People want really fast SUVs and companies rush to deliver on their wishes, with the new Mercedes AMG GLC 63 S Coupe being a genuine child of the current market trends.

Under the bonnet you’ll find the familiar twin-turbo AMG 4.0-liter V8 that produces either 469hp if you go for the non-S model or 503hp in the S. In fact, the Mercedes AMG GLC 63 models are the only ones in their class to offer an eight-cylinder engine.

The thunderous engine sends its power to all four wheels via the AMG Speedshift nine-speed automatic gearbox. This enables the GLC 63 S Coupe to hit 60mph from a standstill in 3.8 seconds but at the hands of Edmunds it managed to do it in 3.5 seconds and deal with the quarter mile in 11.7 seconds. To give you a comparison, Edmunds timed an AMG GT-R from zero to 60mph in 3.6 seconds.

So, the hottest GLC is ridiculously fast on a straight line. The fact that it’s so easy to extract that performance makes it even more impressive.

Mercedes-AMG has also made changes to the chassis, as you would expect. The GLC 63 comes with a new AMG air suspension, special steering knuckles and optimized elastokinematics and radial brake connections that help it bite harder during the turn-in. In addition, the rear axle was lifted straight out of the E63 AMG, featuring a mechanical limited-slip differential in “base” models and an electronic one in the S versions.