Like many European automakers, Mercedes-Benz has a high-performance tuning shop that makes faster versions of its regular cars. That used to mean squeezing bigger and bigger engines under hoods.
Increasingly, though, it means getting more efficient. Automakers are learning to get more power out of greener technologies.
For 2025, Mercedes’ AMG performance shop embraces that logic. The most high-performance version of its GLC compact SUV will be offered as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The most extreme edition of the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC will swap eight cylinders for four and, in the process, gain over 200 horsepower.
The GLC it’s based on was updated for the 2023 model year. The 2025 AMG-GLC will come in two versions. The gas-powered AMG-GLC 43 will appear as a 2024 model. The PHEV AMG-GLC 63 will arrive a year later.
Pricing for each is a mystery. We predict a sticker near $70,000 for the gas-powered version and as much as $80,000 for the more complex hybrid.
Two Versions: Quick and Quicker
The GLC 43 will use a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with an electric exhaust-gas turbocharger, which is good for 416 horsepower. A belt-driven starter generator adds 13 more for a brief burst at low speeds.
The other is the headline-grabber. The GLC 63 combines the same engine with an electric motor on the rear axle to deliver a combined 671 hp.
Plug-in hybrids are capable of driving some distance on electric power alone before their gasoline engines even start. Mercedes hasn’t revealed the electric-only range of the GLC 63 but says it “enables all-electric driving under certain conditions.”
The closest equivalent on the market might be the BMW XM Label Red. It’s not a perfect analog. It’s larger and heavier and uses a V8 engine combined with an electric motor. BMW says the XM Label Red can travel up to 52 miles on electric power alone. But that figure was achieved using more lenient European calculations. The United States Environmental Protection Agency figures tend to show much shorter ranges.
Mercedes says the gasoline engine up front and the electric motor in the rear “ensures a balanced weight distribution.”
Enhanced Suspension, Rear-Wheel Steering
Both versions get a suspension with active dampers backing up steel springs. Drivers can switch between Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ modes. Mercedes promises the suspension “combines sporty driving dynamics with a high level of comfort for long-distance journeys.”
The suspension settings also alter the steering ratios, providing “significantly more feedback to the driver” in Sport modes. Rear-wheel steering is standard — the rear wheels turn opposite to the front wheels below 62 mph and with the front at higher speeds.
Visual Clues You’re Dealing with an AMG
The GLC 43 and GLC 63 each get a distinctive grille that identifies an AMG product. It replaces the horizontal bar of ordinary GLC models with vertical strakes and wears a larger 3-point-star emblem.
In the rear, AMG models get a large diffuser flanked by four trapezoidal exhaust ports and a roof-mounted spoiler. An available Night Package darkens them all, along with the window surrounds and grille strakes.
Inside, the AMG-specific steering wheel comes wrapped in real Nappa leather, while the seats are upholstered in the brand’s MB-Tex faux leather. If you like the real stuff, it’s an option on the seats. An AMG logo is embossed on the headrests when covered in Nappa leather.
