About a month ago, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the new GLC-Class as its newest competitor in one of the most crowded vehicle segments in the world. The compact crossover comes to the United States in GLC 300 and the GLC 300 4Matic grades, both powered by a four-cylinder engine. If you want more power and excitement behind the wheel, the Stuttgart-based automaker currently works on the new GLC 63 and we have new spy photos showing a prototype testing on public roads.
This test vehicle has a little bit less camouflage than the previous one we spied and the visual changes over the standard GLC are visible to a certain extent. For example, the Panamericana grille is there flanked by full-LED headlights. In the front bumper, there are new and larger air intakes in the lower section plus a different lower grille. At the back, the bumper is also modified to fit a new diffuser with four exhaust pipes integrated. There’s also a new small spoiler on the roof.
Gallery: 2023 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 new spy photos
The GLC 63 also seems to sit lower to the ground compared to the standard GLC and this shouldn't be a surprise. The track is wider and the wheels are beefier. As you can see in some of the photos, the rear wheels are steering and this is a feature also available on the 2023 GLC where 4.5 degrees of rear-wheel steering is optional. Unfortunately, this tech won’t be available on the US versions due to a low take rate and we suspect the GLC 63 won’t make any difference.
New GLC 63 Under Development:
We can’t confirm what’s going on under the hood but we know there’s an electrified 2.0-liter turbocharged mill there instead of a V8. This switch will be a little difficult for the purists to swallow but it will come with a significant power boost. If the preliminary reports are accurate, this powertrain will develop up to 670 horsepower (500 kilowatts), over 150 hp (110 kW) more than what the twin-turbocharged V8 of the previous generation C63 had. About 400 hp (294 kW) of those ponies will come from the inline-four engine alone with an electric motor producing the rest of the power.
Source: CarPix