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The Mercedes-Benz GLC offers SUV space, hushed refinement, extremely comfortable ride quality, and an electric powertrain with a driving range of up to 406 miles.
The Mercedes-Benz GLC has been the brand’s most popular model for many years, repeatedly topping the charts worldwide as its best seller. Now there’s a new GLC – the first model in a completely new family of vehicles.
The predecessor of the new Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric was the EQC, which featured a subtle, aerodynamic front grille. Mercedes drivers obviously like big grilles, because the new GLC has gained a huge grille (even though it doesn’t need a grille at all because it’s electric).
Despite this “brand-defining chrome grille” as Mercedes describes it (which is fully illuminated and animated by 942 polycarbonate backlit dots from AMG Line specification upwards), the new GLC is “built electric-first”, as the first model in a completely new vehicle family.
The Mercedes-Benz GLC is officially a mid-size SUV, although at 4,858mm, it’s long. Its wheelbase is 84mm longer than the combustion GLC, resulting in 47mm more legroom for rear passengers.
There’s also a generous boot size of 520 litres (up to the tonneau cover), or 1,690 litres with the rear seats folded. There’s also a 128-litre front trunk (frunk), useful for storing the charging cable. There’s also a large storage space in the upmarket cabin, under the floating centre console.
The new GLC has a 94 kWh (usable capacity) lithium-ion battery with dual electric motors.
Our Mercedes-Benz GLC test car included AIRMATIC Air Suspension and rear-axle steering (up to 4.5 degrees) as part of the optional Refinement Package (which costs £2,500). This resulted in super-comfortable ride quality, an incredibly tight turning circle (reduced by 90 centimetres), and a feeling of agility that shouldn’t be possible in a car weighing 2,655kg.
Combined with another feature – heat and noise insulating acoustic glass – the GLC is even quieter and more refined than most electric cars, which are quiet and refined anyway, resulting in all journeys, and especially long motorway trips, feeling like a luxurious experience.
If you need performance, the GLC has 489 hp of power, 800 Nm of torque, and a 0-62 mph time of 4.3 seconds, along with the traction of ‘4MATIC’ all-wheel drive, but ultimately the GLC is comfort-focused rather being engineered for sharp dynamics.
Unlike most EVs, the GLC has a two-speed transmission, which aims to deliver improved acceleration as well as efficiency. You can feel the transmission changing speed in the Mercedes CLA, but it’s less obvious in the GLC. The front motor can be disconnected to improve efficiency.
The GLC has a physical ‘DYNAMIC Select’ button in the centre console to choose between the drive modes of Eco, Comfort, Sport, Individual and Terrain. There’s a Terrain button in the Apps page on the touchscreen where you can view and adjust different things, including a “transparent bonnet” function which enables a virtual view under the front of the vehicle by combining images from the front camera and the exterior mirror cameras. The ride height can be raised manually, via voice control for the first time.
There are steering wheel-mounted paddles to select between four levels of brake regeneration: Strong, Normal, None, and Intelligent Recuperation. Almost all braking in the new GLC is carried out purely by recuperation, with a new ‘One-Box’ braking system designed to ensure a consistent pedal feel.
The electric GLC is equipped with the MBUX SUPERSCREEN as standard, which combines three separate displays under a large glass surface: a 10.3-inch instrument cluster, 14-inch central display and 14-inch passenger display. From AMG Line Premium specification upwards, the electric GLC is equipped with the all-new 39.1-inch MBUX HYPERSCREEN, the largest display ever fitted to a Mercedes-Benz. There’s also an Augmented Navigation Head-up Display.
The infotainment system features high resolution graphics, with very detailed satnav mapping; the overall system seems slightly less complex than in some previous Mercedes models, which is a good thing. However more shortcut buttons would be helpful; apart from Climate, there are only three main shortcuts buttons, for Home, Vehicle and Apps, with more car controls bundled in the apps screen. A larger Apple Carplay button would also be more user-friendly. The Vehicle button has to be selected to bring up options to switch off the lane departure (and speed) warning.
There are no climate controls for rear occupants, which is unusual in a car costing over £60,000 (or over £70,000 in the case of our test car).
The Mercedes-Benz GLC 400 4MATIC Electric AMG Line Premium Plus has an official WLTP combined electric driving range of 396 miles, although other models can achieve up to 406 miles of range. After a week on test, the GLC’s real-world range averaged 344 miles. Consumption (WLTP) is 3.8 miles/kWh.
The GLC’s 800 volt electric architecture enables an ultra-rapid charging rate of 330 kW which should deliver a 10% to 80% charge in 22 minutes at 800 volt DC charging stations. A DC converter, to enable charging at lower power 400 volt charging stations, is equipped as standard (unlike the Mercedes-Benz CLA; when it was launched it wasn’t possible to use 400 volt charging stations).
AC charging is possible at 11 kW, although a 22 kW AC charging system can be specified.
The GLC has a multi-source heat pump fitted as standard which uses waste heat from the Electric Drive Unit, the battery and ambient air to efficiently heat the interior.
Mercedes says the GLC is “prepared for connection” for bidirectional charging – when connected to a compatible bidirectional DC charging station, it can store solar power and serve as a power supplier for home (V2H) or the power grid (V2G).
The Mercedes-Benz GLC 400 4MATIC Electric AMG Line Premium Plus (that’s a long name) is priced at £70,850. Our test car came with options including Lavender Silver Metallic paint (£750), Refinement Package with AIRMATIC Air Suspension and rear-axle steering (£2,500) and 22 kW AC Charging (£1,000). The total price of our test car was £76,100.
At launch the new electric GLC is offered in GLC 400 4MATIC configuration and is available in five trim levels: Sport, AMG Line, AMG Line Premium, AMG Line Premium Plus and Premier Edition. The GLC 400 4MATIC is available in Sport specification from £60,350.
Equipment fitted as standard to the electric GLC in Sport specification includes the SKY CONTROL Panoramic Roof. Constructed from insulating, laminated safety glass, the glass surface is divided into nine zones that can be switched between transparent and opaque via the touchscreen. For AMG Line Premium Plus and Premier Edition specifications, 162 illuminated stars are integrated into the glass panel, which mimic the selected ambient lighting style and can be dimmed or deactivated.
The Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric offers an extremely comfortable driving experience thanks to the optional AIRMATIC Air Suspension, and with the optional rear-axle steering, it has a feeling of agility that shouldn’t be possible with a weight of 2,655 kg. The heat and noise insulating acoustic glass results in an extremely quiet environment at all times, but especially on motorway journeys. With 489 hp of power, 800 Nm of torque, and a 0-62 mph time of 4.3 seconds, performance is impressive, and the all-wheel drive system means good levels of grip. The range of up to 406 miles is practical, as is the 330 kW charging speed. The GLC looks good on the outside, as long as you’re not affronted by such a huge grille on an electric car. The main downside is that there are lots of mid-size electric SUVs at much lower prices. The Mercedes-Benz GLC is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 9 out of 10.
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Paul Clarke, GreenCarGuide Editor
