Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric (2022 - )

The GLC has long been Mercedes-Benz’s SUV poster boy, and it continues to top the charts as the German marque’s best-selling model range. Now, the GLC enters a new period with its first fully electric version.

Built from the get-go as a battery-electric SUV, this GLC showcases Mercedes-Benz’s latest technology. It has robust performance, notable driving range, rapid charging capability, and value-added efficiency, while maintaining the practicality and comfort elements that have made the GLC the darling of families and business drivers alike.

Our motoring journalist Tim Barnes-Clay got behind the wheel during a media drive to find out whether this Merc lives up to the hype.
 

The GLC 400 4MATIC AMG Line Premium Plus electric is the model I had on test - and it feels as bang on as you'd hope a modern Mercedes-Benz SUV should. The substantial travel in both the seats and steering wheel makes it a stroll in the park to find a comfortable driving position, and, unsurprisingly, the all-electric car is smooth, quiet and refined, with wind roar and tyre roar kept to a minimum. Plus, there's enough poke beneath your size 11 to remind you this isn't just another sensible EV.
The dual-motor setup gathers pace with real conviction, making overtaking slower traffic feel almost as easy as taking candy from a baby. Zero to 62mph in the car on test takes 4.3 seconds and the maximum speed is 130mph. Yet the clout is never ‘shouty’. Instead, the Merc delivers it with the sort of privately educated schoolboy confidence that suits the GLC's posh character.

Around town, the electric GLC is exceptionally impressive. The steering is light enough to make pothole-peppered tight streets and overly small car parks stress-free, while the excellent visibility and high driving position inspire confidence in traffic. It feels very wieldy for an SUV of this size.

Out on faster rural roads, the AMG Line Premium Plus strikes a satisfying balance between comfort and control, and its regenerative braking is well judged. A BMW iX3 is sharper to drive, but the competitor brand always puts greater emphasis on driving dynamics - and perhaps less on relaxation. 
Therefore, it’s no shocker that the Merc’s suspension does a good job of absorbing battered bitumen, giving the German whip a composed, relaxing, almost wafting ride. Additionally, body roll is kept well in check through bends, so the GLC never feels ungainly.
 

On the styling front, Mercedes-Benz hasn’t reinvented its popular SUV. Instead, the all-electric GLC takes the comfortingly familiar proportions of the petrol and hybrid model and gives them a more modern identity that feels right for the EV era.

The biggest alteration is the front end. The GLC grille has evolved into a piece of high-tech artwork. A broad chrome surround frames the grille, while a smoked-glass-effect mesh and integrated contour lighting give it a state-of-the-art edge. For those wanting even more visual theatre, an optional illuminated version adds 942 backlit polycarbonate elements that create a pixel-style light signature. This graphic can even be animated, bringing the Merc to life.

Slim LED headlights, complete with the marque’s star-inspired daytime running lights, give the SUV an unquestionably Mercedes look. Large alloy rollers of up to 21 inches, sculpted wheel arches and flush-fitting door handles create a burly stance while also boosting aerodynamics. Despite its fairly erect SUV shape, the electric GLC achieves a drag coefficient of just 0.26, helping increase efficiency and range.

Around the back, Mercedes-Benz continues the star theme with two-piece LED tail lights featuring lit stellar motifs.

Inside, the GLC's cabin is both minimalist and richly detailed. The dashboard runs into the centre console, while quality materials and sophisticated trim pieces give the interior a truly high-end feel.

The optional MBUX Hyperscreen is the centrepiece. Stretching almost the full width of the dashboard, the 39.1-inch glass display combines the driver's instruments, infotainment system and passenger screen into one dramatic digital panel. Even cars without the Hyperscreen get Mercedes' MBUX Superscreen setup with crisp graphics and quick responses.

Technology goes beyond the displays. Customisable ambient lighting floods across the dashboard, doors and centre console, with hues that change alongside climate control settings and interior themes.

Practicality hasn't been kicked to the kerb, either. Mercedes-Benz has redesigned the centre console to include separate wireless charging areas and cupholders, plus physical shortcut buttons for key functions.

Small details emphasise the quality feel, from exquisitely finished speaker grilles to redesigned intuitive electric seat controls. The result is a cabin that feels every bit as progressive as the electric powertrain beneath it.
 

The latest GLC combines a spacious cabin with the comfort expected of a five-up premium SUV. 
Its 84mm-longer wheelbase creates more tangible room inside, with an extra 13mm of front legroom and 46mm of headroom. Occupants in the back get the biggest slice of the pie, gaining 47mm of additional legroom and 17mm of extra headroom. Indeed, at 5ft 11, I had ample legroom behind my own driving position. 
The electric GLC also offers oodles of flexibility for carrying luggage. The boot boasts 570 litres of cargo capacity, rising to 1,740 litres with the rear seats folded. That means you can fit anything from a couple of bikes with the wheels off to long boxes from DIY stores or a stack of large airport suitcases. 
There is even a 128-litre frunk beneath the bonnet, providing useful extra space for charging cables, smaller bags, or other items, like dirty wellies, that you want to keep out of the main luggage area. 
 

Running costs are an area where the electric GLC makes a strong case. With zero CO2 emissions, it offers all the tax benefits of a fully electric vehicle. Certainly, my GLC 400 4MATIC AMG Line Premium Plus electric’s 396-mile range will make regular long-distance trips less anxiety-ridden. In the real world, you're likely to get more like 325 to 350 miles, but that's about as good as many petrol cars.

Charging is also quick. Using a 330kW DC rapid charger, the Merc's battery will fill from 10 to 80 per cent in just 22 minutes, so you can add a lot of range in a little more than a loo break and a coffee. At home, an 11kW AC connection takes around 10 hours for a full charge, which is perfect for overnight charging - or maybe you can charge up at work if you're in the office that long. Mind you, most people have a 7.4kW domestic wallbox, so charging 0% to 100% on these takes more like up to 15 hours.
 

The Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric - often, by the way, referred to as the GLC EQ- retains the comfort, practicality and premium appeal that have made the GLC such a popular kid on the block, while adding the instant performance and relatively low running costs of electric propulsion. I use the word 'relatively' because if you only ever charge on the move at DC rapid chargers, you'll find it’s not that cheap. Power up at home or work though - and you're on to a winner. That goes for all EVs.

The GLC 400 4MATIC AMG Line Premium Plus I drove is quick without being silly, very quiet and easy to manoeuvre for something this substantial. There is a lot of room for a family of five - or a bunch of execs - and their luggage, while the high-tech cabin gives the Merc an appropriately futuristic feel without being daft about it. 

The 396-mile official range is very notable, too, and even a more realistic 325 to 350 miles should be enough for most motorists. That is like driving from Norwich to the Scottish Borders.

Like any car, the Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric isn't perfect. What is? But if I were to nitpick, I'd say the amount of technology will take some getting used to, and this GLC isn't the cheapest SUV on the market. My test car had a price tag of £76,035! 

But if you're image-conscious and after a classy EV that can do it all, this Merc is utterly compelling.