Lets introduce this amazing Mercedes. The GLC couldn't have come sooner for Mercedes. While the BMW X3 and Audi Q5 have been flying out of dealerships for years, Mercedes has been left twiddling its thumbs with nothing in the shape of a mid-sized SUV to sell. The GLC takes the best bits from the C-Class and packages them in a practical, luxurious and handsome 4x4 body to produce something that is sure to put a dent in both Audi and BMW's SUV sales. The mid-sized Mercedes SUV is a rare beast on UK roads. Until now, we've only had the massive GL-Class in this country - the old GLK never made it to Britain because of difficulties converting it to right-hand drive. The new GLC attempts to remedy that, though, being a sharper, sleeker and more practical successor. We've been behind the wheel for the first time on UK roads. The GLC we have here is the 250d model, the more powerful of the two diesels on offer. It delivers 201bhp from Mercedes tried-and-tested (some might say elderly) 2.1-litre four-cylinder diesel engine. There's also a cheaper 220d model which makes 168bhp from the same engine, but both cars claim identical economy of 56.5mpg. The 2.1-litre diesel has been popping up in Mercedes' new models for years, and it's often criticised for its lack of refinement. Still, you're far better isolated from the gruff diesel drone here than in a C-Class, for example. That's helped by the standard nine-speed automatic gearbox, which has been installed to maximise fuel economy and minimise engine noise. The transmission does a good job of clawing its way through its nine ratios as quickly as possible - pulling just 1, 500rpm at 70mph. Stab the throttle, and there's a brief pause before the car decides which is the most effective gear for the task in hand, but then it glides smoothly down the road. Its 0-62mph time of 7.6. Body control is very impressive, though. The Mercedes doesn't lean and lurch over on faster bends. The UK receives three diesel engines and one petrol model, the latter in the shape of the AMG GLC 43. The GLC 220d 4MATIC and GLC 250d 4MATIC both use Mercedes's ubiquitous 2143cc, inline four-cylinder turbocharged diesel powerplant. In the 220d it develops 168bhp from 3000 to 4200rpm and 295lb ft between 1400 and 2800rpm. In the 250d, these numbers swell to 201bhp at 3800rpm and a 369lb ft torque peak from 1600 to 1800rpm (though it's safe to assume the 250d makes at least as much torque as the 220d across the lesser engine's wider range. The 250d also sends more power rearwards in normal driving up to 67 per cent). All use Mercedes's latest nine-speed 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission, which varies its cog-swapping attributes depending on the driving mode you've selected in Eco it'll shuffle up to ninth as soon as conditions allow, while Sport and Sport+ hang onto gears for longer and change down earlier. The upshot is an 8.3sec 0-62mph dash for the 220d, 7.6sec for the 250d, 6.2sec for the 350d and a brisk 4.9sec for the AMG. Just Arrived.