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Mercedes is expanding the definition of its global best-seller, the GLC, with introduction of a pure electric rear-drive GLC 400 and all-wheel drive GLC 400 4MATIC, with capabilities that match or exceed their combustion-powered cousins.
Thanks to the packaging advantages of a battery-electric powertrain, GLC 400 has a 117-inch wheelbase -- that's 3.1 inches longer than the combustion-engine GLC and within a few tenths of an inch of the much bigger Mercedes GLE SUV. A long wheelbase means more interior room. Front and rear passengers have an extra 0.5 inches and 1.9 inches of legroom, respectively. Headroom increases by 1.8 inches at the front and 0.6 inches at the rear.
Spanning the full width of the dash is the latest evolution of the Mercedes Superscreen concept and the inescapable star of the show. Known here as Hyperscreen, it's a seamless panel measuring 39 inches wide, incorporating a 10.25-inch gauge display, 14-inch central display and 14-inch copilot display. Hyperscreen offers a variety of backgrounds, and graphic information layouts.
Up above is an advanced panoramic roof panel. With optional Sky Control, this is no mere piece of glass. Sky Control divides the glass panel into nine individually changeable segments, or stripes. Transparency of the glass roof can be adjusted with a menu on the Hyperscreen's central panel, where a touch-sensitive roof symbol showing the nine segments can be summoned from the Digital Gods. The nine segments can be selected individually. Or the owner can choose from three predefined settings: clear, opal (opaque), and Motif, which has a striped pattern. Customers can also access by simply saying, "Hey Mercedes, make the roof transparent." Best of all, the glass also incorporates 162 stars that can be illuminated at night.
An SUV is a practical tool for daily life, a Swiss Army knife. An SUV is born to serve. Cargo area offers 20.1 cu-ft, room enough for the Bugaboo stroller or loads of soccer gear. Fold the backrest and 61.4 cu-ft is available to handle trips to the garden center.
Cargo floor can be lowered by 3.1 inches, making it possible to transport taller objects, like that red wheelbarrow impulse purchase at the garden center. Another 4.5 cu-ft is available in the "frunk." The frunk lid opens at the touch of the Mercedes-Benz star.
And now, the powertrain itself. Of greatest importance for most Americans is potential range, and GLC 400 can cover just over 440 miles on a full charge. GLC's lithium-ion battery has 94 kWh of usable capacity and can recharge to 188 miles (303 kilometers) of range in just 10 minutes. GLC has a DC converter to allow charging at 400-volt DC fast charging stations.
GLC 400 4MATIC has electric motors front and rear and with the optional hitch can tow up to 5,291 lbs. (if the trailer has a braking system). As shown in the lead photo, GLC 400 4MATIC can readily pull a sleek, lightweight trailer. A 220-lb. drawbar can manage e-bikes and mountain bikes.
The rear motor feeds power through a 2-speed gearbox. First gear is a very low ratio to help with acceleration. First gear concentrates the "grunt" of the rear motor when pulling away with a trailer.
If reaching the trail head or campground requires a trip up a dusty road, GLC 400 4MATIC has a "Terrain" drive program for dirt or gravel paths. In this mode, the front axle of the 4MATIC is automatically engaged and the system adjusts the characteristics of the drivetrain, steering and brakes.
To cope with ruts, or perhaps rocks projecting out of the dirt path, there's the "transparent hood" function which projects a real-time virtual view of what's under the front of the vehicle by combining images from the front camera and exterior mirror cameras. I've seen this real-time imagery on Geländewagens, and it works. A trajectory overlay serves like your own trail guide or Sherpa, helping select the optimum driving path when walking along at 2 or 3 mph.
Ten external cameras, five radar sensors and twelve ultrasonic sensors feed real-time data to a high-performance control unit that runs with MB.OS and acts like the brain of the GLC. This data is processed and provided to the many driver assistance systems, from parking assist to advanced cruise control and emergency braking.
Mercedes is one of very few companies that can pursue multiple powertrain strategies -- gas, hybrid, electric, and AMG high-performance -- and deliver very well sorted vehicles that meet the needs of the market. GLC 400 will be built in Bremen, Germany, and for the Chinese/East Asia market in China, where electric vehicle adoption is a high priority. In coastal California and several other regions of the U.S., GLC 400 will be a welcome addition.