New BMW X3 30 Vs Mercedes-Benz GLC 300: Midsize Luxury SUV Faceoff

Luxury car sales have been on the up and up in recent years, and both BMW and Mercedes have continued to post best-ever numbers. The same was true for CY2025 as well, though there was one key difference: BMW closed the gap to Mercedes-Benz, which continues to stand at the top.

Also read: BMW X3 xDrive30 M Sport Pro Launched In India At Rs 74.50 Lakh

In Mercedes’ range, one of its key sellers has been the second-gen GLC, which hit Indian markets in 2023 and has so far fended off the competition. But it has a challenger from Bavaria, the new BMW X3. Launched in India in 2025, the new X3 takes some notable steps up over its predecessor and in its latest petrol 30 xDrive spec, it has the firepower and poise to match the GLC 300 4Matic.

So, is the GLC still the king of the roost, or is the BMW the new king?

Styling

In the looks department, the new X3 certainly stands out from the rest of BMW’s SUV range - even from the all-new iX3 unveiled last year. The large kidney grille is partially enclosed, and in this 30 xDrive, it gets a black surround compared to the lower variant’s chrome finish. The headlamps with its twin L-shaped daytime running lamps too are unique to the X3. These design elements give the X3 a sense of individuality over the remainder of the BMW range, with future models and facelifts now set to borrow the Neue Klasse design brought in by the iX3 - so until this gets a facelift, you get a very distinctive BMW SUV - at least at the front.

Also read: BMW X3 30 xDrive M Sport Review: The Driver’s SUV Returns

X3's design is unique compared to other new BMWs and is expected to remain unique with future models set to adopt the Neue Klasse design from the new iX3.

At the rear, it's pretty much a BMW SUV with the familiar tail lamp design also seen on some of its larger siblings. Unique to the X3 30 xDrive are the large 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in some serious rubber - 255/45 up front and 285/40 at the rear. The contrasting red brake callipers and the shadowline treatment (smoked finish) to the exterior lights add to the SUV’s sporty appeal.

The rear gets the BMW family design cues with the X-shaped tail lamp design theme.

Also read: BMW X3 20d Review: Is It A Better Buy Than The GLC?

The GLC, despite being on sale since 2023, still looks like a well-proportioned and good-looking compact luxury SUV. The C-class family design is evident in the shape of the headlamp and grille, and even the bumper gives off a passing resemblance. Move towards the back, and the design follows the Mercedes SUV design template seen on the GLA and GLE as well, and all in all, it is very staid. However, having a ‘boring design’ isn’t really a bad thing, as we all know, it's often the boring vehicles that continue to look good even years later and the same holds true for the GLC.

GLC show's its family design influence up front - bearing a passing resemblance to the C-class sedan from the front

Interior

As we saw in the X3 20d we drove last year, the 30 also gets the new-gen BMW interior with its minimalist design theme and wide screen display housing a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 14.9-inch touchscreen - the nerve centre for a majority of the in-car functions. Physical switches are again minimal, and the majority of the physical buttons visible on the centre console and dashboard lead you to menus on the touchscreen. The crystal element below the touchscreen adds some pizzazz to the design, while the leather dashboard and door inserts - replacing the knitted finish surfaces of the xDrive20 - give it an upmarket touch.

Big change to the X3 30 over the lower 20 models is the leather dash top and door cards compared to the latter's knitted material finish.

If you thought the GLC bore a passing resemblance to the C-class sedan on the exterior, the interior feels like a dead lift straight from the sedan. You get a mix of leather, wood, carbonfibre and metallic inserts with high-set turbine-style air con vents and an 11.9-inch portrait-style touchscreen flowing into the console between the seats. As with the BMW, physical controls are at a minimum on the centre console while elements such as the cupholders and wireless phone charger are tucked away in the storage cubby between the two seats.

Also read: Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 Review: Is The New One The Best Midsized Luxury SUV In India?

GLC gets the “last-gen” Mercedes-Benz cabin mixing leather, wood and metal trim, and the material quality is very nice; Yes! its straight from the current C-class, but it's got a bit of old school luxury charm too.

Overall, the GLC’s cabin has the flashier design, with materials used also feeling quite sturdy. The blend of wood and metal finish adds a touch of old-world luxury to the cabin. Material quality is good, with a lot of surfaces covered by leather, and a few plastic bits are immediately visible. That said, squeeze any trim panel on the centre console and you are likely to hear a squeak or two - not something you’d like in a luxury SUV.

BMW's cabin, too, makes use of good quality materials for the most part; front seats are nice and supportive and hold you in place while cornering.

The BMW, too, uses good-quality materials in most places, though some plastics feel low rent. Another gripe with the BMW’s cabin is the, in my opinion, over-reliance on touch-based functions. A majority of the in-car functions are through the central touchscreen, with physical buttons on the centre console often acting as just shortcut keys. Additionally, the air-con vents now have to be adjusted via small tabs located near the vents, as opposed to tabs built into the vent, which feels fiddly. Additionally, opening and closing the vents are now via touch-based controls, which requires you to swipe your finger on the control panel. The crystal element on the centre console houses the touch panel for the central vents, while the side vents are controlled via the silver plastic panel on the front doors - very gimmicky.

Some plastics in the BMW, however, feel low-rent; the touch panel to open & shut the air-con vents - swipe between 1 and 0 - feels gimmicky - it's for all the front air-con vents

As for the seating, both cars get leather upholstery as standard, though it's the BMW’s front seats that feel a little bit more supportive and hold you in place better when driving enthusiastically. The Mercedes’ seats feature softer padding and are catered more for comfort and cruising than enthusiastic cornering, but that doesn’t detract from how comfortable they are.

Also read: Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric Makes Global Debut With Up To 713 KM Range

BMW has the roomier rear seat though rear passengers may not like the stiffer padding.

Moving to the rear, the BMW offers a more spacious back seat with ample room under the front seats as well to tuck your feet in. Underthigh support, thus, is slightly better than the GLC, though the stiffer padding does make it a bit uncomfortable for longer stints. The GLC doesn’t offer the same rear seat space - knee room is tighter - though the softer padding means that you’ll be more comfortable over long distances.

GLC's rear seats are slightly tighter in the knee room department, though softer padding does make it feel more comfortable.

Features

Going by the features, it's anyone’s game with both SUVs offering a myriad of similar features. Both get 12.3-inch digital instrument clusters, ADAS features, power-adjustable front seats with ventilation, drive seat memory function, drive modes, a powered tailgate, panoramic sunroof (glass roof in case of the BMW), wireless charging pad and more. Where the BMW sets itself apart is with its larger 14.9-inch touchscreen compared to the Merc’s 11.9-inch unit, adaptive dampers, and a third climate zone for the rear seat passengers.

(Clockwise) The X3 gets a dedicated rear climate zone, AC vent adjustments are controlled via the tabs on the side; fixed panoramic glass roof; front seats are power adjustable and ventilated; some buttons on the centre console are just shortcuts to on-screen menus.

The Mercedes, on the other hand, offers some additional comfort features in the form of power-adjustable underthigh support for the front seats - manual on the BMW, a power-adjustable steering column, heated front seats and a memory function for the drive & co-driver’s seats. So all in all, the GLC still has the edge in features.

(Clockwise) GLC front seats are power adjustable - including for underthigh support, heated and ventilated; panoramic sunroof is a nice touch, though the cover could be better; metal finish to the speaker grates a premium touch - it's a Burmester 3D system as well; steering column is power adjustable - nice!

Powertrain and Dynamics

As mentioned above, the big change to the X3 30 is the engine, which now develops 255 bhp and 400 Nm - up from 187 bhp & 310 Nm. This puts it neck and neck with the GLC 300, and it shows in terms of outright performance. The X3 is almost just as quick off the line as the GLC - it’s 0.1 second slower to 100 kmph than the Mercedes in terms of claimed time.

On paper, the GLC and X3 make nearly identical power, with the latter just 0.1 sec slower to 100 kmph; in the real world, you barely notice any difference in performance.

In real-world applications, it launches just as hard as the Mercedes, though its mix of adaptive dampers and wider tyres means that it's happier at the limit than the Mercedes. Put it through the corners and the BMW can carry some serious pace before the tyres even start squealing, and its composed ride and responsive steering - which offers good feedback - means that it just eggs you on to drive it harder. The uprated 2.0-litre four-pot is refined even as the RPMs pick up and is all too happy to sit on the higher end of the rev range. Additionally, the 8-speed automatic gearbox is almost always on point with its shifts - smooth during regular driving and not afraid to hold gears under hard acceleration.

The X3 30 adopts BMW's ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’ ethos and is one of the most dynamic packages in the segment; 2.0-litre turbo-petrol is also very refined even at high rpms.

The GLC, in comparison, is softer and clearly engineered to offer increased occupant comfort rather than being an outright driver’s machine. Drive it aggressively, and you feel the body roll in the corners, with the tyres squealing if you push hard. The steering also feels decidedly more wooden in the hand, with minimal feedback coming through, and the GLC does, on occasion, feel squirrelly when pushed hard through the corners. The Mercedes’ 9-speed automatic, too, is smooth and willing to hold onto gears in sports mode and, from an everyday standpoint, offers little to complain of.

Mercedes is quick as well, though its more comfort-oriented nature becomes apparent when pushed hard; more body roll during hard cornering.

In a straight line, the GLC is just as composed as the BMW and is happy to hold triple-digit speeds, though the engine feels just that little bit coarser than its German compatriot.

X3 gets adaptive dampers, which help keep body roll in check; 255/45 and 285/40 section front & rear tyres continue to offer grip during hard cornering, while the Mercedes' tyres start to squeal.

The GLC’s softer suspension, smaller 19-inch wheels and fatter 235/60 section tyres mean that it rounds out bumps better than the BMW, which can be a notable deciding factor for someone wanting a car to be driven around in rather than be the driver.

Verdict

Coming down to it, while the GLC 300 and X3 30 do sit as direct rivals in the midsize luxury SUV market, they follow differing ethos. The X3 30 looks to have embraced BMW’s long-standing philosophy of ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’ by offering one of the most dynamic packages in that segment in India - we’re not going into performance SUVs - and one that will reward those wanting to enjoy an SUV that can carve corners with gusto. The cabin is spacious, and the front seats are very supportive and hold you in place nicely to really enjoy the powerful powertrain, though the rear seat comfort is slightly compromised by the hard seat padding and slightly upright backrest.

The X3 30 is the SUV that will appeal chiefly to the self-driven and those who appreciate a SUV designed to carve through the hills akin to a sports car.

The GLC, meanwhile, offers more restrained styling and a greater focus on comfort, though it's not afraid to lift its skirt and run should you plant your foot down. Yes, as things stand, the GLC’s cabin follows the ‘last-gen’ design with the new GLC EV on sale in global markets, previewing what the cabin could look like following its impending facelift in global markets. That said, the mix of leather, wood, carbon fibre and metallic trim still feels special, and in the latest trend of MBUX Superscreens and full glass dashboard fascias still offers that feel of a traditional luxury vehicle over the newer tech-heavy minimalism designs. The GLC also gets the softer padded seats, which does make the rear seats feel a bit more comfortable, though it's slightly tighter on space than the BMW.

The GLC is no slouch off the line either, though its more comfort-oriented nature will make it the vehicle of choice for the chauffeur-driven.

As things stand, you still cannot go wrong with the GLC. Yes, it might not be as dynamic as the BMW, and slightly down on cabin space, but it still ticks all the right boxes. It is comfy, can cruise on highways with ease, there’s ample power to really get a move on, and more importantly, there’s still some of that old-world charm to the now ‘ last-gen’ interior. The BMW, meanwhile, puts a greater priority on driving dynamics and in today’s Indian market, where buyers prefer to be chauffeur-driven, it’s just a notch down on the Mercedes in rear seat comfort, and the ride lacks that hint of suppleness.

On the flip side, find a good set of twisties and the BMW will reward you with a driving experience akin to some sports cars with its poise, sharp steering and the level of grip on offer from those wide tyres.

In terms of pricing, there is not much that puts the two SUVs apart. The GLC 300 is priced at Rs 73.97 lakh (ex-showroom) while the new X3 30 will set you back Rs 74.50 lakh (ex-showroom) - pretty much neck and neck. Sure, you do get a more affordable alternative with the X3 20 priced at Rs 72.50 lakh - about Rs 1.5 lakh less than the GLC, though the woven-texture dashtop and door inserts detract from the luxury car experience, and it doesn’t quite match up in terms of performance.