2 days ago
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Mercedes-Benz Australia has positioned its GLC350e plug-in hybrid family SUV below the PHEV versions of the Audi Q5 and BMW X3.
The 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC350e plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is now available to order, priced from $99,900 before on-road costs.
The plug-in GLC is the third PHEV to join the Mercedes-Benz Australia line-up this year, following the GLA250e ($78,000) and C350e ($98,200), and is the most expensive of the trio.
In terms of the GLC hierarchy, the new GLC350e slots in between the GLC300 Avantgarde ($95,700) and GLC300 AMG Line ($103,400), and also undercuts its BMW X3 30e PHEV arch-rival ($104,800) and just-superseded Audi Q5 55 TFSI e PHEV ($105,984).
Mercedes-Benz Australia is yet to detail the GLC350e’s powertrain, save for a combined 230kW/550Nm output from a “four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor”.
However, the same figures are achieved in the mechanically-related C350e, which augments a 150kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with a single 95kW/440Nm electric motor.
With drive sent to all four wheels, the plug-in GLC is claimed to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds.
Mercedes-Benz Australia claims an all-electric driving range of 132km under the NEDC lab test – which is less stringent than the often-quoted WLTP protocol – but it has also not detailed the battery size of the GLC350e.
Overseas versions of the same car are fitted with a 31.2kWh battery.
Three additional drive modes are offered in the GLC350e – Electric, Battery Level, and Hybrid – designed to maximise efficiency and usage of the high-voltage components.
When the battery does run flat, DC charging up to 55kW is available to recoup 80 per cent of the battery's charge from empty in a claimed 20 minutes.
Standard equipment mirrors Avantgarde grades, with rear privacy glass, metallic paint, and aluminium-look side steps, while inside the GLC PHEV is fitted with heated front seats, a head-up display, ambient lighting, and a panoramic sunroof.
As with most new Mercedes models, optional add-on packs are available to customers, including the Sport Package ($6000), Night Package ($1300), and Plus Package ($7600).
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
