A lot is riding on the redesign of the new 2023 Mercedes GLC SUV. The GLC is Mercedes-Benz’s best-selling SUV, and best-selling vehicle ever. It’s easy to see why Benz has sold 2.6 million GLCs. The GLC, now going into its second generation, is one of the least-expensive Mercedes vehicles you can buy, yet it’s a competitive five-seat, five-door, SUV that has some off-road ability and some luxury touches. The GLC is compact and slightly smaller than the popular GLB SUV. The new 2023 Mercedes GLC is getting significant technology upgrades, new hybrid engine options, off-roading upgrades, and a sleeker interior.

It’s like a cockpit inside the new 2023 Mercedes GLC

The big news is on the inside. Carbon fiber trim dominates the interior, as does a new 12.3-inch LCD screen in the center, like a Tesla, and an 11.9-inch central display screen. Overall, the interior is designed to make the small SUV feel like a big SUV with a surrounding cockpit feel around the driver and front passenger. Benzes used to feature dozens of complicated buttons and dials on the dash. Now, you control the SUV by the screen.

There’s a bit of an aircraft theme in the cockpit of the GLC, and the air vents look like something you’d see in a 737, not a road-going passenger vehicle. Mercedes redesigned the door panels, too, to have fewer surfaces.

The GLC’s engines are made for hybrid power

The new 2023 GLC will have a range of four-cylinder engines that are designed for electrification. Speaking of that, the new GLC can be ordered with a 48-volt mild-hybrid power plant. The new hybrid system will allow drivers to “glide” in electric mode. If you, too, hate clunky stop-and-start systems at stoplights, Mercedes has heard you. The new engines have a quick-start system that is designed to be almost imperceptible, whether you’re gliding or starting from a red light. The previous version was reliable, and we expect the new one to be, also.

The new GLC also has a new four-link suspension system at the front and a multi-link rear, like the previous version, so it can handle rough pavement with ease.  

Benz brings augmented reality to the new 2023 GLC

The new GLC will feature the latest generation of the MBUX infotainment system. The new system has new hardware and software that Benz promises will make it faster, brighter, and easier to use. The system has two screens, one on the central stack and one in the gauge cluster. When you say “Hey, Mercedes,” the system activates.

One cool option we can’t wait to try is the new augmented reality aspects of MBUX, which uses a camera in front of the GLC. The central display will show moving images and will superimpose virtual objects, information, and markers like traffic signs, lane-change recommendations, and even house numbers.

The new Mercedes GLC is more than a soft-roader

Mercedes made the GLC “explicitly designed for off-road driving,” Mercedes says. While it doesn’t have the monster ground clearance of, say, a Ford Bronco, it has enough to get over more than you would expect from a small luxury SUV. The GLC uses its big screen also as a trail camera. The Transparent Hood option shows you the stuff under the front of the vehicle, including the direction of the front wheels. Cameras like this have become popular on off-roaders like the Ford Raptor because they can help you avoid oil pan-bashing rocks.

The GLC has been Mercedes’s best-selling vehicle ever

Mercedes had fun with the marketing for the new version, but the GLC is already on the top of many best-selling lists. Mercedes introduced the last generation as a 2016 model and it replaced the G-Class-looking GLK. It is a five-passenger, five-door, SUV with diesel or gasoline-powered versions. Benz updated it in 2020 with a slightly-updated face, a new touchscreen inside, and some new tech. The marketing team decided that sedans were un-cool, so Mercedes sells it in a “coupe” version that is simply a tall four-door sedan with a trunk instead of a hatch.