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A couple of quick observations. I am certainly biased as a GLC63S owner, but if you read the review and how they assigned ratings to the various categories to rank the 3 SUVs, you will see the comparison test was clearly tilted against the GLC63S. The Merc dominated all aspects of the objective tests, 0-60, quarter mile, slalom. Even MPG was in line despite the V8. They clearly could have differentiated/assigned more points for performance, which they didn't. Surprisingly, they dinged the GLC for muted driving due to the driver assistance / safety features. Really? So the Stelvio is better to drive because it feels more raw, i.e., unrefined. I expect the Macan to drive amazing, its a Porsche, and they know how to make a car drive, no one argues that. But the Alfa is no Merc or Porsche, yet they preferred the rawness, come on. That's never been a subjective winning attribute before...
First, they loaded up the Porsche and Merc to the gills in arriving at the price as tested. I've seen a Macan with PP well over $100k here in Chicago, so they could have added even more to the Porsche. The Stelvio did not include the seat package and ceramic brake package that would have otherwise drove up the price a lot closer to the others. The subjective rating for price clearly favored the Stelvio, which was a bit petty by C&D, IMO.
Second, C&D clearly preferred the SUV over the Coupe, but they wanted the 503 tune to compare to the Stelvio's 505 HP and the Macan's PP 440 HP. In the subjective rating, they dinged the style of the Coupe as well as the cargo space, both of which separate the Coupe from the SUV from a product placement standpoint. I can appreciate that some folks prefer the SUV over the Coupe, but to give cargo a 1 vs a 5 for the Stelvio, that is just fishing for an excuse to lower the AMG well below the others. Fine, take a 469 HP SUV, you will still get performance around the other two, but now you have better cargo and equal styling. If you equip similarly, you get price parity. So now the AMG would take the subjective ratings. AMG winner.
In summary, C&D preferred the interior of the AMG, tested it higher in every material performance category, referenced the advanced safety systems and commented on how much better the build felt. Yet, they decided to find flaws based on design of the Coupe versus the SUV, they loaded the AMG to the point where the price differential somehow made a meaningful difference in the subjective ratings, and they commented on how the refinement of the safety systems gave the Merc a muted feel. Interesting in that when they turned off the ESP, they praised its cornering and grip around turns. Really, just another fabricated excuse to arrive at a conclusion they seemed pre-destined to arrive at.
After reading the review, I am now actually more convinced that the Merc is the best of the bunch. I prefer the Coupe styling, I prefer the interior and the performance is the best of the bunch. Alfa did a great job of convincing C&D its SUV is best because it is more raw/untamed. To me, that is code for under engineered, and likely unreliable. No way the Italians built a better SUV than the Germans.
And to be petty, the Stelvio's Nurburgring time of 7:51 cannot be validated. Read the comments. There is no continuous video to prove it and it was a early prototype model. Fake news .
Yeah, I had a GTFOOH response to this article too. Doesn't matter. When all is said and done, we all know the Merc is hands down the best of the bunch. I wont be sad I didn't buy a Stelvio when my 63 SUV arrives in 2 weeks, regardless of the difference in power.
Interesting artical, my personal opinion I think the hype with HP is SUV’s related to zero to sixty times are non-sense it’s a 4500 car. Now some would say why did I buy a 63, I love the torque and needed push when I want it, but I’m not racing the guy next to me. The Macan ,and the RR Sport were my choices with the Macan be 3rd, RRS 2nd. First MB purchase, love the fit and finish with attention to details with a mean grunt hands down the best choice. I’m not really a sedan guy anymore because of personal need, and not a lot of options I like. ( ooops this is my wife’s car not a fight in this one, but I do drive it sometime)
Porsche makes the best driving sports cars hands down, but the GLC looks are gorgeous with killer interior. I should have gotten the 43, it as I said the 63 does it for me more than the wife .....it was worth the few days a month I will drive it. Enjoy your cars, I think it’s the deal of the century.
Interesting artical, my personal opinion I think the hype with HP is SUV’s related to zero to sixty times are non-sense it’s a 4500 car. Now some would say why did I buy a 63, I love the torque and needed push when I want it, but I’m not racing the guy next to me. The Macan ,and the RR Sport were my choices with the Macan be 3rd, RRS 2nd. First MB purchase, love the fit and finish with attention to details with a mean grunt hands down the best choice. I’m not really a sedan guy anymore because of personal need, and not a lot of options I like. ( ooops this is my wife’s car not a fight in this one, but I do drive it sometime)
Porsche makes the best driving sports cars hands down, but the GLC looks are gorgeous with killer interior. I should have gotten the 43, it as I said the 63 does it for me more than the wife .....it was worth the few days a month I will drive it. Enjoy your cars, I think it’s the deal of the century.
I see exactly where you are coming from. Macan GTS was my #1 choice and after test driving the GLC63, I thought it was the best bang for the buck. However my wife didn’t like how much power it had so we chose the 43, as like you said, it’s her car.
I see exactly where you are coming from. Macan GTS was my #1 choice and after test driving the GLC63, I thought it was the best bang for the buck. However my wife didn’t like how much power it had so we chose the 43, as like you said, it’s her car.
‘Yup, my wife came home and saw it in the garage so that’s all she knows. You have to be tatical, and she loves it(:
I have not gotten my GLC so I cannot be bias. But based on my pre-purchase research, i agree the test was very bias against the MB.
For one, the exhaust on the SAtelvio sounds amazing at idle, but the resean I am even buying SUvs is because I have a toddler and expecting a new baby. If you ven ignore those, I drive 20k-30k miles a year and I just cannot haver my exhaust sound in my head all day. I need ity to sound great but grown and the stelvio fails the later.
Performance, the stelvio does not even beat the non-S SUV, so I do not know why they bothered with the coupe.
rear seat? the stelvio is as compromised as the coupe despite being more suv.
i like the head unit in the stelvio because it is a great interface like the unconnect accross the chrysler brand, but the car does not even offer ventilated seats or heated steering..
all in all, there was no category i found the Stelvio superior.
I do like the Macan, because Porsche, but for the same reason I chose the 63 SUV over the coupe, i need space and the additional performance cost for the level I want is too steep.
I actually took a screenshot of the biased table after reading.
07-06-2018 | 09:49 AM
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