Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 vs BMW X3 Comparison

From a design standpoint, the new Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 features what could be described as one of the most elegant looks seen on the autobahn, or anywhere else for that matter. Starting with new LED lighting as standard, it features the perfect look to carry it on into the future. Other new accessories and features make their way onto the platform, including new alloy wheels that begin with standard 18-inch size and increase up to 20 inches.

New AMG design accessories, including 19-inch AMG twin five-spoke wheels, sport brake upgrades, and black exterior accents, are also part of the model. If those are not enough to thrill, there are complete Mercedes-AMG enhanced high-performance GLC models that should leave an enthusiast pumped.

The BMW X3 is the brand's two-row compact crossover er, Sport Activity Vehicle (SAV), as BMW likes to call them. It sizes in-between the subcompact BMW X1 and the mid-sized X5 SAVs and will be "right-sized" for many buyers.

The BMW ethos is one of sports handling, regardless of what the vehicle may really be. It may be an SUV that thinks it's a sports car. And if the base BMW X3 offering is not enough for you, check out the BMW X3 M. It may be just the thing to go head to head with the hot-rod Mercedes-AMG GLC 63.

Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 vs BMW X3 - Interior Comparison

 

Looking inward on the new Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 finds one of the best-equipped interiors in the industry. The base model of the Mercedes-Benz 300 includes MB-Tex, a synthetic type of material that looks like real leather but retains its good looks 20 years later. But if being real is how you roll, step up to the real thing, complete with real leather and wood veneer panels and trim pieces. The look is unbelievable; the feeling you get from being inside the cabin is even more so.

Standard is keyless entry and keyless ignition. A recent development in the Mercedes-Benz world is the Mercedes-Benz User Experience or MBUX for short. Combined with a new 11.9-inch touchscreen, the system can be operated via a touchpad on the center console, tiny touchpads on the steering wheel, and finally by our favorite, the "Hey Mercedes" function. With that, the system awakes and perform many operations like "call home," "get me directions to the football stadium," or "Find an Italian restaurant near me." It's like you have a personal assistant riding in the passenger seat with you.

In the BMW X3, it is just as you would expect with the similarly-sized BMW 3-series sedans. Starting with a wide touchscreen display seated at the top of the dashboard. It's just a hair too far away from the driver, so the screen has been taught to react to gestures instead. If the satellite radio is too loud, point at the screen and rotate your wrist in a counter-clockwise fashion to hear the volume decrease. Go the other way if it's not loud enough. Or what about if you want to get to navigation right after you have wrapped up a phone call. That's easy too. Just flick a tile to the left or the right until you find the appropriate app to help show you the way.

Which Shall I Choose - the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 or the BMW X3?

Sports or Luxury? Which talks to me the most? For our choice, the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 is the perfect vehicle for an around-town stop and go, whether to the store, the school or wherever else you need to be. No vehicle does it with better style, grace, technology and craftsmanship then the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300. 

Mercedes-Benz. The Best or Nothing, from Mercedes-Benz of Rochester.