More is more. The 2027 Mercedes-AMG GLC53 takes Affalterbach’s well-proven performance formula and dials it up a notch. The GLC53, which will be available in both SUV and “coupe” body styles and is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. in the second half of this year, replaces the GLC43. It looks much the same, but the new nomenclature reflects a big change under the hood: The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that powered the GLC43 has been replaced with an AMG-massaged version of Mercedes-Benz’s 3.0-liter straight-six.
Two more cylinders and a 50 percent increase in capacity don’t deliver the step-change in horsepower you might expect, although that’s perhaps more an indication of how much grunt AMG has been able to extract from the turbocharged four-cylinder engine over the years. The GLC53 ’s 443 hp is just 6 percent more than the peak output achieved by the GLC43’s four-cylinder engine. But peak torque has jumped 20 percent, to 443 lb-ft, with 472 lb-ft available for up to 10 seconds via an overboost function.
Upgrades over the Mercedes-Benz version of the turbocharged and electrically supercharged inline-six include a new cylinder head with improved intake and exhaust ports, new intake camshaft, new larger-volume intake system, and new intercooler. The revised turbocharger delivers up to 21.8 psi of boost, and the electric supercharger develops 10 hp—up from 7 horsepower—and can now operate continuously for a longer period. The second-generation integrated starter-motor mounted between the engine and AMG’s Speedshift TCT nine-speed automatic transmission, part of the car’s mild hybrid system, contributes up to 23 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque at low speeds.
In the old days, engineers used to talk about a new exhaust system adding performance. These days, though, it’s all about adding noise. The GLC53’s exhaust features special resonators designed to enhance the engine note, the intensity of which depends on the selected drive mode. There are pops and crackles when you lift off the gas, and if that’s not enough, the GLC53 also comes standard with AMG’s Real Performance Sound system, which enables drivers to further tailor the sound of the engine.
The new output figures are delivered on new curves. While the turbo four’s 416 hp arrived at 6,750 rpm, the GLC53’s engine delivers peak power from 5,500 rpm to 6,100 rpm. What’s more, it develops peak torque from 2,000 rpm all the way through to 5,000 rpm, whereas the four-cylinder’s 369 lb-ft didn’t arrive until 5,000 rpm. That extra midrange urge has carved 0.7 second off the four-cylinder model’s stated 0–60-mph time; we tested the GLC43 to 60 in 4.6 seconds, so we expect to see 3.9 from the new model. It has also made the GLC53 feel less tightly wound on the road than the GLC43, the engine’s responses to your foot’s input being more linear from low speeds.
What still feels tightly wound, though, is the revised steel spring suspension. AMG engineers say they dialed in larger variances between Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ modes in terms of the compression and rebound rates of the adaptive shocks. But our experience on the streets, roads, and autobahns in and around Hamburg, Germany, suggests that even in comfort mode the GLC53 will still react sharply to suburban surface drains and feel jittery on concrete-slab freeways. Standard 20-inch wheels—21-inchers are optional—and low-profile tires might help the GLC53 feel secure arrowing through an autobahn turn at 120 mph, but they also mean you’ll feel every lump and bump idling through the parking lot at Trader Joe’s.
The GLC53 comes standard with rear-wheel steering, the wheels pivoting up to 2.5 degrees in the opposite direction to the fronts at speeds up to 60 mph to improve agility, and up to 0.7 degree in the same direction above 60 mph to enhance stability. The brakes are steel, with 15.4-inch rotors clamped by AMG four-piston calipers up front and 14.2-inch items and single-piston calipers at the rear. AMG nerds will know you’ve ordered the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package if the brake calipers are red. The package also ups the top speed from 155 to 167 mph and adds an electronically controlled rear diff, active engine mounts, a Race drive mode, and a Drift mode that switches the AMG Performance 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system to rear-drive only for smoky sideways action. Why you would want to spend money on stuff that’s essentially of no practical use in the U.S. is a good question. But, hey, the red calipers look nice.
An option available only on 2027 GLC53s is the Golden Accents color and trim package, which combines Obsidian Black Metallic or Graphite Grey Magno exterior paint with details rendered in, as the name suggests, gold. The package also adds 21-inch forged cross-spoke wheels in matte black with gold rim accents and center-cap detailing, plus black brake calipers with white AMG branding and an AMG fuel filler cap in silver chrome with black AMG branding and design elements. Other changes include a front fascia with larger front splitter and additional flics in high-gloss black, a larger body-color AMG spoiler lip on the SUV’s roof spoiler and Coupe’s hatch spoiler, and other aero details finished in gloss black. Inside are black leather AMG sport seats with contrasting bolsters and stitching that also extends to the door panels, dashboard, and AMG floormats, plus AMG carbon-fiber trim woven with gold-colored metallic threads.
Option this, package that. AMG used to be simply about performance engineering, about making regular Mercedes-Benz vehicles go faster. But with the GLC53 the mission creep from the marketing department seems a touch too obvious. While the interior is starting to look and feel a little old in the context of the dramatic Hyperscreen setup in the all-new electric-powered 2027 GLC, if you want a fast, firm-riding, rambunctious-sounding compact SUV, the base-spec AMG GLC53 is all you need.
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