It’s been a few years since the Mercedes-Benz GLC was available as a plug-in hybrid in Canada. But after a short hiatus, the 2025 GLC 350e returns with up to 87 km (54 miles) of electric-only driving range. So is this now the best version of the Mercedes GLC?
Performance
Engine – The GLC 350e is powered by a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder just like all other versions of the GLC. Yes, even the GLC 63 AMG. But that’s a story for another time. This 2.0L engine produces a modest 201 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque (150 kW & 320 Nm). Helping it is an electric motor that provides an additional 134 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque (100 kW & 440 Nm). Combined, they produce 313 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque (233 kW & 550 Nm). Mercedes-Benz claims that it’ll complete the 0-100 km/h sprint in 6.7 seconds which is half a second slower than the GLC 300. The reason? Weight.
This plug-in hybrid version of the GLC is over 400 kg (880 lbs) heavier at 2,315 kg (5,104 lbs) when compared to the GLC 300. The battery and electric components are not light. But even so, this version of the GLC doesn’t struggle to get up to speed. It just takes a little bit longer, that’s all. Power is instant thanks to the immediate torque of the electric motor. Furthermore, the electric motor has enough power to move this heavy GLC all on its own. Acceleration is obviously slower in the EV mode but again, it doesn’t feel as though it’s struggling to get up to speed and it will get up to 140 km/h (87 mph) in this mode.
Fuel Economy – The observed fuel economy during my week long drive with the GLC 350e was 3.4 L/100km (69 MPG). Of course, this depends massively on how often the battery is recharged. Should you drive around with a depleted battery, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e will return 10.2 L/100km (23 MPG) in a city and 8.5 L/100km (28 MPG) on a highway. Predictably, those numbers are worse than what the GLC 300 can manage. Why? Weight.
Range, Battery, & Charging – In the trunk of the GLC 350e is a 24.8 kWh battery pack which provides up to 87 km (54 miles) of electric-only driving range. That is quite a lot of range for an SUV of this size. This range of course depends on a number of factors such as ambient temperature, climate control usage, driving style and so on. During one electric-only trip, I was only able to squeeze 72 km (44 miles) of range from the battery before the engine turned on. This was during a cold day with temperatures below 10°C and climate control was running the entire time. On another trip with a fully charged battery and using only EV mode, I managed to get 82 km (51 miles) of driving range. The difference was slightly warmer ambient temperatures and no climate control usage.
Once the battery is depleted, the car reverts to being a self-charging hybrid like a Toyota Prius. The engine will provide power until a small charge is built into the battery, then the engine will shut off for brief periods. You can also tell the car to hold the battery charge for later use. As for the default Hybrid drive mode, it’s like any other PHEV hybrid mode where the car will use the electric motor first to move the car and only when the throttle pedal is pressed harder does the engine get turned on. In EV mode, the engine will also turn on but the throttle pedal provides more resistance than in the Hybrid mode to let you know when you’ve reached that threshold.
Recharging the battery is done through a level 2 charger which will take just under 3 hours from 10% to 100% according to Mercedes-Benz. But unlike some other PHEVs, the 2025 GLC 350e can be equipped with a CCS level 3 DC charging capability. This allows it to recoup 60 kW of power with 10% to 80% being completed in 30 minutes.
Transmission – This engine is paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission. It does a great job of providing smooth gear changes. They’re barely noticeable. In the standard Hybrid drive mode, the reaction time to a stab of the throttle isn’t the fastest but this reaction time improves slightly in Sport mode. Additionally, expect a slight delay should you want to change gears yourself with the paddle shifters in this mode.
Braking – Unlike a few other PHEVs, the GLC 350e does not have a one-pedal mode. It does, however, have 3 different levels of regenerative braking; low, medium, and high. These are controlled by pulling on the paddle shifters. Low provides almost no regen braking while high provides quite a bit but not enough to be used as a substitute for a one-pedal mode. However, the high regen mode also makes the brake pedal move on its own when slowing down. It doesn’t move as much as the brake pedal in the Nissan Ariya for example, but it’s enough to give an uneasy feeling. In an emergency, you want the brake pedal to be in the exact same place, you don’t want to be “searching” for it with your foot. Thankfully, in the other regen modes, it doesn’t move. However, it doesn’t quite have the same solid feel as the brake pedal in the GLC 300.
Handling – This version of the GLC was never meant to provide an exciting drive when you’re on your favorite piece of road in the middle of nowhere. That’s what the AMG versions are for. This version of the GLC was meant to provide a comfortable drive which it does very well. The steering is light, there’s a bit more give in the suspension, and overall it is easy to drive.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – As this is a crossover SUV that focuses more towards luxury, the ride is just that; luxurious. Big potholes don’t upset the ride quality with a great feeling of isolation in the cabin from the road. The seats have big bolsters to keep you firmly planted in them should you take a corner too quickly and they have enough adjustments. However, they’re a bit firm compared to some other luxury SUVs in this category.
Interior Space – The Mercedes-Benz GLC has always been one of the larger crossover SUVs in this segment. This new generation is no different. It has a longer wheelbase than its closest competitor, the BMW X3, which means almost an inch more rear legroom than the X3. But the back of the front seats are made out of hard plastic instead of soft leather so if the driver brakes hard enough, your knees could be digging into that hard plastic. Otherwise, there’s plenty of space for adults in the new generation Mercedes GLC 350e.
Where you’ll notice a massive difference in interior volume is behind the seats. Due to the hybrid battery, the floor of the GLC’s trunk has been raised when compared to the trunk floor of the GLC 300. This means that it has 470 L (16.6 cu-ft) of cargo space behind the 2nd row and 1,530 L (54 cu-ft) with the 2nd row seats folded. Both these numbers are 150 L (5.3 cu-ft) less than the GLC 300. Furthermore, you cannot lift the trunk floor for additional small item storage. All that there is a small sliver of space big enough for the charging cable.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – This generation of Mercedes GLC has a really quiet cabin that is made quieter by the transition to a PHEV. Very little road noise is audible while on highways, wind noise is non-existent, and engine noise is also minimal under normal driving conditions. The switch from EV mode to the gasoline engine turning on is negligible.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – As is to be expected, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e is more expensive than the GLC 300. It starts at $64,900 CAD ($61,050 USD) with this demo vehicle having an as tested price of $80,150 CAD ($75,025 USD).
Gadgets – The base price of the 2025 GLC 350e includes all of the same convenience and luxury features of the GLC 300, plus the addition of the hybrid components. But both cars can be equipped the same way with heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, leather or Nappa leather upholstery, panoramic sunroof, Artico trim on the dashboard and door panels, Burmester surround sound system, wireless phone charging pad, surround view cameras and even a built-in dashcam among others.
The infotainment system is the latest iteration of MBUX which you can make it look like the previous version or have the navigation system be the home screen. This infotainment system is fairly easy to navigate around but you’ll have to dig through it to change some functions which would be distracting to use while driving. And herein lies the problem I have with modern day Mercedes-Benz vehicles. A lot of the most commonly used functions (climate control, fan speed, etc) are integrated into a touchscreen rather than individual buttons like the previous generation GLC. It’s much more distraction and forces you to take your eyes off the road to make sure that you selected the item you wanted to select.
Interior Design – The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e has an interior that is not unlike most other Mercedes-Benz vehicles. It has the same touchscreen that flows into the center console and it uses the same 12.3” digital driver display. The air vents are typical Mercedes-Benz twist to lock type and the center console has a large lid that slides forward to reveal the two cup holders and the wireless phone charging pad, if equipped.
But, as I stated earlier, a lot of the physical buttons & toggle switches are gone with the functions integrated into the touchscreen. Furthermore, the steering wheel mounted controls are now just four pieces of plastic with either swipe or hard press functions. Half the time, the swiping feature thinks you’re swiping your fingers up or down instead of left or right to change something on the driver instrument cluster. All of these things require more concentration and thus distraction while driving.
Having said that, the cabin design looks great. This is especially true at night with the ambient lighting system. But now that the dashboard is essentially just two screens and a few air vents, it makes me wonder where the craftsmanship of the old Mercedes vehicles has gone?
Exterior Design – While the interior of the 2025 GLC has seen a big change, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the exterior hasn’t changed at all. The grille has the same overall shape as the last while the headlights retain the same overall shape as before. The LED daytime running lights are different but it’s a subtle change. The taillights have also been changed but again, very subtle tweaks. One item about the design that irks me are the fake exhaust tips. The real ones point downward behind the bumper cover.
Safety – The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e comes equipped with a lot of standard safety features. All of the important safety & driver aids are present such as automatic emergency braking, blind spot sensors (which also function when the car is at a stop light), vehicle exit warning, 7 airbags, and much more. Some optional features include active lane keeping assist, a built-in dashcam, surround view cameras, trailer stability assist, and evasive steering assist among many more.
Warranty – Just like every other Mercedes-Benz vehicle, the 2025 GLC 350e comes with a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle warranty. For more information on Canadian warranty, click here. For U.S.A. warranty information, click here.
Conclusion – So is this the best version of the GLC? Well, if you don’t plan on charging up the battery as often as you can, then this car is slower, less fuel efficient, and more expensive than the GLC 300. You might as well get that crossover SUV instead. But if you do plan to use the GLC 350e as a proper PHEV, then it is a great car. But at that point, I’d also consider switching to a full battery electric vehicle since I’d be plugging in the vehicle as much as possible. Whatsmore, if you plan on only driving in a city, then the BEV starts to make more sense. This version of the GLC makes more sense if you use it as a PHEV and also take a lot of long road trips. For the latter, you don’t need to worry about finding a charging station along your long trip.
Thank you to Mercedes-Benz Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Mercedes-Benz.ca
2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e Gallery
