Review
Mercedes-Benz GLC 300e review: The price of progress here seems a tad too high
This plug-in hybrid family SUV has a decent electric range and good performance, but £72,000 is a lot to pay for a few tax breaks
The second generation of Mercedes-Benz’s bestselling GLC family SUV was launched earlier this year, and we quite liked it. Bigger and more capable than the outgoing model, it was expensive and a bit blingy in places, but the main bugbear was the way the UK importers nickel-and-dimed the deal.
So, where the cars on the international launch were fitted with sensible extras such as air suspension, which helped assuage the height and weight of this big and heavy SUV in plug-in hybrid form, the UK would only get steel suspension that was choppy and stiff.
At the time, we pointed out that even though the air suspension would be a significant extra cost, it would be coming on top of what was already an expensive vehicle selling to well-heeled folk. Moreover, it made a huge difference to the ride and handling, so seemed like a worthwhile addition.
Wow, does Mercedes UK read The Daily Telegraph? Not sure, and I suspect even its UK marketing department couldn’t fail to see the blindingly obvious, which was that they needed to make the best presentation of their most popular model, especially in the tax-friendly, plug-in hybrid form.
So, after a brief drive in the Spanish Pyrenees, we’ve had another shot at the latest GLC 300 e 4Matic in AMG line Premium Plus form, with air suspension on the multi-link independent rear suspension.
Tax swizz
On paper, this plug-in hybrid GLC looks like a genuine improvement over what went before. There’s more interior space, a larger boot, more standard equipment and a longer, class-leading all-electric range of 80 miles.
There’s a catch, though, as the EV range is quoted in the Equivalent All-Electric Range (EAER) measure. Notwithstanding the unrealistic PHEV tests that give such inflated fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures (this car has quoted figures of 565mpg and 12g/km), as we explained earlier this year, EAER is a derivative measure containing an “efficiency” supplement that, like the mpg and CO2 figures, you’d never be able to match in real life.
EAER has, however, been accepted by His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs as an eligible measure for benefit-in-kind (BiK) tax calculations.
It would be wrong to single out Mercedes-Benz here, since everyone is doing it. But these EAER electric-range claims, along with the unrealistic fuel economy and CO2 claims, plus the generous tax benefits and the write-down allowances allocated to business users, make them seem like… Well, a bit of a swizz.
An illustration is a comparison of the BiK rates on the top and bottom models in the new GLC range. The GLC 220 d, with a fine and economical 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine, delivers a combined WLTP fuel consumption of 47.9mpg and CO2 emissions of 156g/km.
BiK tax on that £51,855 car would be based on 36 per cent of the car’s P11D value. Whereas the BiK on this model, with its P11D value of £72,155, and based on its CO2 of 12g/km and 80-mile EAER, works out at just 5 per cent. Hmm…
Walk around
Walk up to the new GLC and it’s an imposing piece of kit, with a large bonnet bulge and steep sides. It’s not a great looker, but quite understated apart from the body adornment, which seems crass.
That huge grille with the enormous Mercedes badge, the running strips and the chromium under-plate on the rear valance shouldn’t really be there, and I’m not convinced about the fancy exhaust snaps, either (since when did exhaust pipes stop being round?), though the huge sunroof gives light and air to the long cabin.
It’s 4,716mm long, runs on ginormous 20-inch wheels and weighs 2.36 tonnes, and counts cars such as the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 among its rivals. It also rides on a new four-link front suspension and multi-link with air suspension at the rear, which is standard on the plug-in hybrid models.
A more powerful 400 e model is available on continental markets, but in the UK, until the arrival of the full AMG 63 model, the 300 e is the most powerful and top model. The drivetrain consists of a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol engine, delivering 201bhp and 236lb ft of torque.
In addition, there’s also an electric motor integrated into the nine-speed automatic gearbox, delivering 134bhp and 324lb ft, which gives a combined output of 308bhp and 405lb ft. This total is a bit down on the car’s predecessor, which delivered 316bhp and 516lb ft.
As a consequence, the 0-62mph acceleration is a second slower at 6.7 seconds and the top speed is 135mph. Mercedes claims the 31.2kWh usable lithium-ion battery capacity allows at least 62 miles of pure-electric running, with that EAER just a tax figure.
This equates to our extensive drive, where we saw an indicated 62 miles of electric range on a variety of road types. A full recharge from a 7.4kW home wallbox takes under six hours, or if you have access to one of the fairly rare 11kW AC charging points (most UK homes can’t support anything faster than 7kW), then that drops to about three hours. Sadly, the rapid 50kW charging that’s available on the GLC in European markets doesn’t make it to the UK.
Inside
When you’re at the wheel, it feels quite grand, although there’s no sense of where the corners are, which makes this quite a nerve-racking thing to navigate through a supermarket car park. The useful 360-degree camera system is standard on AMG models, but you’re always pussyfooting when the space is tight.
The dashboard is a thing of wonder, with myriad surface changes, striated wood, knurled switches and shiny fretwork loudspeaker grilles. The five “jet-engine” air vents set the tone and there’s a huge portrait touchscreen in the centre, on which it is relatively simple to find the main functions, but far too easy to find yourself stuck in a cul de sac of a sub-basement level, with no obvious way to get out.
Mercedes voice control is rather too eager to butt in and rarely understands anything more complicated than “turn the heat up”. Besides, having conversations with your car is a poor excuse for a life. However flawed you think it is, this is the way of the industry, and Mercedes actually does this human-machine interface better than most.
There are myriad (optional) seat upholstery choices, but the fake leather sports seats on this model were comfortable and reasonably supportive. There’s plenty of room for three adults across the rear bench, with backrests that fold 40/20/40 per cent onto the bases, though thanks to the high boot floor, the load bed has a distinct step.
The battery sits beneath the boot floor, so there’s no room for a spare wheel, and it’s a shame that the small tilt-lid cubbyhole only has space for the compressor and tin of tyre sealant, and isn’t large enough to accommodate the roller load-bed cover or the charge cable. The boot in the GLC PHEV is 400 litres with the rear seats up or 1,497 litres with them folded, and it’ll tow up to two tonnes.
On the road
The drivetrain pulls smoothly away in electric power whichever driving mode is dialled in, but in Sport, the petrol engine quickly starts to step-up the performance. The engine delivers strongly from 2,000rpm to 4,500rpm, and the electric motor smoothly augments that and fills the delivery gap.
In fact, whatever the driving mode setting, power delivery is smooth and reasonably refined. Only in Sport and driving in “stop that gentleman thief” mode do you notice the buzzing of the petrol engine, though the sound deadening and the anti-noise system combine to create one of the quietest and most refined cars in this segment.
The nine-speed transmission changes smoothly, but is slow to kick down at times, so it’s best to use the steering-wheel paddles when overtaking.
Driving modes consist of: Eco, where the systems use the electric mode most often, in the interest of low emissions (top speed in electric mode is 87mph); Sport, which speeds the gearbox changes and accelerator progression and combines engine and electric motor for maximum performance (as well as increasing steering weight); and Hybrid, which combines both power units for best efficiency; plus, there’s Electric mode, which uses the electric motor wherever possible; and Save, which holds the battery charge for later in the journey.
You can switch between modes with a button on the dashboard, but you’ll need dainty fingers if you aren’t to end up activating a load of other functions. Dynamically, there’s a smooth, almost unctuous approach to a road in electric mode, the loudest noise up to 20 miles an hour is the big tyres rumbling on the Tarmac.
At low speeds the ride is pillowy, not quite heaving over gentle bumps. On a frosty morning on Northampton’s country lanes, this is a lovely experience, as you are gently and quietly cosseted, looking over the hedges at the countryside and listening to Radio 3 on the 15-speaker Burmester stereo.
But the GLC can’t hide its mass, its huge tyres or its high centre of gravity. Sharp-edged potholes seem to come as a complete surprise to the tyres, which thump distantly below you.
Broken edges set up a side-to-side head movement in passengers, and if you start to drive harder, even in Sport mode, there is a loose quality to the rear suspension as it corkscrews off the top of crests.
It isn’t dangerous, more disconcerting, especially given the low- to medium-speed refinement of the system. The steering, though accurate and well-weighted, doesn’t give much feedback of what the front wheels are up to, even if it does load up in corners. Ventilated discs all round feel strong and the brake-pedal response is consistent, despite the intervention of the regenerative braking system.
The Telegraph verdict
Weight and price are the main factors working against the car in this plug-in specification (not to mention the overadorned appearance). For many private buyers that will send them off to other marques where this amount of money buys rather more car: the Volvo XC60 Recharge T6; Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e; BMW X3 PHEV; and Audi Q5 TFSI e, for example.
For the company-car driver with off-street parking and a home wallbox, the favourable tax treatment of the GLC 300 e and its potential fuel savings should offset the high price, though not by very much. I still quite like the GLC, but, despite the technical virtuosity shown in this plug-in model, I think I’d prefer a diesel-engined version. The price of progress here seems just a tad too high.
The facts
On test: GLC 300 e 4Matic AMG Line Premium Plus
Body style: five-door, five-seat family SUV
On sale: now, for deliveries in March
How much? GLC range from £51,885, £72,210 as tested
How fast? 135mph, 0-62mph in 6.7sec
How economical? 565mpg (WLTP Combined), 58mpg on test Engine and gearbox: 1,999cc, four-cylinder turbo petrol, nine-speed automatic gearbox, all-wheel drive
Engine power/torque: 201bhp @ 6,100rpm/236lb ft @ 2,100rpm
Electric powertrain: 134bhp electric motor with 31.2kW lithium-ion battery
Electric range: 80 miles (EAER), 62 miles on test
Maximum power/torque: 308bhp/405lb ft
CO2 emissions: 12g/km VED: £0 first year, then £155
Warranty: 3 years/unlimited mileage Spare wheel as standard: no (not available)
The rivals
Volvo XC60 Recharge T6 AWD, from £61,240
Vital statistics are an 18.8kWh lithium-ion battery, a 145bhp electric motor, a total output of 345bhp, an electric-only range of 48 miles and CO2 emissions of 24g/km.
This means a BiK rate in the current year of 8 per cent. Oh yes, the car. Lovely interior, comfy and spacious, with soft suspension and a plush ride. Perhaps not the greatest of drives, however.
BMW X3 xDrive30e M Sport, from £54,625
For the X3 PHEV, a 181bhp four-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine joins a 108bhp electric motor with a 12kWh lithium-ion battery and an EV range of only 31 miles and CO2 emissions of 49g/km.
That takes it to a 12 per cent BiK charge. Typical BMW interior: austere, comfortable and well equipped if you buy the options. Nice to drive, but without active damping, the ride can be sharp and choppy.