to save more petrol as it has less drivetrain drag too. Things could be better in the long run as it would save you some Ringgit because it will consume slightly less petrol (to those that can afford a RM300k car and are pennywise) and those slightly smaller diameter tyres (19inches) would also cost less too.
And so, I do think the GLC 200 could be the most sensible Mercedes-Benz SUV for everyone out there. Of course, those that aren’t so sensible can go get the GLC 250 or the GLC 43. There is nothing wrong with that too. I am all for variety in this world.
Price (& more photos below)
The Mercedes-Benz GLC 200 in locally assembled (CKD) form can be had from RM276,350.50 under the current zero GST.
Current promotion - The World Cup Campaign
The World Cup campaign which runs from May 1, 2018 to July 15, 2018 is ongoing.
This promotional period offers customers the opportunity to score the Mercedes-Benz of their dreams with either Hire Purchase Classis from an interest rate of 1.98% for a tenure of three to five years or Agility Financing. Both options come with either Complimentary Motor Insurance or 4 Free Service Vouchers (or 48,000km, whichever comes first). Terms and conditions obviously apply.
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