There has been a big push towards fully electric cars in recent years. Up to now, there were two big issues, lack of public charging points outside of the greater Dublin area and range. Back in 2010 when Nissan launched their new Leaf, it had a range of 120km and no doubt the range in all EV’s has improved dramatically since then.
Mercedes were a bit late making the switch from petrol and diesel to electric, but after driving their impressive GLC 400 4Matic last week, believe me, it was worth waiting for. You might need a friendly bank manager to buy one, but PCP is popular nowadays.
The original GLC was launched in 2015 and replaced the GLK-Class. Mercedes said that it was the SUV equivalent of the C-Class. The second generation was launched four years ago and now we get a fully electric version with a range of 600km. Officially the large battery pack with 94.4kWh is supposed to get you a range of 653km, but I was very happy with the 600km it gave me.
Mercedes has always produced classy looking cars, and this SUV maintains that proud tradition, it’s just gorgeous. The car was admired by adults and children alike. A few young lads on my road loved the Mercedes puddle logo.
It was so smooth to travel in, and the Sat Nav is just amazing. As you drive along everywhere looks flat, like Denmark where I was last week, or Florida. Thanks to the Sat Nav, you can literally see over the hedges and despite all the new builds going up around Dublin there is still a lot of green to be seen. I think that Sat Nav version would be ideal for tourists visiting our country.
This new version has a redesigned chromed grille, sleeker silhouette and more pronounced wheel arches and sits alongside diesel, petrol and plug-in hybrid models also currently available in Ireland.
My test car came in a discreet Lavender colour. Inside, a new feature is the latest fourth generation MBUX infotainment system, which comes with integrated Microsoft, Google AI, and Superscreen. A female voice from AI, occasionally came on to try and engage me in a chat, but I prefer to listen to Marty on Lyric FM.
Other new equipment includes a panoramic glass roof, memory seats, driver assistance with multiple cameras and sensors, as well as a ‘starry-sky’ night lighting effect on the dash. Also, on the left side of the dash where the clock is located, you get a massive splash of pink.
There are also plenty of lights at the front where the grille is normally located in petrol and diesel cars. That area now has 942 tiny lights. No, I didn’t have the patience to count them, but I believe what Mercedes say. You also get the Mercedes logo embedded into the headlights.
The seats are really comfortable and there is ample space in the back seat for three well-built adults. If you have only two back seat passengers, they can use the divider armrest. The boot is massive, officially 520 litres and there is also a large Frunk with 128 litres of space. That frunk can be opened by pressing the Mercedes logo on the boot, but only when the ignition is on. It cannot be opened by random people walking by the car.
Like all electric cars, it will take off like a Greyhound if you want it to. My test car was the 400 4MATIC, which means four-wheel drive and with 489 brake horsepower you won’t be left floundering at the traffic lights.
Priced start at €60,559 but when you add in the AMG Line, VAT and registration tax, the total price of the car as tested came to €86,672. The annual road tax is €120 and if you can find a fast charger it will give you 300km in ten minutes.
It’s definitely luxury with a capital L and if you take a test drive, I think you will, like me, feel like the King of the Road in this Merc.
