It’s no secret that sedans are out, and SUVs (and crossovers) are in. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the luxury segment, where your options for a fancy family hauler are seemingly endless. So, we’ve gathered two established players in this space — the 2023 Lexus NX 350 and 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 — to see how they stack up against each other. Both are similarly sized and priced, but they both do luxury a bit differently.
Let’s start with the similarities. Both are relatively fresh; the NX received a thorough update last year, bringing with it restyled front and rear fascias, a reworked interior, more tech, and new powertrain options. The GLC sees a similar update for 2023, with a nip/tuck bringing the look inside and out in-line with the rest of the Mercedes-Benz lineup, plus — you guessed it — more tech, and new powertrain options. Both the NX and GLC are handsome sport-utes in their own right; it took Lexus a while to perfect its spindle grille, but the NX wears it well. The Benz is perhaps a bit more subtle with softer lines — and a ton of three-pointed stars up front, if you spec the AMG package.
Under the hood, both the NX and GLC are powered by turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The NX 350 uses a 2.4L unit, good for 275 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque, sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The GLC still uses a 2.0L turbo-four as before, but for 2023, it now works with a 48-volt mild hybrid assist. Power output remains unchanged at 255 hp, but you now have more torque to play with — 295 lb-ft, up from 273. Mercedes’ nine-speed automatic remains your only transmission choice, and all-wheel-drive is standard.
The NX gets a slight edge in the powertrain department. Both the NX and GLC’s turbo-fours build power smoothly, but the Lexus feels a bit punchier off the line owing to its peak torque available at 1,700 rpm. Both transmissions are well-matched to their respective engines, firing off quick shifts when you want them and fading into the background when you don’t. We knew what to expect with the GLC; the outgoing model was a smooth operator, and this new one is more of the same. But the NX’s new engine and transmission is a big improvement over the previous 2.0 turbo-four and six-speed autobox.
Where the NX and GLC differ are the optional powertrains. The Lexus is certainly more efficiency-focused, offering hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, as well as a normally aspirated four-cylinder in the base NX plucked from the RAV4. The Benz, on the other hand, is decidedly more performance-oriented: the GLC 300 is currently the only model available, but the GLC 43 and 63 are slated to join the lineup next year, controversially ditching their respective twin-turbo V6 and V8 engines for hybrid four-cylinder powertrains. Yeah, we’re not too excited about that, either.
Beyond the powertrains, both the NX and GLC exhibit good road manners, but the Benz has a slight edge over the Lexus. They both smooth out bumps, rough pavement, and most other imperfections quite well, and they both filter out wind and road noise quite well, although the GLC has a touch less road noise at highway speeds. On fuel economy, Lexus rates the NX 350 at 10.5 L/100 km city, 8.4 highway, and 9.5 combined; the GLC 300 punches in at 10.4 city, 9.1 highway, and 9.8 combined. It’s pretty much a draw in the real world — both the NX and GLC averaged in the mid-9s over a similar mix of city and highway commuting.
Where these two really set themselves apart is inside. As part of its refresh this year, the GLC 300 adopts a much more tech-focused layout. It swaps out the previous 10.25-inch touchscreen and most physical switchgear on the centre stack for a totally new layout, dominated by a portrait-oriented 11.9-inch touchscreen. Honestly, we prefer this layout over Mercedes’ Hyperscreen in other models; there’s certainly less fingerprint- and dust-attracting “piano black” trim to deal with, and this layout still retains a row of physical switchgear below the touchscreen.
Ordinarily, we’re not fans of swapping out physical switchgear for touchscreen-based controls, but the GLC’s display is responsive and the climate controls stay on-screen all the time, all of which ease the sting of losing the pre-facelift GLC’s physical switchgear. Beyond that, the display is augmented by a sharp and highly configurable digital instrument cluster, Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment interface is intuitive, and the ambient lighting at night is a vibe and a half.
The NX counters the GLC’s digital-first cockpit with a more traditional layout, but still manages to feel modern. Last year’s upgrades carry over; a 14-inch display dominates the dashboard and looks a bit better-integrated than the Benz’s unit. It’s also a touchscreen and a vast improvement over Lexus’ previous-gen touchpad-based infotainment. The NX also uses more physical switchgear — including a proper volume knob — and a more traditional shifter on the centre console, versus the GLC’s almost minivan-like column-mounted lever. Both offer good material quality and fit-and-finish for their as-tested price tags — more on that later — but the NX’s cabin is a bit more traditional, intuitive, and will probably age better than the GLC.
Both the NX 350 and GLC 300 are reasonably roomy, with plenty of headroom and legroom up front and out back. The NX holds a bit more junk in the trunk than the GLC with the seats up — 651 litres versus 622, respectively — but the GLC has a big advantage when you fold down the rear seats, expanding to 1,585 L. It’s not like the NX is cramped, punching in at 1,330 L with the seats stowed, but the Benz is appreciably roomier.
On price, the NX and GLC cover a very similar spread, but the Benz comes at a premium when you load up the options. A base NX kicks off at $53,250, while our fully-loaded F-Sport 3 tester topped out at $67,100 as-tested. The GLC 300, on the other hand, starts at $58,900 and our tester rang in at $74,085, but even at that not-insignificant seven-grand price difference, it was still missing adaptive cruise control. That seemed like a strange omission for a $70,000-plus luxury crossover.
Choosing between these two upscale crossovers comes down to how much you like to dazzle your passengers with tech. Both the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 and 2023 Lexus NX 350 deliver excellent road manners; the Benz is much more tech-focused, but at the expense of intuitiveness. On the other hand, it’s not like the NX doesn’t feel modern inside, plus it’s kind of hard to ignore its $7,000 price advantage. That’s why, between these two upscale people-movers, the NX is arguably the better pick for your hard-earned dollars.
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