So where can 50 miles take you?
How about 20 times around the Daytona 500 racetrack? Or 12 times across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Or nine times across the new Howard Frankland Bridge when it opens this spring.
Fifty miles is also the distance – 54 to be precise – that Mercedes-Benz’s brand new plug-in hybrid GLC 350e sport ute can run on zero-emission, stealthy-silent, battery power.
For most of us, that’s more than enough range to cover daily commutes, school runs, trips to Trader Joe’s, and dinners out. Keep it charged and you might not have to add gas for, well, ever.
Mercedes’ much-loved GLC 300 has had hybrid-assist technology since its redesign in 2023. It gets great gas mileage, but can’t run on battery power alone.
That’s where this new 350e comes in. It teams a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 23.3-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a beefy electric motor.
The gas and electric combo delivers a stout 313 horseys and 406 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to zoom you from stoplight to 60 mph in around six seconds.
But to me, it’s the electric part that’s the most fun.
Being a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) means there’s none of that pesky range anxiety that can come with a full electric. When the juice runs out after those 54-or-so miles, there’s the 201-hp gas motor to take over.
And battery power is there to assist when you need a little extra oomph to zip past slower traffic, or merge confidently from an on-ramp. Foot to the floor sprints from standstill are a blast.
I just spent a week with this 2025 GLC 350e and came away thoroughly impressed. For someone not quite ready to take the leap into a fully-electric EV, it’s a great solution.
There are a couple of compromises. The first is weight. When you start adding big batteries and a big, beefy electric motor, you’re lugging around an extra 700-plus pounds. That’s like having two Sumo wrestlers in the back seat.
Then there’s the cost. Compared to the mild-hybrid GLC 300, the 350e adds roughly $7,500 to the sticker. Not a lot, but it puts the compact SUV’s base price at $61,050 or, in the case of our tester, $74,970 nicely-loaded.
But as an all-round package, this new plug-in hybrid Benz is, to me, just hard to beat. It looks terrific, it’s a great size with seats for five and lots of load space, it’s a breeze to park, and you sit up high for great all-round visibility.
It’s fun to drive too. That combo of standard Mercedes 4Matic all-wheel drive and all that battery weight low down under the rear cargo area, gives confident handling and a smooth, comfy ride.
Charging at my apartment building’s ChargePoint Level 2 station, pumping-in around 6kW an hour, had the battery fully charged from pretty much zero to 57 miles in around three hours. Find a DC fast-charging station, and the Merc can accept up to 60 kilowatts, giving an 80 per cent charge in about 30 minutes.
And in a day’s meandering around town, sticking to electric-only power, the 350e ran for an impressive 62 miles before the gas motor kicked in. That’s around double the distance of rival plug-in hybrids, like the Volvo XC60, the Audi Q5 and Lexus NX PHEVs.
Inside, it’s typical, all-luxury, beautifully-built Mercedes-Benz, with stretch-out seating for five, with surprisingly generous kneeroom and headroom in the rear. Spend the extra $1,500 for the huge panorama sunroof to flood the cabin with light; you won’t regret it.
Yes, for that $75,000 price tag of a loaded 350e you could step up into the roomier, more powerful, plug-in GLE 450e, base price $71,350. But you’re down to a 48-mile electric range and you add even more bulk.
No, cut back on the options, stay close to that $61,000 base price, and this GLC 350e is a winner.
