X254 Mercedes-Benz GLC200 on sale in Australia – base variant of SUV to launch in Malaysia soon?

The Mercedes-Benz GLC base variant, the GLC 200 makes a return to the Australian market, priced from AUD$89,000 (RM248,235) before on-road costs. Before the introduction of the GLC 200, the GLC range in Australia started with the GLC 300 AMG Line at AUD$105,100 (RM293,025) before on-road costs, according to Australian website Drive.

The GLC 200 in Avantgarde trim for Australia gets a 2.0 litre inline four-cylinder turbocharged petrol that produces 204 PS and 320 Nm of torque, paired with the same nine-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel-drive as the 258 PS/400 Nm GLC 300. This, too gets a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that offers a 23 PS/205 Nm boost, while enabling the vehicle to switch off its combustion engine and coast.

This brings a claimed fuel consumption rate of 7.2 litres per 100 km and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 7.8 seconds for the GLC 200, compared to 7.7 litres per 100 km and a 6.2-second 0-100 km/h time for the GLC 300.

The Avantgarde trim specification for the Australian-market GLC 200 brings smaller alloy wheels at 19 inches in diameter compared to the 20-inch AMG Line wheels for the GLC 300, along with differently-styled front and rear bumpers, additional chrome trim and different exterior highlights.

The current, X254-generation GLC arrived in Malaysia in April 2023 first as a fully imported (CBU) GLC 300 4Matic AMG Line, followed by a locally assembled (CKD) version in September of that year at RM378,888, that brought a RM51k saving over the RM429,888 launch price of the CBU version.

Given that the GLC 200 shares most of its mechanical specification with the GLC 300, this could present an opportunity to bring a more affordable variant of the GLC to the Malaysian market. If the price difference of approximately 15% between the GLC 300 and GLC 200 in Australia is applied to the Malaysian pricing of the GLC 300, this would see the GLC 200 priced in the region of RM320k, albeit theoretically.

That would be the difference between trim levels in addition to the engine specifications, and if both are specified with the same trim – AMG Line, in the case of the X253-generation facelift – that should narrow the price gap slightly, and the previous GLC 200 and GLC 300 were sold at RM299k and RM350k, respectively. Of course, time will tell, if and when the X254 GLC 200 arrives in Malaysia.

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