Mercedes GLC 63S vs Stelvio Quadrifoglio: Battle of Savage SUVs
Alfa’s exciting ‘ute puts up a good fight, but it falls short against the beastly Mercedes in several categories.
It wasn’t all that terribly long ago when SUV owners were forced to live with things like boring, slushy handling and ho-hum acceleration. But that’s all changed, and in dramatic fashion. Today, we can buy SUVs capable of outrunning all but the best sports cars. Vehicles that can blast to 60 miles-per-hour in 3-seconds and haul the entire family and some groceries. Thus, Throttle House was obviously eager to pit two of the best of this new breed against each other in this stellar video – the Mercedes AMG GLC 63S and Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio Quadrifoglio.
On paper, it’s easy to lean toward the Mercedes without even driving either. After all, it packs what Throttle House calls a “glorious Biturbo V8 that puts out 503 horses sent to all four wheels. And thanks to the Biturbo, there’s 516 lb-ft of torque.” Granted, the Alfa makes a bit more power – 505 ponies, to be exact. And yes, it’s 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 is derived from a Ferrari engine. But it falls short in the torque department, producing a “mere” 443 lb-ft of twist.
Behind the wheel, the Mercedes certainly impresses our reviewer. “My God that’s quick,” he quips. “It hits 0-60 in 3.8-seconds if you have launch control. I just want to rev this out all day. But they don’t allow you to do it in jail, so. This still sounds completely AMG. The shifts are lightning quick and they sound incredible as well. What a sensationally competent car.”
Despite the fact that it’s technically an SUV, the Mercedes doesn’t disappoint in the corners, either. “It handles like an AMG,” our reviewer notes. “The steering feels accurate. The ride, even in race mode, is comfortable.” There’s still a bit of body roll, however, but you just can’t engineer away a high center of gravity completely.
In the end, the Alfa puts up a good fight and one reviewer actually prefers it. But our other reviewer makes quite the business case for the Mercedes. “Out of the two we’re testing today, I’d choose the GLC 63S,” he says. “It feels better built. It drives better. It’s more comfortable. I think it’s an absolute slam dunk by Mercedes.” And who are we to argue with that kind of sound logic?
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