2026 Mercedes-AMG GLC 53 4Matic+ | PH Review

Out with four play, in with six appeal for the AMG GLC - has it worked?

By Matt Bird / Wednesday, 27 May 2026 / Loading comments

If you can’t beat them, join them. Whatever the German equivalent, that feels like exactly the approach employed by AMG for this latest GLC 53. Having taken a punt on a two-tier, 2.0-litre lineup - 421hp ‘43, 680hp ‘63 PHEV - last time around with limited success, there’s now a more conventional alternative to the SQ5s and M50 X3s of the world. Audi and BMW were apparently already aware that those spending £80k (and more) on a performance SUV with an engine want a generous cylinder count, delivering six-cylinder swag with some useful fuel-saving tech. Now Mercedes has accepted that four cylinders isn’t the way forward it anticipated, and installed the latest M256 3.0-litre under the bonnet of the GLC for the first time. According to them, it offers ‘an AMG-typical driving experience with even more driving pleasure on winding country roads.’ Third time lucky, eh?

On pure stats, there’s a clear advantage for the Mercedes over the other two. 449hp is comfortably ahead of the 367hp Audi and 392hp BMW, and the kerbweight of 2,137kg is absolutely in the same ballpark. 4.2 seconds to 62mph (with braked towing capacity up hundreds of kilos to 2,400kg) ought to be enough for most bank holiday breaks. The GLC is certainly the most expensive proposition, though, starting from £79,250 where the Audi is £72,905 and the BMW £73,795. Plump for an Edition 53 and a GLC is beyond £90k before any further options. Is it good enough to warrant the extra spend?

At a launch event that also featured the new GT 4-door, the GLC looks pretty smart. Confident and assured on its chunky wheels, yet quite restrained by modern AMG standards and all the more likeable for it. The SUV variant tested could definitely pass for a much less potent model, as was the AMG tradition for a while and it's nice to see continued. Four exhaust pipes are reasonably well hidden by a black diffuser, and only the slightly naff rear spoiler gives the game away. But for those uninspired by the Audi or unimpressed by the BMW, this looks like a smart compromise; sometimes the best styling update is the most minor one. The Coupe is more overt, because they all are - even before the optional Golden Accents package…

As the car interior seems to be reinvented most months at the moment, the GLC’s cabin is caught slightly between pillar and post. It can’t offer the full IMAX of something like the new CLA, though neither is there a surfeit of buttons for the traditionalists (apart from on the steering wheels). It continues with the old portrait-oriented screen, which is far from bad - vivid, logical, responsive - though does look a tad old hat when so many alternatives now link driver’s display with dash in one panorama. Like the outside, it’s familiar and easy to grasp - if not immediately likeable.

But we aren’t here for interior ambience, we’re here for a 3.0-litre turbo straight-six with a ‘high-revving character’ and ‘sonorous sound.’ Credit where it’s due to AMG as well, the GLC 53 wears its beefed-up status with unabashed pride: a cold start prompts a lovely metallic rasp from those four pipes, absolutely akin to an old BMW or Japanese tuner special. It’s smooth but potent, cultured but menacing and - obvious though it will sound - a whole lot more aurally appealing than a four-cylinder of any power output. The exterior treatment may leave the GLC’s AMG credentials in some doubt; the sound certainly doesn’t.

Furthermore, while there’s inevitably going to be some augmentation of the sound coming into the cabin, it feels like an authentically straight six symphony regardless of drive mode. And heck, if BMW has to make IconicSounds standard fit on a X3 with the B58 engine (it’s near enough silent onboard without), then anything’s fair game. You always know what’s under the bonnet, put it that way, and are always happy about the fact, without ever being totally overawed (unless you choose to be by Race mode ).

It’s definitely fast, too, surging through its intermediate ratios and reaching 140mph on the autobahn with no drama whatsoever. Perhaps the problem, if indeed it can be called that, is the claims of an ‘even more agile and sporty’ drive thanks to the changes made to the straight six: proper stuff, too, like tweaking the ports and changing cam. While the resulting engine is very eager, easily as keen as the BMW to chase 7,000rpm, it isn’t transformed from previous applications. Though a comparison with the CLE 53 unit isn’t exactly a perfect versus, this M256 Evo only felt as willing and as urgent as that M256 did. So it’s great, just don’t expect a night-and-day difference. Peak power is unchanged, and the revs it is produced at adjusted only ever so slightly.

Torque is up, though, from non-Evo to Evo, and that does make a difference (especially as a CLE cabrio weighs about as much as this). What was a 443lb ft overboost is now always available, with 473lb on offer for temporary bursts. It makes the 53 feel usefully muscular when overtaking, complete with a great straight-six growl under load, and that tiny bit quicker than the aforementioned rivals for the extra 10 seconds. The pops and bangs are a bit overdone, though.

And away from straight lines? It’s hard to be definitive for the moment, for the simple fact that in a packed schedule on Germany’s Labour Day bank holiday, there wasn’t very much time behind the wheel that wasn’t urban or motorway driving. Certainly the GLE’s ride is firm, as we’ve become accustomed to with contemporary AMGs, not really permitting much lateral leeway at all (though happy to rear up and hunker down when accelerating, which is fun). Around town, where these cars will surely spend a chunk of their time, it can be a little bit annoying. Hopefully the damping experience over here will be like the CLE (i.e. purposeful without seeming punishing) rather than the restlessness of models like old (V8) GLC 63. Its gait definitely didn’t seem quite as accommodating as something like the X3, for what it’s worth, even when wound down to the tamest drive modes.

On the flipside, the GLC continues that AMG tradition of pleasingly meaty control weights, brake pedal and steering ensuring that pretty much every input is a satisfying one. As a modern Mercedes on supercar-spec tyres, there’s abundant grip and traction, with just the occasional suggestion that the rear axle is getting the lion’s share of the engine’s potential. Drift Mode went unexplored; as did, in truth, quite a lot of the dynamic potential.

That being said, the 53 demonstrated sufficient quality on smooth German roads to make another drive something to anticipate - rather than merely an obligation when the time comes. As might have been expected, the combination of a relatively subtle Mercedes SUV with a powerful, likeable straight six is a persuasive one in a way that a four-pot one couldn’t possibly be; the fact that AMG really seems to have sweated the details makes the 53 feel like a proper performance derivative. And not just the six-cylinder swap so urgently needed. Don’t buy any similarly configured SUV, basically, without trying this first...

SPECIFICATION | 2026 MERCEDES-AMG GLC 53 4MATIC+

Engine: 2,999cc turbo straight six, mild hybrid
Transmission: 9-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 449@5,500rpm-6,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 443@2,200rpm-5,000rpm (473 with overboost)
0-62mph: 4.2
Top speed: 155mph (168mph optional)
Weight: 2,137kg
MPG: 28.9-29.5
CO2: 220-225g/km
Price: £79,250 (AMG Premium spec; AMG Premium Plus for £89,250, Edition 53 for £92,250)