MERC MILES BETTER WITH BIG BATTERY
Until something changes – like the landscape suddenly bristling with rapid charging points – I’ll continue to suggest plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are a sensible first step to electrification.
Being able to charge at home is essential because you run the risk of being accosted by irate EV owners if you use a public charger.
For those who have a drive or garage and who do very long journeys at times, to a second home in Spain or a ski chalet perhaps, the PHEV makes a lot of sense.
Driving this Mercedes-Benz GLC PHEV has done nothing to change my opinions. The full name of the model we’re testing is the GLC 300e 4MATIC AMG Line Premium Plus. Bit of a gobful, but the essentials are that the car is four-wheel drive, top level of trim and the instructions tell us it’s a plug-in hybrid.
Mercedes makes not just a petrol PHEV, but also one with a diesel engine (badged as 300de).
Our petrol version features a 2.0-litre petrol engine that produces 204bhp and is combined with a 136bhp electric motor.
What makes this car stand out from other PHEVs, including those in the same class, is the size of its lithium-ion battery. Typical PHEV batteries are around 14-15kWh with an electric range of about 30 miles under ideal conditions. The GLC 300e’s, however, belts out 31.2kWh giving a range of up to 80 miles. That’s a really useful distance which should be adequate for even long commutes to work.
As we’ve discussed before, official MPG figures for PHEVs are essentially meaningless because it’s all down to how you use the car.
The official figure for the GLC is 565.0mpg. If you always recharge overnight and never do a long journey then it will use no fuel at all. Emissions are a tax man friendly 12g/km.
The large battery takes up more space than one with less energy so the GLC PHEV’s boot is slightly smaller than the regular model’s 620 litres and has a step in it.
The battery also makes this GLC rather heavy at 2,355kg and while UK GLCs don’t have air suspension as an option (as models in Europe do) the PHEV has self-levelling air suspension at the back to cope with the extra weight.
It also has the additional benefit of lowering the rear of the car at standstill to make loading easier.
All GLCs have an electric tailgate as standard while we’re still on the subject of boots. Under electric power the 300e is whisper quiet. This trim level includes noise insulating glass as part of its package, and even when the petrol engine is working hard there’s not much cabin noise.
The ride comfort is good, but might be even better with the standard 19in wheels in place of the Premium Plus’s 20 inch alloys.
Performance is more than adequate with 0-62mph in 6.7sec and a top speed of 135mph (or 87mph running electrically).
Until the revised Mercedes-AMG GLC63 arrives in the near future the 300e is the quickest GLC available.
Its interior is typical Mercedes. Top quality materials and a great view.
There’s a 11.9in central screen and a 12.3in driver’s display; soft touch materials are everywhere and there’s piano black and matt wood finishers.
It’s a class act, which it needs to be given the money it costs.
I pride myself on being able to guess the on-the-road price of a new car within a few hundred quid, but this ability is disappearing as new cars become ever more expensive.
The GLC 300e is a perfect example. Our top of the range model is £72,925. Outrageous. Not that long ago that would have got you a Porsche 911.
Plug-in GLC’s 80mile electric range makes huge sense