![]() ![]() The interior is pretty much a match with the GLB-Class, though the navigation system is designed specifically for electric mobility. It's not purely for aesthetics as the sealed-off grille of the EQB helps to improve aero efficiency and as a result optimize range. If you’re a company car user-chooser however, that higher price could be negated by the frugality of GLC 220 d as it emits 146g/km, placing it in a lower BIK tax band than both the BMW and Audi.Compared to the GLB-Class, the EQB benefits from unique styling treatments front and rear, including the addition of new lights. ![]() That’s a fairly big increase over the newly facelifted £46,570 BMW X3 and £46,650 Audi Q5. Pricing for the GLC range is yet to be announced, but we expect it to start in the region of £50,000. In fact, the new car has 70 litres more luggage room than its predecessor, at 620 litres with the rear seats up and 1,680 litres with them folded down. Passengers in the back will appreciate the extra leg and headroom over the old model – which doesn’t come at the cost of boot space. It’s similar to Land Rover’s system and uses a 360-degree camera to display a virtual view underneath the front of the vehicle making off-roading easier (although the typical GLC buyer might find it more useful for kerb avoidance). What’s more impressive is the new optional “Transparent Bonnet”. The new GLC can also be specified with an optional head-up display that can be tailored to show nine different layouts. The MBUX infotainment system can look a little daunting at first with lots of information displayed at once, but stick with it because it’s one of the more intuitive systems on the market. The dash is dominated by an 12.3-inch touchscreen (again, the same as the C-Class) and in front of the driver there’s an 11.9-inch display. While it’s a rather gruff noise with the standard nine-speaker sound system, a more convincing V8 burble is present with the optional Burmester sound system. There’s also fake engine noise that is ducted into the cabin - but don’t worry, it can be switched off. The steering gains some extra weight, the transmission is keener to hold onto gears and change down early, and the suspension firms up. In Sport mode the GLC’s steering, engine and suspension (with AIRMATIC, at least) all feel sportier. As standard, the GLC will use four-link suspension at the front with a multi-link independent rear. The smooth Spanish roads we drove on won’t be a true test of the new GLC’s ride quality anyway, so we’ll reserve judgement until we try it on rougher British roads on the regular steel-sprung suspension we’ll get here. This plush suspension set-up and the extra sound deadening means the GLC is superbly quiet and refined on the motorway. Unfortunately, it won’t be available on UK cars, which is a shame because it deals with bumps and ruts in the road very well in Comfort mode. The car we drove featured adaptive suspension, or ‘AIRMATIC’ as Mercedes calls it. Keep it within the torque band - which the gearbox does a good job of - and the GLC 220 d feels more than fast enough however. It’ll rev to just over 4,000rpm, at which point you feel the power diminish quite severely, as with many diesel engines. ![]() Maximum power arrives at 3,600rpm and torque is spread evenly from 1,800 to 2,800rpm – which doesn’t sound like a wide power band but the 220 d offers really flexible power delivery. Indeed, the 0-62mph time is only one tenth of a second slower than an equivalent BMW X3 xDrive20d and four tenths off an Audi Q5 40 TDI.Īcceleration from lower revs is where the mild-hybrid boost helps most, negating some of the turbo lag. With a 0-62mph time of 8.0 seconds, it’s the slowest iteration of the new GLC, but it doesn’t feel that far behind its more powerful plug-in hybrid siblings when you’re on the move. Together, the system pumps out 197bhp and 440Nm of torque, sending power to all four wheels through Mercedes’ tried and tested nine-speed automatic transmission. The engine is a four-cylinder turbodiesel with mild-hybrid assistance. Mercedes says the 220 d model will be its biggest seller here in the UK, and that’s the one we’re driving here.
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