New 2022 Mercedes GLC to rival Audi Q5 and BMW X3 with sleek new look

 

The next-generation Mercedes GLC SUV will get S-Class tech and our exclusive images preview how it could look when it arrives in mid-2022

Things move fast in the premium SUV market, and Mercedes is already under way with the development of a thoroughly overhauled version of its mid-sized GLC. Due to be launched in the middle of 2022, the GLC will round off one of the busiest periods in the Germans firm’s history as a flurry of new models heads to showrooms.

The GLC is one of the newer members of Mercedes’ SUV family, launched back in 2015, but it already contributes a huge chunk of the company’s profits. SUVs account for more than 33 per cent of the firm’s global sales, and the GLC is the brand’s best-selling SUV in the UK.

To ensure the Mercedes doesn’t lose ground to rivals like the Audi Q5 and BMW X3, the company has decided to make major interior technology and quality updates. It kicks off with a radical upgrade for the GLC’s cabin, which will draw heavily on the design of the upcoming S-Class

The current bank of digital displays that stretch horizontally across the dashboard will be ditched in favour of a Tesla-like portrait display that sits proud of the centre console. Spy shots have revealed that rather than integrate all of the car’s functions into the screen, a small panel of touch-sensitive buttons will rest just beneath the large display, giving immediate access to climate control and navigation functions. However, there will be no physical buttons or dials.

Early prototypes spotted testing in Germany also reveal that the GLC will grow in size. It’s clearly lower and longer than today’s model, and the changes should help give the SUV a sleeker appearance. Our exclusive images give you a better idea of how the showroom model could look, incorporating Mercedes’s latest design language and family headlamp treatment.

The GLC will continue on Mercedes’ Modular Rear Architecture, but will benefit from significant upgrades to allow the firm to introduce a wider range of hybrid powertrains and more sophisticated autonomous driving functionality.

The core engine line-up will remain four-cylinder petrol and diesel units, but it’s expected that all will be paired with new 48V mild-hybrid technology. Mercedes refers to such units as EQ Boost.

The current bank of digital displays that stretch horizontally across the dashboard will be ditched in favour of a Tesla-like portrait display that sits proud of the centre console. Spy shots have revealed that rather than integrate all of the car’s functions into the screen, a small panel of touch-sensitive buttons will rest just beneath the large display, giving immediate access to climate control and navigation functions. However, there will be no physical buttons or dials.

Early prototypes spotted testing in Germany also reveal that the GLC will grow in size. It’s clearly lower and longer than today’s model, and the changes should help give the SUV a sleeker appearance. Our exclusive images give you a better idea of how the showroom model could look, incorporating Mercedes’s latest design language and family headlamp treatment.

The GLC will continue on Mercedes’ Modular Rear Architecture, but will benefit from significant upgrades to allow the firm to introduce a wider range of hybrid powertrains and more sophisticated autonomous driving functionality.

The core engine line-up will remain four-cylinder petrol and diesel units, but it’s expected that all will be paired with new 48V mild-hybrid technology. Mercedes refers to such units as EQ Boost.