2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S sets Nurburgring lap record for SUVs

The 2018 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S has set a new SUV lap record at the famed Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany, beating its rival, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, by a scant three seconds.

It took just 7 minutes and 49 seconds for the GLC 63 S to complete the lap, putting it alongside cars like the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 (7:47), the 997.1 Porsche GT3 RS (7:48) and the BMW M4 (7:52).

Impressively, Mercedes-AMG claims the record was set on its first attempt, driven by Mercedes-AMG Development engineer Markus Hofbauer.

The previous record-holder, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio managed the lap in 7 minutes and 52 seconds. Interestingly, the Stelvio matches the GLC for power at 375kW, but loses out on torque with 'only' 600Nm, compared to 700Nm for the Mercedes-AMG.

As is now customary, Mercedes-AMG has released in-car footage of the lap taking place, which we have linked below.

The GLC 63 S is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, producing 375kW of power and 700Nm of torque, sent to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The 0-100km/h dash is taken care of in 3.8 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.

In Australia, the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S is priced from $164,900 for the wagon variant, and $171,900 for the coupe.

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