Photo: kelsonik / Instagram
Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as kelsonik on social media, thinks that now is the right CGI time to work on the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance. Well, he's not wrong to target those areas, but it's certainly not going to be enough…
You know what they say – when folks buy humongous things, it's because they feel the need to compensate for their little things. Across the automotive industry, sometimes the equivalent of that line of thought is equipping the car with the biggest wheels one can find to exaggerate the proportions just a little bit. Well, in the case of the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance, these virtual sets of larger aftermarket-style wheels are surely aimed at compensating for the tiny four-pot engine sitting under the hood.
When the Mercedes-Benz GLC was born as a compact luxury crossover SUV in 2015 to replace the ruggedly good-looking GLK Class, I quickly dismissed this high-riding equivalent of the C-Class passenger car as something that doesn't look too manly anymore. Then, I forgot all about it because the second generation that arrived during the summer of 2022 did absolutely nothing to change my opinion. They also came out with an unsavory SUV-Coupe version, and even the AMG versions weren't exactly something that could make the GLC stand out in any crowd.
However, to make matters worse, Mercedes brought it back to my attention following the controversial switch to the inline-four 2.0-liter mill for the AMG variants. Think about this for a second – the first GLC came with a 3.0-liter six-cylinder twin-turbo setup for the GLC 43, churning out 362 hp, and the GLC 63 versions had the iconic 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 mill packing 469 hp or 503 hp when adding an 'S' to the nameplate.
But now, the all-new Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 has a mild hybrid inline-four – and we could have allowed that because it offers way more oomph – 421 hp plus another 14 hp and 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) of torque from the EQ Boost MHEV system. But in a stark departure from its predecessor, the AMG GLC 63 S transformed into an E Performance plug-in hybrid model! That wasn't the problem. I love PHEVs because (save for the higher price) I believe they are the best possible combination of the good things from the ICE and EV worlds.
However, this AMG GLC 63 S E Performance – for weight rationales and because the accountants liked the lower production costs, probably – also has the same four-pot under the hood, not just an added electric motor and small 6.1 kWh battery pack! So, what could be done to change the new love/hate relationship? Well, this pixel master is tempting us with two types of fresh aftermarket-style wheels that are much larger and cool-looking than the Y-spoke variant proposed by the OEM.
When the Mercedes-Benz GLC was born as a compact luxury crossover SUV in 2015 to replace the ruggedly good-looking GLK Class, I quickly dismissed this high-riding equivalent of the C-Class passenger car as something that doesn't look too manly anymore. Then, I forgot all about it because the second generation that arrived during the summer of 2022 did absolutely nothing to change my opinion. They also came out with an unsavory SUV-Coupe version, and even the AMG versions weren't exactly something that could make the GLC stand out in any crowd.
However, to make matters worse, Mercedes brought it back to my attention following the controversial switch to the inline-four 2.0-liter mill for the AMG variants. Think about this for a second – the first GLC came with a 3.0-liter six-cylinder twin-turbo setup for the GLC 43, churning out 362 hp, and the GLC 63 versions had the iconic 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 mill packing 469 hp or 503 hp when adding an 'S' to the nameplate.
But now, the all-new Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 has a mild hybrid inline-four – and we could have allowed that because it offers way more oomph – 421 hp plus another 14 hp and 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) of torque from the EQ Boost MHEV system. But in a stark departure from its predecessor, the AMG GLC 63 S transformed into an E Performance plug-in hybrid model! That wasn't the problem. I love PHEVs because (save for the higher price) I believe they are the best possible combination of the good things from the ICE and EV worlds.
However, this AMG GLC 63 S E Performance – for weight rationales and because the accountants liked the lower production costs, probably – also has the same four-pot under the hood, not just an added electric motor and small 6.1 kWh battery pack! So, what could be done to change the new love/hate relationship? Well, this pixel master is tempting us with two types of fresh aftermarket-style wheels that are much larger and cool-looking than the Y-spoke variant proposed by the OEM.
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