The Mercedes-Benz GLC300 is the second-generation, slightly larger incarnation of the company’s popular medium-sized luxury SUV, first seen in 2015.
It’s evolutionary not revolutionary, and so far there’s just the one drivetrain in showrooms, although forthcoming AMG 43 and 63S variants can be pre-ordered, along with a price-leading 200. Alongside the wagon-style SUV is a so-called Coupé version, with a more curved roofline.The GLC300 is $103,370, plus on-road costs, though our example had the $6900 Plus Package , raising the overall price to $110,270 plus on-road costs.
The huge, standard issue, double-pane glass roof makes the interior cheerful, and the beautifully shaped seats are comfortable over long distances. There’s lively performance and dependable handling, with the reassurance of all-wheel drive grip in poor weather. The gen two’s longer wheelbase improves the interior room and allows for a bigger boot. There’s lots of well-thought-out interior storage, too.Is the GLC exciting? Not at all. It’s best thought of as a very classy family carter.
To that end, Benz’s similarly sized EQC is just about sold out, and will be replaced with a “ground-up” EV design. It’s still some way away, and is likely to carry a big premium over the price of this internal combustion model.This is a worthy update of a dependable Benz favourite. It should be around for quite a few years more, though sales will likely be increasingly cannibalised by battery models, including the next EQC.