2017 Motor Trend SUV: The GLC-Class

The 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class is one of the most impressive SUVs on the road today. In fact, the GLC-Class has a long history of winning awards. Most notably, it won the Motor Trend SUV of the Year award, sometimes called the “Golden Calipers,” back in 2007 with the three-row GL-Class and in 2013 for the second-generation model.

This year, Motor Trend has once again chosen this model to receive the SUV of the Year. For anyone who’s been behind the wheel of one of these beautiful vehicles, this should come as no surprise at all. The Mercedes SUVs are the ones to be beat, and some of the most exciting vehicles in their class.

A quiet and smooth ride

You expect a SUV cabin to be a bit noisy. That just isn’t the case with the 2017 GLC-Class. Maneuvering through the streets of the city, you’ll get little to no engine noise at all. Even when you’re hitting 70 MPH on the freeway, you won’t hear much behond some wind noise. Road noise and tire noise are minimal, as well.

The steering on the 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class is smooth, fluid and weighted perfectly. It’s easy to corner. The brakes are as gentle as they are predictable. The vehicle has the power it needs when you need it, but doesn’t have the sometimes-strained feel of many SUVs.

Once you take just one ride in this vehicle, you’ll begin to understand why Motor Trend named it the SUV of the Year for 2017.

A true Mercedes-Benz SUV

There’s no doubt that Mercedes-Benz means luxury. Yet, in the SUV marketplace, it’s become common for luxury manufactures to skimp out a bit on the typical style and elegance of their brand. After all, a big truck is, at its core, a big truck.

The 2017 GLC-Class is different, though. It brings features in from other models known for their quality, such as the E-Class and C-Class. Examples include:

• E-Class chassis and mechanical components
• C-Class interior cues and technology
• The Modular Rear Architecture Platform, which will be the basis for 10 different Mercedes-Benz models going forward
• The kind of high-quality and stylish materials used in all Mercedes-Benz vehicles

The 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class isn’t just another luxury SUV; it’s “the” luxury SUV, combining Mercedes-Benz quality and design with a solid SUV. It’s no wonder Motor Trend chose this vehicle to win this year.

Hottest of a hot market segment

The GLC-Class victory is especially interesting given just how hot the crossover SUV segment is right now. Between August 2015 and August 2016, for example, the small luxury SUV market increased in sales by more than 25%. Not only is the 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class the best in breed, the award comes at a time when the breed is particularly in demand.

Real Luxury

The cabin is, without a doubt, one of the most comfortable and relaxing you’ll find. The seats are soft yet supportive, with touch points designed to put you at ease on a commute or on a cross-country trip. In many ways, it doesn’t feel like you’re in an SUV at all. You would easily be forgiven for thinking you’d climbed into a Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

The interior features high-quality wood and leather. The infotainment system puts the driving data you need at your fingertips without being an overwhelming eyesore.

Mercedes-Benz is no stranger to winning the Motor Trend SUV of the Year Award. If the 2017 GLC-Class is any indication, Mercedes-Benz intends to place well in this category for many, many years to come.