Luxury Vehicles
First Drives
But the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 is also, in our minds, overly sanitized
Published Oct 16, 2023 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 9 minute read
2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S
Not so long ago, a Mercedes-AMG 63 model could be counted on to house an obnoxious, gas-guzzling, stonking V8. Now, the latest generation of AMGs still have a ridiculous amount of power behind them, but much of it will come from electrified powertrains. Mercedes isn’t alone in this shift, but it is more of an outlier in having to convince its dedicated performance enthusiasts that electrification is the way of the future.
And this is how we find ourselves face-to-face with the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance. Its name is a mouthful, and its power is a handful. With a combined system output of 671 hp and 752 lb-ft of torque, Mercedes claims the gas engine in this model’s powertrain is the most powerful production four-cylinder engine yet. For AMG to make this transition credibly, it could not have delivered any less.
The GLC is the first SUV to get AMG’s E Performance treatment. And for Canada, this is an especially important launch. GLC is AMG’s best-selling model in Canada, and ours is one of the top markets for AMG on the planet. AMG needs this new combination to work, and it’s thrown every performance-related technology in its toolbox at ensuring it does.
Our assessment? The best thing about this car: unlike its predecessor, it’s perfectly refined and civilized even at city speeds. And its biggest disappointment: it’s perfectly refined and civilized even as you start to nudge toward its limits.
What powers the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance?
The E Performance powertrain in the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S combines a front-mounted 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 150-kW electric motor on the rear axle for standard all-wheel drive. The latter is powered by a 400-volt battery and has an electronically controlled limited-slip differential.
In the GLC, the engine is longitudinally installed. Following on the AMG tradition, this four-cylinder engine is hand-built in Affalterbach under the brand’s “one man, one engine” principle, just as the legendary V8s were.
Currently, this is the world’s only production engine fitted with an electric exhaust gas turbocharger, which AMG says is a direct technology transfer from Formula 1. The turbocharger has a small electric motor equipped so that it can accelerate the compressor wheel before exhaust enters. This maintains boost pressure even after throttle lift and improves responsiveness across the entire rev band.
The 6.1 kWh, 400-volt battery is located just above the rear axle. Its output allows for 107 hp of continuous power from the electric motor and 201 hp peak power in short ten-second bursts. The battery employs a direct cooling system, another technology transfer from Formula 1, in which 560 cells are surrounded by coolant that keeps the battery at an optimal 45 degrees Celsius. In developing this battery, Mercedes prioritized fastest output rather than longest range (and this GLC’s electric-only range figures have not been announced).
The powertrain is rounded out with a nine-speed AMG MCT (multi-clutch technology) planetary automatic transmission with a wet start-off clutch and standard 4Matic+ all-wheel drive.
How much horsepower does a Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance have?
The 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance’s plug-in hybrid powertrain produces a combined 671 hp and 752 lb-ft of torque. On its own, this engine makes 469 hp and 402 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes claims this is the most powerful series-production four-cylinder engine in the world.
A single electric motor producing 150 kW (201 horsepower) is positioned on the rear axle to provide standard all-wheel drive.
Is the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance fast?
Yes, the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance is fast. It can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in 3.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 275 kilometres per hour.
How does the 4Matic+ all-wheel drive system in the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance work?
In the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance, the gas engine powers the front axle and the electric motor powers the rear. The system defaults to a rear bias and can distribute 100 percent of available torque to the rear axle on demand. Unlike most vehicles that power the rear axle with an electric motor, the AMG system employs a mechanical connection so that power from the electric motor can be transferred to the front axle as needed.
2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance suspension and handling features
The 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance comes with a long list of standard equipment geared at optimizing its handling performance. An aluminum double-wishbone front and rear suspension, an adaptive damping system, three-stage speed-sensitive steering, rear-axle steering, and active roll stabilization with two-piece electromechanical antiroll bars are all included.
The rear axle steering system permits the rear wheels to turn opposite to the front wheels at up to 2.5 degrees, at speeds of up to 100 km/h, to improve cornering. Above 100 km/h, the rear wheels turn 0.7 degrees in parallel to the front wheels to aid responsiveness in high-speed maneuvers. We were looking for signs of how this changes the GLC’s dynamics and found the impact to be subtle. However, this is a small and agile enough SUV that we’re not sure it’s a feature we were asking for to begin with.
What are the drive modes in the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance?
In the GLC 63 S E Performance, eight different drive modes can be engaged. Each makes adjustments to the throttle and steering response, transmission mapping, chassis damping, and exhaust sound to alter the character of this compact SUV.
Comfort mode is the default drive mode. The car starts in this mode in near silence. It uses both the gas engine and electric motor for hybrid driving. The steering and damping settings are relaxed, and the transmission upshifts at lower rpm. The maximum boost power from the electric motor is 25 percent. In Comfort mode, the GLC 63 S drives much like a typical luxury compact SUV with little hint of the power in its reserves.
EL is electric mode. When this is engaged, the GLC will be powered by the electric motor only until it hits a speed of 125 km/h or the battery is mostly discharged. Because of the mechanical connection to the front axle, all-wheel drive remains available in this mode. Range figures indicating how long the GLC 63 S can remain engaged in this mode are not yet available.
Battery hold mode preserves the battery’s charge to keep power for the electric motor use in the reserve, which lets it save electric range for later.
Sport is a step up from Comfort, offering a slight uptick in performance with quicker shifts, faster throttle response, and tighter damping. Boost power from the electric motor is increased to 60 percent.
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