Mercedes-Benz Malaysia debuts two SUV offerings

By thoriq, 22 March 2019

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) kicked off its Hungry For Adventure festival in style by debuting two new SUV offerings. They are the new locally assembled (CKD) GLC 300 Coupe, as well as the all-new and fully imported (CBU) GLE 450 models.

Here’s what you ought to know about both as they headline the firm’s Hungry For Adventure festival that runs this weekend from March 22 (Friday) to March 24 (Sunday) at the hip Sentul Depot that’s located at Sentul West, KL.

GLC 300 Coupe AMG Line
Rolling out of MBM’s assembly line in Pekan, Pahang is the new GLC 300 Coupe, which now replaces the GLC 250 Coupe variant offered previously. Take note, this is not – repeat, NOT – the face-lifted GLC Coupe revealed globally this week. We’ll need to wait a little longer for that (and this), but the news isn’t all bad.

As per any Mercedes-Benz 300-series model, this coupe-styled crossover SUV employs a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol heart rated at 245hp and 270Nm. It gets paired with Merc’s 9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic and 4MATIC all-wheel-drive (AWD) suites, granting this SUV with a 6.5-second 0-100kph sprint time.

Like the variant it replaces, the GLC 300 Coupe comes solely in AMG Line trimline option, so it benefits with the sporty AMG Line exterior and interior packages. Highlights of the former include its snazzy 20-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler, and aggressive front grille design amongst many others.

As far as features go, this locally produced offering mirrors much of what’s found in the CBU variant it replaces. You still get things like intelligent full-LED headlights, interactive ambient lighting, premium Burmester hi-fi, as well as sports suspension.

Present here too is the full swing of active safety suites, namely the Lane Tracking Package as it adds both Active Lane-Keep Assist and Blind-Spot Assist on top of Collision Prevention Assist Plus and Attention Assist.

Notably, this new CKD variant goes on sale with an estimated price of RM399,888 sans insurance. Despite the final price still pending government approval, the estimated figure still see a huge reduction over the previous CBU variant’s asking price of RM445,888.

GLE 450 AMG Line
Besides the GLC 300 Coupe, a preview of the all-new fourth generation GLE-Class offering was held too. Built upon the three-pointed star’s new Modular High Architecture (MHA) chassis platform, the model was presented in its GLE 450 AMG Line guise, and it can be had in either five- or seven-seater configurations.

Naturally, this trimline sees this mid-sized luxury SUV taking on a sportier stance thanks to the AMG Line exterior and interior package. The former sees things like the 22-inch alloy wheels, aggressive front grille and front bumper design, not forgetting a sporty rear diffuser with integrated twin tailpipes to match as well.

As for the powertrain, the GLE 450 AMG Line adopts a turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line 6-cylinder petrol heart with an integrated mild hybrid system. The 367hp and 500Nm outputs this mill produces (petrol + electric combined) are managed by Merc’s 9G-TRONIC auto transmission and 4MATIC AWD yet again.

On board, the cabin boasts Merc’s brand new design approach and motif, with the infotainment also boasting the brand intelligent new Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) voice command feature. This is the same as found in the new A-Class hatch (click to read our A250 AMG Line test drive report), and it responds to “Hey, Mercedes!” prompts.

Also present is a new version of Merc’s Airmatic air suspension suite. Additionally, it gets supplemented with a new 48-volt E-Active Body Control system that controls the spring and damper of each corner individually, thus promising greater on-road agility as well as off-road capabilities.

MBM were coy as to when exactly the GLE 450 AMG Line will arrive, but orders can now be made based on an estimated price of RM633,888 sans insurance. This new SUV will be on display throughout the duration of the aforementioned Hungry For Adventure festival.