Audi Q3 Sportback vs Mercedes-Benz GLC [2016-2019]

The Q3 Sportback is the smallest, most affordable, and the proper ‘coupe-SUV’ you can buy in India right now

This is one of the most important cars for Mercedes in India. Mercedes is entering a segment which has so far been exploited by the likes of Audi Q5 and BMW X3 for a while now. Internationally Mercedes has the GLK but it was getting long in the tooth and the Stuttgart giant waited for a brand new product to drop the floor from beneath its competition. Meet the GLC-Class, an SUV which in theory should give Mercedes a distinct advantage, considering the Audi Q5 and the BMW X3 are already quite old. It looks fantastic on the outside, is elegant on the inside and its proven mechanicals just makes it very strong on paper. Now thanks to local assembly the GLC-Class is really well priced as it undercuts all its rivals by a considerable margin. So just how good is the new GLC? We conducted a thorough road test on both the petrol and diesel versions to give you a definitive answer.

The Audi Q5 and the BMW X3 have had it easy up until now as they never really had a competitor from arch rival Mercedes. Yes, the cheaper version of the ML or now the GLE came close but it was always more expensive and it was more of a stopgap variant than a full blown contender. Finally, the wait will be over, come 2nd of June, 2016, when Mercedes launches the much talked about GLC SUV.