bishop64

For current owners of the GLC300 4Matic, did you consider the X3 xdrive30i when you purchased your car?
If so and when you made the comparison, what are the main pros and cons of both SUVs?
And, what factor(s) that made you decided to buy the MB instead of the Bimmer?

Thanks for sharing your experience.

VipinLJ

I have both cars. A 2021 BMW X3 xDrive30i and a 2022 MB GLC300 4matic. I have 7800 miles in the X3 and 1600 in the GLC300.

GLC 300 4matic-
Pros:
1. Front end looks good2. More powerful engine when driven hard3. Better digital cockpit
4. Very comfortable cruiser with good ride comfort5. Air conditioning unit is a chiller.
6. Base non-Burmester system sounds really good for a base system.
7. Drilled brakes are powerful. Makes for smooth, fast stops.
8. Bigger trunk and slightly more space at the rear.
Cons:
1. Add-ons are more expensive. Both my X3 and GLC had very similar MSRPs (iirc only like USD200 difference between the two). My X3 has more features than my GLC such as head-up display, ACC, heated rear seats etc.
2. Extremely annoying steering wheel vibration when it hits a pot hole. I thought I would get used to it but nope.
3. It has the AMG package with sport suspension but it still crashes if it hits sharp dips on the road hard (suspension feels like it bottoms out).
4. Transmission tuning leaves a lot to be desired, especially at low speeds. You can feel the car stumble trying to shift to the correct gear while downshifting when coming to a stop.
5. Engine sounds slightly less refined than the B46 in the X3.
6. Wired android auto.

X3 xDrive30i-Pros:
1. Handles better than the GLC300 even though it doesn't have the M sport pack. It almost feels as good as my G20 330i.
2. The B46 engine feels slightly more refined.
3. BMW has perfected tuning the ZF8HP tranny. Feels almost like a dual clutch box.
4. More features such as Vernasca leather seats, heated rear seats, head-up display etc for the same MSRP.
5. Much better fuel mileage.
6. Wireless android auto.

Cons:
1. Smaller car on the inside.
2. Looks dated (mine is the pre-facelight/non-LCI model).
3. Outright performance isn't as good as the GLC. It is more obvious when driven hard. I have dragied both cars and the GLC was the winner (same road, same fuel quality and quantity, similar weather conditions).
4. Base suspension isn't as comfortable as the sport suspension in the GLC300 AMG package when driven in a straight line.
5. Harmon-kardon doesn't sound as good as the FrontBass system to my ears.

Both cars belong to my wife. She prefers the GLC for her style of driving (city driving, non-hurried, cruiser). I prefer the X3 for my style of driving (highway mile muncher, decent handler).

If there is anything else you want to know, you can ask me and I'll clarify.

js_cls

No longer have a GLC as the wife wanted something bigger, but we had one for a year and cross-shopped with the X3.

The main draws against the X3 were more interior hard plastics than the GLC, seat comfort, rear legroom, as well as just little things such as some of the controls. Other than that its a fine vehicle, honestly one the better BMW's on sale at the moment.

chassis

My wife has an X3 and we cross shopped the GLC.

GLC more luxurious interior but more isolated/disconnected feeling. She didn't like the direct select and COMAND controls.

X3 sportier and better fuel economy but smaller. The sparkling storm brilliant effekt paint (gold-green-brown metallic, really awesome) with mocha leather really caught her eye and she had to have it.

bishop64

Thanks to the above 3 of you. Interestingly, all 4 of us have this in common - main driver is a female.

I am in a very preliminary stage of shopping and have to do some research on these 2 SUVs.

chassis

@bishop64 If you plan to own the vehicle out of warranty consider that the GLC M264 engine is descended from the earlier M274 which is known to have a host of problems. The M264 is too new to say with certainty if the problems are completely solved by MB.

The BMW 2.0L four cylinder has solid as a rock reliability.

js_cls

I'd also check out the new GV70 from Genesis, its a great looking SUV with a beautiful interior, very competitive.

VipinLJ

I agree with @chassis. The B46 is a lovely engine. Another gem is the EA888 in the new Q5. That is probably the most refined engine amongst the German 2.0 trio. We considered the B9.5 Q5 instead of the GLC300 but didn't get it because it was similar to the B9 SQ5 that was fantastic but wife replaced it because it was "too powerful" for her.