Mercedes' new AMG GLC43 has finally been tested in a long drive and we've got some words to tell you about it. AMG is now shoehorning its 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 into just about everything in the lineup. The GLC43 is the latest to get this motor, which can be found in the C43 and the E43 and a few others.
In those models, it’s something of a mid-level before you work your way up to the more bonkers 63s, which isheaded to the GLC63 in the future. And that’s just fine, because this compact crossover isn’t designed to steal market share from the Porsche Macan Turbo or the upcoming BMW X3 and Jaguar F-Pace SVR. Fitted here, the V-6 delivers 362 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque, the latter coming on at a predictably low 2,000 rpm. Up until now, the GLC lineup in the United States has been restricted to a 2.0-liter turbo-4, which is adequate but not heart-pounding.
But Mercedes watched Audi sell more 354-hp SQ5s than anyone ever expected and it has seen Jaguar jump into the fray with its 380-pony F-PaceS. Clearly, compact crossover buyers want some zip and they’re willing to pay upwards of $50,000 for it. (The GLC43 stickers for $55,825.)
