2017-2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC Rated IIHS Top Safety Pick+

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded its highest honor, the Top Safety Pick+ designation, to the 2017 and 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class crossover. However, the ratings vary depending on the crossover's configuration.

The GLC-Class crossover received a "Good" rating in all five of the IIHS crash tests, and an "Advanced" rating for both its standard and optional pre-collision warning and braking. The pre-collision systems in particular were able to avoid simulated crashes at 12 and 25 miles per hour. Base models of the GLC300, however, with halogen headlights, scored only "Marginal" in the newest test for lighting. Models with LED head- and taillights received an "Acceptable" headlight rating, while only the GLC300 fitted with the Advanced Lighting package – which includes adaptive headlights that turn when the vehicle corners – scored "Good" in the test.

Although the GLC-Class launched in 2015 as a 2016 model, this was the first time the IIHS had tested the vehicle. It replaced the Mercedes GLK-Class, which also received a "Good" score in crash ratings and "Superior" for pre-collision technology for the 2015 model year in IIHS testing. Mercedes says that although the GLC is as much as 110 pounds lighter than the GLK, its blend of high-strength steels and aluminum help construct, "an even more rigid passenger safety compartment."

Mercedes currently has two other cars that received Top Safety Pick+ commendations from the IIHS: the GLE-Class crossover and E-Class sedan. The 2017 C-Class only received the regular Top Safety Pick award because its headlights were rated "Poor."

The GLC-Class is an important pillar of the Mercedes lineup in the U.S., accounting for nearly 12 percent of the company's sales thus far in 2017 – making it the second best-selling Mercedes SUV here, after the larger GLE. Prices start at $40,050 (before destination) for the GLC300, climbing to $42,050 for the GLC300 4Matic and to $56,250 for the high-performance Mercedes-AMG GLC43 variant.