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The law in Queensland suggests (because it’s not totally clear from the website) that you can fit larger wheels, although I couldn’t find a definitive limit to how much bigger you could go. But, the rules also state that the overall diameter of a replacement tyre on a car like the GLC 220d can be no more than 15mm more than the tyres fitted as standard to that car. So, while that suggest you could go up to 22-inch wheels (from the standard 20-inch wheels) the tyres fitted to them would have to be a much lower profile to keep within that 15mm diameter increase requirement.
This would have a fairly big impact on the cost of the tyres when you need to replace them, but also on ride quality as you’d be sacrificing a lot of sidewall flex with the lower-profile rubber. And there are other considerations: The replacement tyres can not be more than 1.3 times as wide as the standard tyres, must not protrude from the wheel arch at the straight-ahead and must maintain speedometer accuracy.
The best advice is to buy the new wheels and tyres through a proper tyre specialist who will be able to give you the full story on what’s legal, what’s not and what’s advisable. Plenty of car owners have discovered the hard way that the wrong replacement wheels and tyres can ruin the driving experience.
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You’ve hit the nail on the head Alan. The 48-volt mild-hybrids weren’t taken up by M-B Australia, purely because the plug-in hybrid GLC300e will have a bigger battery than before (for more range) and is a better fit with where the brand is going in this country. Watch out for the plug-in GLC in showrooms in the second quarter of this year.
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All Mercedes vehicles are tested in Europe and issued Type Approval certificates for each regulation. The relevant Type Approval certificate for GLC states that the maximum download is 100 kg. The masses and capacities in this certificate are used for the Australian certification to GCM, towing capacity, dimensions, etc. Without local testing facilities or engineering department, the company must use the European figures, and cannot rerate vehicles locally.
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Mercedes-Benz Australia has opted for a high level of standard specification for AMG GLC63. Standard equipment includes 21-inch alloys, AMG composite braking, a panoramic sliding sunroof, a unique AMG steering wheel, power-adjustable sports seats in Nappa leather, a head-up display, dual-zone climate control, wireless smartphone charging and a Burmester 3D Sound system.
Inside the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 is clearly a derivative of the rest of the range, with its C-Class-inspired design and layout, but there’s enough AMG-specific elements to ensure it looks and feels special. This starts with the AMG steering wheel, which comes not only with a thick rim wrapped in Alcantara, but also some AMG special dials to adjust the various performance settings for the powertrain, suspension and gearbox. There's also AMG sports seats.
The Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S E Performance is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and the rear-mounted electric motor, which combine to produce an impressive 500kW and 1020Nm.
The Mercedes-AMG GLC63 is five-seat SUV. There are the AMG-specific seats, which look good and offer good support for the driver and front seat passenger. The rear seats offer decent space for what is a mid-size SUV, with room enough for two adults or teenagers or three smaller kids.
Those in the back aren’t particularly well looked after though, with only rear air-con vents and small door pockets but no USB charging ports or other small item storage.
The boot in the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 is 590 litres, down from 620L in the rest of the range, thanks to the addition of the rear-mounted electric motor. There’s also no room for the temporary spare the rest of the GLC range gets and instead you have to make do with a puncture repair kit.
The Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S E Peformance takes just 3.5 seconds to run 0-100km/h and has an electronically limited top speed of 275km/h.
The Mercedes-AMG GLC63 has a 65-litre fuel tank and uses 7.3L/100km, providing a driving range of 890km. The electric only driving range is just 14km.