Recently, I had the opportunity to drive the 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 in Washington, but this wasn’t your typical vehicle test. I was there to evaluate the new Kumho Crugen GT Pro tires, which are designed specifically for modern crossovers and SUVs, including electrified vehicles.
Drew Phillips
Naturally, the first question was whether putting a new set of tires on an already excellent crossover would actually make a noticeable difference.
The answer was yes, but perhaps not in the way you might expect.
And honestly, that’s a good thing.
Mercedes-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz GLC 300
The GLC 300 sits in the middle of Mercedes-Benz’s crossover lineup, above the GLA and below the GLE. There’s also a GLC Coupe for people who want less cargo space in exchange for looking slightly cooler, because apparently that’s a thing now.
The 2026 GLC 300 uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. It produces 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque and is connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel drive is available, although most buyers will likely choose the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system.
Fuel economy is rated at roughly 26 mpg combined, and properly equipped, the GLC can tow up to 3,500 pounds.
My tester was well equipped and would likely land somewhere around $53,000. That’s not inexpensive, but this is Mercedes-Benz we’re talking about. You don’t exactly walk into the dealership expecting a cheap GLC and a free cup of java.
Drew Phillips
A Really Good Daily Driver
The GLC 300 is exceptionally well suited to everyday driving. I’ve driven three different GLC 300s, and none of them have disappointed. Unlike other Mercedes-Benz products that may have lowered quality, it feels like a proper Mercedes-Benz product.
It’s quiet, comfortable and remarkably easy to maneuver. The ride is supple without becoming floaty, and the compact proportions make it relatively easy to park and fit into a normal garage.
The one thing I don’t particularly like is the steering.
There’s very little steering feel, which means you don’t get much information about what the front tires are doing. I happen to enjoy that kind of communication, but most GLC buyers probably aren’t looking to recreate a weekend at Laguna Seca every time they drive to Starbucks.
For everyday use, the GLC works beautifully.
Inside, Mercedes continues to do what Mercedes does best. The materials are excellent, the seats are comfortable and the overall cabin feels considerably more expensive than many of its competitors.
The MB-Tex upholstery is particularly impressive. It’s essentially Mercedes’ synthetic leather, but it feels remarkably close to the real thing while being durable and easy to live with.
The cabin also gets Mercedes’ 11.9-inch portrait-oriented MBUX touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument display.
It’s a very modern interior without feeling like you’re sitting inside a Best Buy.
Enter the Kumho Crugen GT Pro tire
This is where things get interesting.
Kumho’s new Crugen GT Pro is an all-season grand-touring tire designed for crossovers, SUVs and EVs. It replaces the Crugen HP71 and will eventually be available in 85 sizes covering 16- to 22-inch wheels.
The tire uses several technologies designed to improve traction, longevity and, most importantly in my experience, noise.
There are 3D sipes to help maintain tread-block stability, a flatter profile and wider ribs to promote even contact and wear, and deeper, narrower lateral grooves designed to move water away from the tread.
Then there’s something called K-Noise Defender.
That sounds like something you’d find on a fighter jet, but it’s actually a system designed to reduce resonance noise created as air moves through the tire grooves. It’s groovy. Why? Beause it works.
Quietly Impressive
I drove the GLC 300 on wet surfaces, a high-speed oval and an autocross course. None of those environments revealed any unpleasant surprises. The GLC isn’t a high-performance vehicle, and its traction control system kills hooning, but that’s kind of the point.
The tires felt predictable in the wet, remained composed at higher speeds and provided consistent grip during the more aggressive autocross work.
But the biggest difference I noticed was noise.
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These tires are remarkably quiet.
That’s important because one of the things I’ve noticed with tires designed for long tread life is that there can sometimes be a tradeoff. Harder compounds can last a long time, but they can also become noisy and lose some of that pleasant road feel.
The Crugen GT Pro didn’t seem to suffer from that problem.
The combination of the GLC’s already quiet cabin and the Kumho tires produced an exceptionally refined driving experience. And that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give them.
I didn’t spend the day thinking about the tires.
I spent the day driving the car.
The Competition
The GLC 300 competes against some serious players, including the BMW X3, Porsche Macan, Genesis GV70 and Audi Q5.
The Porsche is the obvious choice if performance is your priority. Personally, I’d probably lean toward the Genesis GV70 because I’m cheap enough to notice when I’m getting more vehicle for my money.
But the Mercedes sits near the top of this class when you consider the entire package. It’s comfortable, quiet, sophisticated, reasonably efficient and genuinely pleasant to drive.
Adding the Crugen GT Pro tires doesn’t transform the GLC into something it wasn’t.
That’s the point.
A good tire should complement the vehicle rather than fundamentally change it.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 is already an excellent luxury crossover. It’s comfortable, refined and easy to live with, even if its steering wheel doesn’t tell you much about what the front tires are doing.
Pairing it with the new Kumho Crugen GT Pro tires turned out to be a very good match.
The tires performed well in wet conditions, remained composed during high-speed driving and handled the demands of an autocross course without drama. Most importantly, they were exceptionally quiet.
That’s something I appreciate more and more.
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I don’t need every tire to turn my crossover into a race car. Sometimes I just want a tire that works, lasts a long time, handles whatever weather I throw at it and doesn’t sound like I’m driving over a swarm of angry bees.
The Crugen GT Pro appears to check those boxes. And when you combine that with the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300, you’ve got a remarkably comfortable, capable and very quiet daily driver.
Sometimes the best tire test is the one where you stop thinking about the tires entirely.
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