Mercedes-Benz is on a roll. Twelve new models are planned for India in 2026. And the GLC 53 Coupe is one of the more exciting ones. It replaces the GLC 43 AMG, a car that found only around 140 buyers last year, and arrives with considerably more character, and more interesting machinery under the bonnet.
The coupe-SUV style is kind of an acquired taste, it’s for buyers who want their SUV to look a little more dramatic. This is exactly where the GLC 53 steps in. Gone is the unloved four cylinder. Instead, there’s AMG’s 3.0-litre inline six, paired with mild hybrid assistance, producing 449hp.
What matters more than numbers is what this engine feels like. Even trickling through city traffic, the two-tonne SUV feels alert and eager, with muscle that’s always ready. Out on the open road, it’s genuinely, joyfully quick.
Modern emissions regulations have made it difficult for performance cars to sound exciting, but the AMG has pulled it off. In Sport and Sport+ modes, the GLC 53 growls deeply and signs off with an old-school crackle and pop. You don’t need to be driving flat out to enjoy it. A short burst down a highway slip road is theatre enough. This is what was missing from four-cylinder AMGs. The straight six brings the soul back.
On a stretch of autobahn outside Hamburg, the rest of the package clicks into place too. Rear-wheel steering gives it surprising agility for its size, and the all-wheel drive system feels reassuring. There’s even a Drift Mode, perhaps best left to the brave.
Inside, the cabin seats are well shaped, the driving position is spot on, and the chunky AMG steering wheel feels satisfying to grip. The latest Mercedes software hasn’t made it here, but for a car this focused on the drive, that’s easy to forgive. The fiddly swipe controls on the steering wheel remain a lingering frustration.
The sloping roofline doesn’t punish rear passengers as severely as you’d expect. Headroom and legroom are adequate. But the massive front headrests and narrow rear windows give the sense that this car is always egging the driver on. The back seat is probably not the ideal place to be on a spirited run.
For India, the one concern is ride quality. The suspension has a jiggliness that will be considerably amplified on Indian roads, with their expansion joints, potholes and broken surfaces. It’s something Mercedes will need to carefully calibrate before arriving here.
On price, the GLC 53 is expected to come in as a locally assembled CKD, which should reduce import duties compared to its predecessor. However, a weakening rupee and rising input costs may erode much of that saving, placing it at around ₹1.3 crore. Marginally more expensive than the car it replaces, but arguably better value.
Because, in a world increasingly dominated by electrification and efficiency, that glorious straight six is reason enough to buy it.
From HT Brunch, June 06, 2026
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