The second generation of this well-conceived model is surely destined to maintain star pick status.

Prices: $113,900 SUV; $125,900 Coupe.

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol with 48 volt mild hybrid, 190kW/400Nm petrol, 17kW electric assist; nine-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive.

Fuel and economy: 7.7 litres per 100km.

Dimensions (SUV/Coupe): Length, 4731mm/4764mm; width, 1890mm; height, 1600mm/1605mm.

We like: Quality feel; impressively efficient drivetrain; strong pricing position.

Not so much: Occasional CarPlay drop-out still seems to be a ‘thing’ with MBUX; Coupe shape premium a little stuff.

WHEN taking over from a well-received, successful predecessor, starting again would seem risky, if not pointless - so Mercedes Benz has been smart with the new GLC seeming very much like the one that came before.

That’s really deception. A lot has changed. But to find out how much, those perceiving the world’s oldest car maker has lazily photocopied the previous car’s blueprints need to put old with new. 

A drive-off would also be appropriate. The latest line delivers with less, in respect to drivetrain options, but on strength on running the four-cylinder petrol 300 series option, seems to deliver more.

As before, this medium five-seater C-Class family inclusion continues in sports utility wagon and more rakish-roofed Coupe stylings; the latter being slightly less practical, slightly more expensive and even more eye-catching. 

Which would I prefer? There’s spend saving in sticking to the SUV, but if cost isn’t a be-all then it’s almost a coin toss. They are both handsome in their own right. 

The head says go for the SUV’s stronger practicality. The heart, though, goes with the Coupe, 47mm longer and more aggressive in stance. 

Sense either feels roomier than the last is no trick. This generation is bigger by almost every measure – 60mm longer overall with a wheelbase extended by 15mm. Overall width remains the same, but it’s a touch lower, just enough to look visually slinkier.

However you prefer the GLC 300 in external appearance, the cabin’s are common in layout and ambience. It’s when seated behind the wheel where the sense of how much the new has progressed over the old really hits home - it’s a whole new technology uplift, from the C-Class sedan, and a wholly different world. 

The latest MBUX infotainment system demands a 12.3-inch screen ahead of the driver for the instruments, plus a central touchscreen measuring 11.9 inches. The latter has the usual smartphone connectivity, navigation, radio and voice control. 

The cabin upgrade also delivers a swathe of S-Class-inspired plush materials so is properly posh. No Benz product feels downmarket, but GLC has something of an ‘especially expensively engineered’ ambience car. You don’t get this level of refinement from scrimping. 

There so are so many smarts to show off; 3D augmented reality directions, which use the front-facing camera to project navigation directions on the screen, is now a thing and, though an extra cost, is worth buying into. 

So too the Plus pack, a $6900  additional that in addition to adding Burmester audio and acoustic insulated glass brings advanced headlights that can illuminate pedestrians or display warnings about lane widths or driving the wrong way on roads. The Coupe comes with Night package, which is more an aesthetic styling enhancement; black wheels and so on.

Although it’s not by any means an off-road car, the SUV does have a feature you do find on some expensive high-tech all-terrain sports utility wagons and utes. That’s a 360-degree camera system that includes a Transparent Bonnet system that allows you to scan for objects that would normally be out of sight in front of the car. 

Most everything is touch activated through the slanted touchscreen that looks great visually, and is seamlessly integrated within the piano black centre console.

The touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel require more judgement; they’re not outright too difficult to use when on the move, but there are a lot of them - hence why it has four spokes - so spending some time pre-drive to work out which does what wouldn’t go amiss. 

They get better the more you get used to them. Basically, the  right-hand buttons control the driver's display, the left-hand ones operate the central screen. As per standard, there are decent digital instruments with a wide range of customisation, and it's possible to show as much or as little information as you want on the dashboard.

Beyond the fantastic tech, the cabin offers lots of comfort. Four-zone climate control and a panoramic sunroof feature across both shapes and and the electrically adjustable steering wheel is a nice to have.

The SUV shape obviously delivers more headroom, but in saying that the Coupe just isn’t as cramped in the back as you might think; for a car with such an obviously diving roofline, only very tall rear seat occupants might desire more headroom. 

Either way, the rear seat is wide enough for three, though passengers in the outer chairs get more room. There’s a distinct transmission tunnel for the middle-seat passenger to straddle with their feet. There are air vents in the back that match those up front in terms of quality. Both outer rear seats feature ISOFIX child seat attachments.

The wagon does better for boot space. Again, the Coupe shape means some compromises have had to be made, and beyond that the car in either shape has a high floor.

Under the bonnet? If you are happy to consider the AMG GLC 43 and GLC 63 editions as being specialist rather than mainstream fare, then the everyday car becomes a lone star GLC300 selection.

While fully battery-wed cars are at forefront now, and the primary focus of Mercedes’ development drive, this make believes we’re not yet at a time when fossil fuels cannot be dropped. That’s why the GLC is still pump-reliant.

Still, electric is infiltrating everywhere now and is entrenched here. All the same, does going for a 2.0-litre petrol with 48 volt assist, married to a nine-speed automatic apportioning to all four wheels, when important rivals, starting with the two other big names out of Germany, have transcended to plug-in hybrid seem a little … retrograde? Not least because there is a PHEV in the GLC engine choice in Europe and it looks solid, with claimed pure electric driving range of 100km?

Benz locally says it decided to steer clear of the latter because it sees better value in keeping a clear distinction between the petrol-prioritised here and the fully electric ‘EQ’ fleet. It’ll have eight full electrics in circulation by year-end, not including the original ‘EQ’, the EQC, which retired to make room for the EQE SUV.

The AMG cars are going to be the go-to for zesty performance. The GLC300 isn’t lacking for go, performance is solid enough and you can use the manual paddles behind the steering wheel for additional involvement, though they don’t make the change actions any quicker. Switching to Sport to adjust the engine response and suspension stiffness does enliven things, but only slightly. 

Ultimately, then, making light of speed limits is not its remit; this car is all about being a quiet, competent cruiser. The X factor is the cars’ impressive refinement. The engine is quite smooth and generally not very loud. As result, the GLC is very quiet around town, while faster driving on motorways is equally refined when cruising at the speed limit.

The SUV being larger and 69kg heavier than the last doesn’t inhibit it from being 0.5l/100km more thrifty than before, with a combined figure of 7.7l/100km cited. Both it and the Coupe were in that region during test.

In dynamic sense, both types handle well, with decent steering and a brake pedal that feels pretty good. The 4Matic four-wheel drive enhances the cars’ traction, but a lot of the good roadholding also reflects that Benz has meaty quality brand 255/45 rubber.

Where to from here? Like all brands, Benz’s future is electric, but in the interim you can see you it continues to plug on with the GLC is the format it presents with. It’s a car that hits all its targets with absolute accuracy.