Selwyn Times: August 09, 2016

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SELWYN TIMES Tuesday August 9 2016 33
Driven
Luxury SUV boosts Mercedes-Benz sales
• By Ross Kiddie
I WAS picking up a new
Mercedes-Benz, and had a very
quick chat with the head of the
sales team.
We were talking about the luxury
car market and the number of
sales Mercedes-Benz was showing
amidst New Zealand’s complicated
market segments. Mercedes-Benz
was New Zealand’s number one
luxury car brand last year, and
with its high number of sales
through the first half this year it’s
hard to see them being toppled.
One of the reasons must be the
very complex number of models
Mercedes-Benz New Zealand is
being presented with from the
German factories. There is a car,
station wagon, or sport utility
vehicle for all buyer types, and
amidst each different series there
is a variety of engine, transmission
and specification options.
The most complicated decision a
prospective buyer would face is
deciding on a model in comparison
to budget constraints.
The car I was picking up was a
GLC 220d, a diesel-powered midsize
sport utility vehicle which fast
became one of my favourites out
of the Mercedes-Benz stable. It
also dovetailed with the GLC 250
which is much the same car, albeit
with a 2-litre petrol engine.
The GLC as a series lands
here in three variants. It starts at
MERCEDES-BENZ GLC: Choice of three variants.
$89,900 for the test car as evaluated,
the GLC 250 lands at $94,900
while another 2.2-litre diesel
(GLC 250d) which is effectively
the same engine as the 220d but
with higher power outputs, lists at
$96,900.
One of the reasons why I
enjoyed the two GLC variants
as much as I did is because as
a vehicle it doesn’t look like the
traditional SUV, it is more station
wagon-like, and regular readers
will recall my enthusiasm for the
wagon concept.
All GLC variants for the New
Zealand market are four-wheeldrive,
or 4-Matic as Mercedes-
Benz label it. If you add in the
driveline combination of diesel,
a nine-speed automatic gearbox,
and all-corner drive then the
result is quite appealing.
Rated at 125kW and 400Nm,
the 2.2-litre engine has all of
the wonderful mid-range power
attributes that make diesel so
appealing as a fuel. For interest’s
sake, the 250d gets power
and torque boosts to 150kW and
500Nm, while the GLC 250 gets
the familiar, lightly boosted turbocharged
engine which is rated
at 155kW and 350Nm. The 220d’s
twin-camshaft, 16-valve engine is
also turbocharged which results in
a wide torque spread – 1400rpm
to 2800rpm.
As a consequence, it is a powerhouse
through the whole acceleration
process, it will cut out
a standstill to 100km/h time of
8.3sec, and will make 120km/h
from 80km/h in 4.1sec. Steering
wheel-mounted paddle shifters
will assist the driver if he/she
decides to take control over the
acceleration process.
It wouldn’t be a world-class
diesel engine unless you get the
benefits of thrifty fuel usage and
that is certainly the case in the
220d. It is rated with a 5.6-litre per
100km (50mpg) combined cycle
average. I achieved a constant
7l100km (41mpg) with an amazing
4.5l/100km (62mpg) showing
at a steady 100km/h, the engine
spinning over leisurely at just
1300rpm. In contrast, the GLC
250 is rated with a 7.2l/100km
(39mpg) figure, and sat close to
that at around 8l/100km (35mpg)
during testing time.
These figures are all quite
remarkable for a vehicle which
weighs in a little tubby at 1845kg,
but the point is that the engineering
which is coming out of
European factories at the moment,
especially those which are producing
diesel power, are at the
forefront of technology, and the
GLC is just one example of performance
and economy all rolled
into one.
I took the 220d on a State
Highway 73 drive to Lake Lyndon.
I don’t often use main roads for
evaluation simply because I’m a
little impatient in traffic, but I
was on the road early one Sunday
morning with the intention of
travelling the back road from
Lake Lyndon through to the Lake
Coleridge Village. But, as nature
would have it, it was bucketing
down in the foothills thanks to a
nor’west flow, and the wet, shingle
roads would have created a major
cleaning challenge when I got
home.
Nevertheless, I got a thorough
understanding of the GLC’s
behaviour on the seal and I
enjoyed its nimble and agile
nature, given that it is a mid-size
SUV.
Riding on huge Pirelli rubber,
there is positive steering feel and
unyielding grip. Body balance in
the GLC is well controlled, the
suspension’s spring and damper
rates are a mixture of what is
required to keep body roll contained
in a corner, along with
the ability to absorb the ruts and
bumps which make up the majority
of Christchurch’s roads.
As you would expect from
Mercedes-Benz, the GLC is full of
luxury appointments, it has the kit
to make you feel you have bought
a lot of car, and it is intensely
comfortable to ride in, even for
five occupants.
The GLC is just another example
of what make Mercedes-Benz
so desirable as a manufacturer.
All German makes are selling well
in New Zealand at the moment,
but it will be a real surprise if
Mercedes-Benz don’t make number
one again this year.
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