Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class Review (2023-present)

What is the Mercedes GLC?

The Mercedes-Benz GLC is a five-seat, mid-sized family SUV that sits between the smaller Mercedes GLA and bigger Mercedes GLE in the German brand’s SUV line-up. Its default rivals are the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60, but the Range Rover Evoque also treads into this premium SUV price territory, as does the Land Rover Defender, Lexus NX, Tesla Model Y, Genesis GV70, Porsche Macan and Jaguar F-Pace.

This is the third generation of the GLC and, while the styling upgrades are subtle, the improvements and changes to the oily bits are much more significant.

It sits on a heavily updated version of the ‘Rear Modular Platform’ that underpinned the previous generation of the GLC, which has been increased in length and rigidity, and is now able to take mild-hybrid electrics. All of that means that the new GLC is 60mm longer than its predecessor, giving better interior space, and it’s being offered with three 48V mild-hybrid powertrains (MHEVs) – two 2.0-litre diesels and one 2.0-litre petrol – and a couple of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). Those PHEVs also have one of the longest electric ranges of any plug-in hybrid, with a remarkable WLTP combined electric range of up to 80 miles, courtesy of a 31.2kWh lithium-ion battery. Not only that, but you can also get the Mercedes GLC plug-in hybrid with a diesel engine or a petrol engine, making Mercedes the last of the manufacturers to offer a super-efficient diesel plug-in hybrid.

If you want a plug-in hybrid that focuses more on performance than economy, the GLC has you covered. The GLC 63 S E Performance variant has a 2.0-litre petrol engine combined with an electric motor to deliver a combined 670bhp, although it has an all-electric range of just seven miles. If that's a bit too powerful for you, the GLC 43 mild hybrid version has a more 'sensible' 415bhp.

How practical is it?

The Mercedes GLC is a really spacious, seriously classy SUV. The perceived quality and general ambience that you get in the front is one of the biggest selling points, with a really lovely combination of tactile materials and contrasting finishes. Even with such high standards as those set by Audi, BMW, Volvo and Lexus, the Mercedes GLC is one of the best in its class for interior design and material finish.

It's spacious, too, with plenty of cubbies and a driver’s seat that offers plenty of side support and electric adjustment with four-way lumbar support on every model. Any shape or size of driver will be able to get comfortable behind the steering wheel, and the fairly high-set, classic SUV position and decent visibility are also likely to please most buyers.

There’s also masses of headroom and legroom in the back seats, so two tall adults will be fine, although the centre seat squab is narrower and firmer than those either side, so if you want to seat three regularly, you may be better with the Mercedes GLB or Land Rover Discovery Sport seven-seaters, or with a used, full-size seven-seater SUV such as the Volvo XC90.

Boot space in the MHEV mild-hybrid GLC SUV models is good, with a capacity of between 600- and 620-litres depending on the spec of the car, which in either case is bigger than its key rivals. However, the air suspension and big battery in the GLC PHEVs eat up a lot of boot space, leaving a high boot floor, no underfloor storage for your cables and a capacity of 470 litres. The Coupe version has boot space of up to 545 litres in the mild hybrids, but again, that drops in the PHEVs, this time to just 390 litres.

What’s it like to drive?

The PHEV GLCs are arguably the most appealing of the mainstream powertrains on paper. The Mercedes GLC 300 e petrol plug-in hybrid gets a 201bhp, 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and a 134bhp electric motor for a combined power output of 308bhp.

The diesel Mercedes GLC 300de PHEV gets the same electric motor and battery, but paired to a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine for a total power output of 328bhp, giving both of the plug-in GLCs a 0-62mph time of well under 7.0sec.

Non plug-in options include the GLC 220d and 300d diesels, both of which have a 2.0-litre turbocharged mild-hybrid diesel engine with 194- or 266bhp, respectively. The mild hybrid 2.0-litre petrol engine in the GLC 300 develops 255bhp.

Every Mercedes GLC also comes with 4Matic four-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

The first GLC we drove was the Mercedes GLC 300 e petrol plug-in hybrid, and it truly is lovely to drive, especially in electric mode. Naturally, you get all the drive modes you want including an automatic mode that shuffles between petrol or electric as the car sees fit depending on how it’s being driven (and it’ll also take into account your nav route if you have one programmed in). You can also choose to manually select pure electric driving, or to save your battery charge for later in the route: a good plan if you want to get the best efficiency and save your battery power for slower roads where it’s most efficient, and run the petrol engine on the motorway where it’s most economical.

With the petrol engine off, refinement is brilliant and there’s a pleasant, uninterrupted stream of power that’s easy to modulate. More than that, you can very happily get up to motorway speeds without waking the petrol engine, and then you’ve got that class-leading electric range to get you as far as possible on battery power alone. When it does get involved, the petrol engine helps to deliver fun, hearty acceleration and also settles to a quiet thrum when you want it to. However, it can be a bit noisy when you accelerate, and throttle response as the car flicks from pure electric to hybrid power is a bit inconsistent. The same can be said of the brake response, which can make it a bit tricky to stop smoothly.

The biggest downside with the plug-in hybrid GLCs is their weight. Inevitably, a big battery and a combustion engine makes for a circa 2.3-2.4 tonne kerbweight, while the rest of the range comes in at more like 2.0-tonnes. That does show in the hefty body lean of the GLC 300e in sharper direction changes, but at least the steering feels direct enough and has an intuitive build of weight so it’s still satisfying enough on a decent road. The Audi Q5 and BMW X3 are both sportier-feeling SUVs, though, if that’s a priority for you.

Ride comfort is acceptable, if a bit lumpy at low speeds, but things level out more the faster you go. And that's despite the plug-in hybrid 300e and 300de having standard self-levelling rear air suspension, while the rest of the GLC models aren’t available with air suspension.

The only other version of the GLC we've driven is the 200d, and it takes on a familiar character despite the mechanical differences underneath, with a slightly lumpy low-speed ride that gets better with speed, and reasonably neat handling. The diesel engine stay smooth and pretty quiet unless you really extend it, which you won't often have to thanks to its ample low-and mid-range muscle. However, the automatic gearbox can feel a little slow to react, especially when you ask for a sudden burst of pace.

We haven't driven either of the high-performance variants yet, the GLC 43 with its 415bhp output, or the GLC 63 S E Perfomance, with its 670bhp plug-in hybrid powertrain. The performance figures are pretty terrifying, though, especially on the latter.

Technology, equipment and infotainment

When it comes to equipment in the GLC, you get everything that you’re likely to want in the basic AMG Line model, including 19-inch alloys, LED lights, ambient lighting, heated seats, wireless charging, powered tailgate and more. Most will choose to step up to AMG Line Premium as it gets memory seats, matrix digital LED lights, 20-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, 360-degree parking camera, blind spot warning, traffic sign recognition and more. Top-spec AMG Line Premium Plus adds the panoramic glass roof, four-zone climate control, a Burmester sound system and head-up display, amongst other style tweaks and upgrades.

All trim levels get old-fashioned cruise control, speed limiter, lane-departure warning and good crash safety as standard in the GLC, but you have to add the optional Driving Assistance Package Plus pack to get adaptive cruise control and the company’s semi-autonomous driving mode. All the more frustrating, as it’s only available on the pricey, top-spec AMG Line Premium Plus.

Every Mercedes GLC SUV comes complete with an 11.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and while the MBUX interface needs familiarisation to get used to where some of the functions and menus are, it doesn’t take long to get to grips with it. We’d say that BMW’s rotary controller is easier to use while driving, but the graphics, screen response and also the voice control are all very good in the Mercedes. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is an in-built native nav system and online function for music streaming, so you’ve got all the features that you want.

Mercedes GLC running costs

The Mercedes GLC is not a cheap car even by the standards of its nemeses, the Audi Q5 and BMW X3, which cost thousands less, and there’s an even bigger disparity between the plug-in hybrid prices. The Mercedes does justify this in some respects by being well equipped; you’ll have to go for a top-spec Audi Q5 to get a head-up display, while that’s included on a mid-spec GLC, for instance, so if you are looking at this class of car then give some thought to which of the expensive tech features you value most before you analyse which model will suit you best and offer the best value. Having such a long electric range on the Mercedes PHEVs also helps to justify their prices.

The GLC also, historically, holds onto its value well on the used market. But, even with all of this taken into account, the GLC stacks up as a pricey option whether you’re buying on PCP finance, lease, cash or otherwise.

The PHEVs do make a very persuasive case for themselves as company cars, since Benefit in Kind tax bands are based on emissions and electric range, and the Merc is one of the only PHEVs in this class that falls into band 6 rather than band 9, meaning that you pay tax on a usefully smaller percentage of the car’s price (and benefit from cheaper fuel costs if you stick to electric power most of the time).

Fuel economy is competitive on the Mercedes GLC. Both of the diesel engines manage up to 51 mpg combined, in WLTP government tests (we’d expect more like 40-45mpg in average real-world use). The petrol GLC 300 4Matic returns 37 mpg, while the PHEVs both return stratospheric mpg figures that you’re best off ignoring. Rather, consider whether you can cover most of your mileage on electric power alone, which will be cheaper - likely around 13-15p per mile if fuelled on a normal domestic tariff, or as little as 3p per mile if you can access cheap off-peak electricity (or free charging at your work place is always a huge bonus). That’s compared with some 17-25p per mile for the mild hybrid diesel or petrol models.

Insurance groups come in at between 40 and 50 across the Mercedes GLC range, which is on a par with its rivals.

Mercedes GLC reliability?

This third-generation Mercedes GLC is substantially changed underneath, but it's similar enough that in the latest version of the What Car? Reliability Survey, both iterations were considered together. Happily, the GLC topped its class (of 15 models) overall for reliability, and come out as Merc's second most reliable model, after the A-Class. Mercedes' performance as a manufacturer wasn't quite so hot, though, placing in 22nd spot out of 31 carmakers.

Mercedes offers a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and roadside assistance on all of its new cars, which can also be extended for an additional cost. The high voltage plug-in hybrid battery is covered for six years and 62,000 miles, which is a bit less than many PHEV rivals.

Overall, the Mercedes is competitive in terms of warranty, although Genesis offers five years warranty and free servicing, while Lexus gives an industry leading ten-year warranty provided you service the car at a Lexus dealership when required.