Mercedes-Benz has revealed details of its refreshed 2020 AMG GLC 43 compact crossover, which gets engineering and styling tweaks to properly welcome it into the brand's performance vehicle stable.
Benz calls the GLC 43's updated look "considerably more aggressive," thanks to a grille and front bumper that better link the car to other AMG models, notably the AMG GLC 63 S performance flagship. As before, the GLC 43 comes in a standard SUV body or a sleeker four-door coupe configuration.
The revised GLC 43 also gets new sill panels to make the car look longer, and new 20-inch wheels fill out wider fender arches. The rear boasts its own new bumper, diffuser, round tailpipes and redesigned LED taillights.
Mercedes-AMG backs up the GLC 43's new look with a 3.0L turbo six-cylinder engine that gains 23 hp -- for a new total of 385 -- to go with its 384 lb-ft of torque. Benz credits the extra power to software changes and a pair of turbochargers placed closer to the engine in the exhaust stream for quicker response. Working with the nine-speed transmission and 4Matic AWD system carried over from last year, the revised engine is good for the same 4.9 second 0–100 km/h sprint as the outgoing GLC 43. Top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h with an optional AMG driver's package.
Inside, the GLC 43 is the latest Benz to get the brand's MBUX infotainment system, which responds to the "Hey, Mercedes" voice command, a console-mounted touchpad or steering wheel controls. As in other recent Mercedes models, MBUX uses artificial intelligence to learn a driver's preferences and predict what they will want to do next.
A set of five drive modes -- slippery, comfort, sport, sport plus, and individual -- are newly linked to the AMG Dynamics control system, whose basic and advanced settings control how much latitude the stability control system has to allow the rear end to slide out in aggressive cornering.
The 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 will reach Canadian dealers by the end of this year.
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