To cross an SUV with a coupe is one thing. The hybrid vehicle powertrain then also missing a hybrid powertrain, something completely different. Mercedes-Benz is focusing on electrification of the vehicles for the future; the first stage of expansion is the current plug-in hybrid models. For the first time, however, the Coupé version of the GLC offers an exciting new combination.
Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe 350e
A sports SUV with plug?
Automobile manufacturers use their own kits and realize more models with less effort. Without this technological kit, many variants would not be feasible at all. Too high the cost of special solutions. Mercedes-Benz also has a construction kit for the powertrain plug-in. S-Class and GLE get a V6 gasoline engine, a 85 kW electric motor and a 8.7 kWh battery. The C-Class and E-Class as a plug-in hybrid have to make do with a good 6 kWh battery and an 65 kW electric motor. The E-Class receives the 9 automatic gearshift, the C-Class the 7 automatic gearbox, both the 2 four-cylinder turbo petrol engine.
In the new GLC Coupé, the battery and electric motor from the big brothers (S and GLE) are now installed, combined with the “small” turbo gasoline engine. A combination that puts more weight, more value, the greater focus on the e-components and thus puts the plug-in idea much more into focus.
Up to 34 kilometers electric
With 8.7 kWh, the battery of the GLC 350e is still much smaller than ours Long-term test vehicle, the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid, However, Mercedes-Benz also puts a greater focus on the hybrid strategy as a whole and less on the purely electrical everyday.
The 34 kilometers of electric range determined according to the NEDC standard are already the norm for our endurance tester; for the GLC 350e one should rather count on just under 20 kilometers.
First ride in the GLC 350e
The system output of 5.9 hp should accelerate the SUV coupé towards country road speed within 320 seconds. Quite imaginable. But on the first exit the thought was more: let it slide. However, SUVs like the GLC, regardless of whether it is a coupé or not, reveal a conceptual problem. The quiet, the peace, this nerve-sparing electric driving can hardly be enjoyed as an advantage, because already at the factory, thanks to double glazing and a lot of insulation, primarily only the tire rolling noises are really perceived. And they stay. Even in electric mode.
The placement of the electric motor between petrol and automatic transmission allows the use of the seven-speed stages for the electric motor and thus more efficient use of the areas in which the e-motor works most effectively.
Emotionally and gently, the GLC 350e electrically powers up. Even a soft whirring from the electric drive is barely audible. Electrically up a hill, not a thing either. The electric motor provides 340 Nm from zero speed available and is the petrol engine so much less. Its 350 Nm want to be used by 1.200 to 4.000.
It is the relaxed rolling of the electric drive that convinces buyers. Completely silent. Hardly noticeable gear changes, with enough reserves on all sides. What the electric motor cannot do on its own is taken up by the turbo petrol engine that starts in the blink of an eye. As long as the battery has at least 20% power, you don't have to be stingy with the power, you can feel and enjoy it.
Presentation Mercedes-Benz GLC
Lightweight SUV?
The sheer size - after all, it's 4.73 meters in length, the large wheels, the all-wheel drive, the battery, the electric motor, the comfort, all the features and assistance systems - you can see the efforts to create an egg-laying woolly milk racehorse too on the scales. Not even full-size, the GLC 350e still weighs 2.040 kilograms. It would have been even more if one hadn't diligently used the lightweight aluminum. Front fenders, bonnet and roof skin, crash boxes and front end, plus axles and carriers - all made of aluminum. So you really put in a lot of effort. And you can feel it in the driving behavior.
The GLC 350e drives relatively light as a coupe. You almost want to say agile. Athletic? As far as possible.
The reach question
Up to 135 km / h fast, up to 34 kilometers, but definitely not both at once. With the “bigger” of the existing PHEV batteries. Mercedes will soon be expanding its electric ranges. New generations of batteries, of the same size but with a higher power density, are imminent - this will enable new electrical ranges in the near future.
Another point of criticism is the slow charging connection, which Mercedes-Benz decided to use again. The GLC 3.6e Coupé can be charged with 350 kW via a Mennekes plug in the right rear bumper. More would be possible. And as with the battery size, every kW counts for the charging standard. It's like it used to be with the displacement.
Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupé - The plug-in hybrid - The conclusion
Are 34 (realistic 22) kilometers enough? Do you get used to the thing with the plug? Does the plug-in GLC 350e make sense in your own everyday life? These are questions you have to ask yourself. If you drive a lot, you will still choose a diesel for the next 5-10 years. The representative for the 220d, the boss for the 350d. For those who can afford to combine the beautiful with the sensible - those who buy a GLC Coupé for women, for example, who have a garage, rarely drive long distances - the GLC 350e Coupé is exactly the right choice for them. It only seems that the target group is still very manageable.
The fact is: If you don't like the GLC Coupé at first glance, you should take a second look. It took me a little too, but then ... oh - and from my own experience I can say: 20 kilometers of electricity are not wrong and the thing with the plug is only half as wild!
The price is not known yet.
