The new Mercedes GLC – the latest version of the company’s most popular model worldwide – will go on sale later this year.
Update: Since this guide was published we have driven the latest Mercedes-Benz GLC. Click here to read our full Mercedes-Benz GLC Review
Based on the new Mercedes C-Class saloon’s underpinnings, the new GLC mid-size SUV gets tweaked exterior styling, a posh new interior with huge infotainment screens, and plug-in hybrid powertrains with more than double the pure-electric range of outgoing versions.
The new GLC will cost around £45,000 for an entry-level GLC200 4Matic petrol model. Plug-in hybrid models, which offer a pure electric range of up to 80 miles, will likely cost closer to £60,000. The GLC will compete with models like the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Jaguar F-Pace.
2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV exterior and interior design
The new Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV is based on the same MRA2 platform as the latest C-Class saloon, so it’s marginally bigger than the car it replaces.
Styling has also been subtly revised rather than completely revamped. Up front, you get sharper headlights that blend into a curvier grille that sits above a cleaner lower bumper. It still looks very much like a GLC.
That’s true in profile, too, where a more pronounced crease over the rear wheels is the biggest clue you’re looking at the new GLC and not the old one. Body-coloured wheel arch trims also replace the outgoing car’s more utilitarian un-painted plastic versions.
The back, meanwhile, picks up where the front left off, offering a subtle refresh over the outgoing car, with sleeker LED tail lights that emphasise the car’s width.
Changes inside are more obvious. The new GLC’s cabin mirrors the design of the latest C-Class with a huge portrait-style infotainment screen that dominates the dashboard, and is used to operate everything from the ventilation system to the satnav. You also get a digital dashboard in place of conventional dials, while physical buttons are limited to a strip that runs below the centre screen.
Most of the car’s systems will be controllable via Mercedes’ MBUX voice activation system that can understand colloquial commands starting with the phrase “Hey Mercedes…” followed by whatever you want it to do.
You can expect the new GLC to feel plush thanks to its minimal design, pin-stripe wood finishes, multi-colour mood lighting and jet-engine-style air vents that are wrapped, like the rest of the dashboard, in a leather-look finish.
So it will be posh but also practical. The new GLC will have plenty of room for four tall adults to get comfortable while boot space has increased by 50 litres compared to the outgoing car, giving you a 600-litre total capacity. That’s thanks to the new GLC being 60mm longer than the model it replaces.
2022 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV engines and performance
The new Mercedes-Benz GLC comes as standard with a conventional nine-speed automatic gearbox and 4Matic four-wheel drive.
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Petrol and diesel models also come with 48V mild-hybrid technology that uses a small 23bhp electric motor to boost performance and recoup energy more efficiently when the car slows.
You’ll be able to choose from petrol models in the form of the 201bhp GLC 200 and 254bhp GLC 300. Both will return fuel economy of just over 30mpg. Diesel models are reserved to the 194bhp 220d, which will return around 45mpg.
However, the big news is that the GLC will be available with three plug-in hybrid models - two petrol and one diesel – that offer a pure-electric range of up to 80 miles. That could potentially slash your running costs if you have a short commute and somewhere to charge the car.
The PHEV range kicks off with the GLC 300 e. It uses the same petrol engine as the GLC 200 but with power boosted to 309bhp thanks to the addition of a powerful electric motor. CO2 emissions of just 14g/km mean the PHEV GLC will be free to tax in your first year of ownership.
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That is also true of the more powerful GLC 400 e, which uses its 376bhp to get from 0-62mph in just 5.6 seconds.
Want to combine electric-only running in town with impressive fuel economy on longer drives? Then the 300 de 4Matic PHEV diesel could be the new GLC you’re looking for. It uses a 2.0-litre diesel engine combined with the same hybrid technology as the petrol models to produce 242bhp and CO2 emissions of 13g/km, which means it’s as cheap to tax as the petrol cars. Mercedes quotes fuel economy of nearly 565mpg, a huge figure that will drop rapidly when the car’s battery is flat.
We’ll have a full review of the new Mercedes-Benz GLC in the coming weeks.