We've seen the interior of the new all-electric Mercedes GLC (or the Mercedes-Benz GLC with EQ Technology to give it its full name — let's just call it the GLC EQ) but now here's the rest of the car — an SUV with a massive new grille, a 94kWh battery, and ultra-fast charging which allows it to add 303km in just ten minutes.
That's quite a grille…
Isn't it? Mercedes had told us previously that it wants to get away from the softer, curvier shapes of the current EQE and EQS lineups and go for something that's a bit more traditional. In fact, Mercedes styling boss Gordon Wagener has been talking about looking all the way back to the 1950s 'Ponton' Mercedes saloons for inspiration for a taller, more upright grille and, well, this is it. It's backlit, of course, and Mercedes says that it “embodies the classic proportions of a Mercedes-Benz midsize SUV in a modern and captivating way.” It certainly seems that Merc is going for a big-nose look just as BMW is retreating from it.
This one is all-electric, isn't it?
Yes, this new GLC EQ is based on a brand-new MB.EA platform that's even more advanced than the MMA setup, which underpins the new long-range CLA (and you can read our test drive of that car here). The MB. The EA platform will also go under the new electric C-Class saloon, due next year, and this electric GLC EQ will actually be sold alongside the current petrol, diesel, and hybrid GLC that we know and love for as long as there's demand for a combustion-engined version and legal authority to sell it.
However, you might not be too pushed about the combustion model anymore once you see the GLC EQ's tech specs. It gets a 94kWh battery and a range of up to 701km on one charge. It gets an 800-volt charging system, which can handle 330kW of charging power, allowing the car to regain up to 303km of range in just ten minutes of charging. Having learned from criticism of the CLA, Mercedes is also making sure this time that the GLC EQ can also charge from existing 400-volt fast chargers. Mercedes is also working on its own fast chargers, and is opening up 'Mercedes-Benz Charging Parks' at which customers can reserve a charger ahead of time, although there's no word on when or if such a thing will come to Ireland.
There's also vehicle-to-load charging and vehicle-to-grid capability. The first model to arrive will be the four-wheel drive GLC EQ 400 4MATIC, which will have 490hp, a two-speed gearbox for maximum acceleration, a 713km range and a standard heat-pump to ensure that range doesn't get frittered away by cold weather.
What about the inside?
We've already covered the GLC EQ's interior, with its massive one-metre-wide touchscreen, and you can find out all the details on that here. We do have a few more practical details now, though, including the fact that this electric GLC has a wheelbase that's 84mm longer than that of the combustion GLC, and the result is 13mm more legroom and 46mm more headroom up front, while rear passengers benefit from 47mm more legroom and 17mm more headroom. There's a fairly generous 570-litre boot that expands to 1,740 litres with the back seats folded, and there's a very impressive 128-litre 'frunk' storage area in the nose, which has a partly-electric opening function.
There's also something borrowed from the just-launched CLA Shooting Brake estate — a 'Sky Control' panoramic glass roof that darkens through nine individual sections at the touch of a button, and which optionally has 162 light-up Mercedes stars embedded in the glass for nighttime driving.
There's also a new steering wheel, which Mercedes tacitly admits moves away from touch-sensitive pads and back to proper buttons because customers hated the previous steering wheel.
Oh, and there's some extra approval for the GLC EQ's interior — the AGR, the German bad back association, has rubber-stamped the seats, while the Vegan Association has rubber-stamped the imitation leather.
What about the driving experience?
We're well into the era of the software-defined vehicle, and Mercedes reckons it's onto a winner with its new MB.OS software. Introduced on the CLA, this doesn't just control the screens and doesn't just run the background electronic stuff, but it manages and controls the whole car from the digital driver aids to the battery conditioning. Mercedes says that at the heart of the system is an 'AI-driven superbrain' which can run 254 trillion operations per second. The idea is that the system learns from you and adapts automatically to your preferences, and Mercedes reckons that its constant over-the-air software improvements mean that the GLC EQ will actually get better as it ages.
There are, thankfully, some purely mechanical things going on too. There's adaptive air suspension borrowed from the peerless S-Class saloon, and rear-wheel steering too, although those are both going to be optional extras. There are new high-tech LED headlights, which are more energy efficient than before, and whose active cornering function can read the sat-nav to know which is the right way to point. And there's a clever braking system, which has such strong regenerative braking that Mercedes reckons that'll do for 99 per cent of all braking situations, leaving the traditional pads and discs to cover emergencies.
The GLC EQ is also a bit more robust when it comes to towing than most electric cars, with a maximum 2,400kg allowable on a braked trailer, and the tow-hitch itself can cope with a 100kg load, so you can attach a bike rack. If you actually decide to head off-road with your electric GLC, then there's also a Terrain Mode in the selectable driving modes, and a 'transparent bonnet' feature for the surround-view camera system.
When can I have one?
Not too long now. Mercedes should be making the first deliveries of the new GLC EQ in early 2026.