Mercedes GLC 200 - a GLC 250 4Matic on the budget

At times of dire economic situation with rising cost of living rearing its ugly head, it is perfectly understandable to adopt a pragmatic approach to keep expenditure to a minimum. The ideology comes in handy if you're currently shopping around for a new car. It may be tempting to put the money down on posher stuff, but you can't have everything in life. Want to keep your bank account happy? Then some sacrifices are to be made.

Retailing at RM288,888 (OTR without insurance), the recently launched Mercedes Benz GLC 200 saves you RM37,000 over the GLC 250 4Matic AMG Line and more importantly, keeps you from draining an extra RM250,000 over the hardline AMG GLC 43 4Matic. As you may have guessed from the variant name, the cheaper variant makes do without the proprietary all wheel drive, the 2.0 litre M274 turbo 4 pot feeding its 184 hp and 300 Nm grunt exclusively to the rear wheels mediated by the Tristar's 9 speed 9G-Tronic automatic transmission.

Personally, I wouldn't mind the removal of all wheel drive as it makes the compact SUV mechanically simpler. With less parts to worry about, maintenance should be less of a chore financial wise.

The minimalistic approach also divests the AMG Line styling kit that graces the GLC 250 4Matic, so outgoes accoutrements such as 20-inch AMG multispoke wheel, in its stead a 19-inch five-spoke wheel that wraps around a 235/55 run-flat tyres. Other than that, other sacrificial kit includes perforated front disc brakes, panoramic sunroof, AMG sports suspension and surround view camera. 

Though life outside seems dearth of knick-knack, life inside is quite a different story. There is still abundance of luxury, with the freestanding touch screen display taking centre stage and a healthy dose of leather upholstery. The GLC 200 makes do without flat-bottomed steering wheel as found in the more expensive GLC 250 4Matic and a brown wooden centre console trim instead of dark in the latter.  

Despite being an on the budget SUV, Mercedes still retains rear air-con vents, Thermotronic triple-zone auto climate control, reverse camera and powered front seats with lumbar support.