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188 Posts
After a local road which is a bit of favorite of mine finally re-opened after three years of repairs (yes, three years) following a landslide I decided it was time to give the GLC a good work out in 'Sport +' mode. The road in question is the B6344 which runs from Weldon Bridge to Rothbury in Northumberland. This is a great 'drivers road' with numerous curves, camber changes, elevation changes, a couple of short straights and even a humpback bridge which you can get airborne over... It's a great chance to have a 'spirited drive' as it's not the busiest road in the world either.
Swapping out of 'comfort' the GLC instantly becomes more responsive with everything sharpening up. The suspension is the biggest difference as you can really feel the air body control keeping things in order. The handling is a revelation, especially compared to my former M Class, with rapid turn in, excellent mid-corner grip and great drive out of corners. I had the traction control light on several times but the amount of drive out of some of the tighter corners was quite remarkable as the chassis is able to use all the torque all the time. Virtually no body roll at all either and coupled with the excellent brakes it made for a very sporty drive. I imagine the AMG versions will be even better again and bear in mind this is with the 'little' 220d engine. I turned straight around at Rothbury and retraced my steps, probably a little quicker than the first time and the GLC seemed even more planted as I was becoming confident in it's abilities. It's a really impressive car to be able to handle like a hot hatch and then be able to go straight off road if required - what a car !
Swapping out of 'comfort' the GLC instantly becomes more responsive with everything sharpening up. The suspension is the biggest difference as you can really feel the air body control keeping things in order. The handling is a revelation, especially compared to my former M Class, with rapid turn in, excellent mid-corner grip and great drive out of corners. I had the traction control light on several times but the amount of drive out of some of the tighter corners was quite remarkable as the chassis is able to use all the torque all the time. Virtually no body roll at all either and coupled with the excellent brakes it made for a very sporty drive. I imagine the AMG versions will be even better again and bear in mind this is with the 'little' 220d engine. I turned straight around at Rothbury and retraced my steps, probably a little quicker than the first time and the GLC seemed even more planted as I was becoming confident in it's abilities. It's a really impressive car to be able to handle like a hot hatch and then be able to go straight off road if required - what a car !
