So far, Mercedes-Benz’s electrification efforts haven’t really gone the way it hoped they would. So, it’s doing a bit of a reset with the all-new, all-electric 2026 GLC. Poised as a direct rival to the also-just-unveiled BMW iX3, the GLC with EQ Technology (that is its full name, by the way) launches a whole new design language, interior tech catering fully to the AI generation, and brings back the volume knob.
It wouldn’t be a soft reboot without a visual overhaul, and the electric GLC indeed gets a design that’s arguably unlike any production Mercedes before it.
There’s a new and very imposing signature front grille that lights up brighter than the average Christmas tree—Mercedes is finally joining a longstanding luxury car bandwagon it’s largely sidestepped up until this point.
The rear, meanwhile, gets a taillight bar reminiscent of the Concept AMG GT XX that recently broke a bunch of EV distance records, running continuously for at 186 mph for more than seven-and-a-half days straight… which itself traces roots from the Wankel-powered C111 Concept from the ’60s and ’70s. I don’t think it’s a crazy thing to say that I like the back of this car a lot more than I like the front, but perhaps this is one of those vehicles that’s better appreciated in the metal rather than in pictures.
The Car Stuff
Launching as a GLC 400 4Matic, this car will make 483 horsepower from two electric motors and boast a Benz-estimated 443 miles of range on the WLTP cycle thanks to a new-gen 94-kWh battery.
That battery, helped by an 800-volt electric architecture, is said to charge much quicker than before, with a max DC fast charge speed of 330 kW and Mercedes forecasting 188 miles of range recoupable in 10 minutes. The battery itself now uses less cobalt and is fastened by screws rather than adhesives for easier serviceability and replacement.
Two electric motors provide thrust, and the one on the rear axle actually uses a two-speed transmission à la the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT to better balance performance and efficiency. First gear has a 11:1 ratio for better off-the-line acceleration, towing, and city efficiency while the 5:1 second gear is better for high-speed power delivery and highway cruising. Acceleration figures are TBD, but the GLC 400 is electronically limited to 130 mph.
Other driving-related tech includes a new “One-Box” braking system that’s said to improve pedal feel (a sore point with some entry-level Benzes I’ve driven) while maximizing the use of regenerative braking over physical wheel brakes. Available intelligent air suspension is inherited from the S-Class, you can opt for 4.5 degrees of rear-wheel steering, a Terrain Mode and “transparent hood” camera functionality gives it some off-road cred, while 10 cameras, five radar sensors, and 12 ultrasonic sensor combine to make up MB.DRIVE ADAS.
As a transportation device, this is more spacious than the gas GLC—the wheelbase is 3.3 inches longer than that car—and it’s able to tow up to 5,291 pounds. Unlike some earlier electric Benzes, where the front is actually locked, the electric GLC has a 4.5-cubic-foot frunk.
The Tech
The GLC’s new, optional 39.1-inch Hyperscreen inside is the biggest continuous MB display to date and arguably the star of the show—the EQS’ “56-inch” screen was, in reality, three screens masquerading as one, and lower GLC trims will still use something similar. The top GLC Hyperscreen, though, is truly one big unit. It all runs on an “AI-driven MB.OX supercomputer” said to control everything the car does, from infotainment to ADAS to charging. AI is used to learn your preferences, and it’s all hooked up to the Mercedes cloud to receive updates.
MBUX’s virtual assistant uses both Microsoft Bing Search and the infamously agreeable ChatGPT-4o to answer virtually any question you can throw at it (e.g., “What is the meaning of life?”) while a Google Gemini-developed, Google Maps-accessing model handles navigation-related queries. Don’t worry, iPhone users, Apple CarPlay is still seemingly around, as it is mentioned once in Benz’s 29-page release in a blurb about Dolby Atmos audio. Android Auto, however, goes conspicuously unmentioned.
It’s not all bad news for Luddites, though, because MB has brought back physical controls on the steering wheel for cruise control and volume adjustments, specifically citing customer feedback. There’s even a physical volume roller on the center console again.
Other physical interior niceties include new seats, active ambient lighting, a third-party certified Vegan Package, and a standard pano roof with the option of Sky Control that lets you choose between transparent and opaque in nine zones and incorporates 162 illuminatable “stars” in the glass.
What If I Want One?
Pricing for the Mercedes-Benz GLC 400 4Matic with EQ Technology (what a name) is TBD but Merc says it’ll drop in the U.S. starting the second half of 2026, potentially making this a 2027 model year vehicle. If I had to guess, I’d predict a starting price similar to that of the BMW iX3, so somewhere around $60,000.
The ugly grille is everything wrong with this. I’m guessing they sacrificed aerodynamics (and pedestrian safety of course) to put that stupid flat oversized sheet of plastic on there.
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I……actually kind of want it.
The rear’s kinda nice, reminds me of the cyber bugs in Wreck It Ralph. But I think Mazda did the whole lit-up-circles-Heckblende thing better with the 6e (I am biased though, really close to pulling the trigger on one)
The front though, oof 🙁 Even the Changli’s knockoff MB cousins look more consistent.
What’s up with the German automakers grille-fetish? This grille is about as subtle and classy as Trump’s massive shoulder pads and is the semantics a case of fragile masculinity? Where the loss of both noise and smell in the transition to an ev-platform has to be compensated with a large, in-your-face grille?
That grille looks like it came off a completely different, much gaudier car. Also that big ol screen on the dash sounds like it’d be a nightmare to replace if, say, one side of it started failing, not to mention the likely eye-watering cost. The luxo-Germans have really lost their mojo in the electric transition, wow.
This is rather horrendous. Das hässlichste.
It’s a cliché to say each part of something looks like it was made with a different team of designers, but holy hell.
I agree. This looks like Mercedes copied the outside of our 2021 Highland Hybrid (which is awesome for its MPG and horrific for everything else), and then sketched out the exterior design wearing blindfolds.
It’s a Chinese MB knockoff, right?
…
Right?
The Mercedes logo in the lights looks tacky and cheap, the screen covering the whole dash is dumb and the complete opposite of what other manufacturers are (smartly) doing which is adding physical controls back and the grille is better than the plastic soap bar Mercedes was doing with their EVs before, but there’s still no point in such a complex and likely expensive grille. There must be a better way to design an EV that doesn’t look this stupid.
Well the slow return of physical controls I think shows that car makers can listen to feedback, and with long product development cycles they’re finally acting on it. I’ll take it.
Other than that, it really feels like some automakers want their EVs to fail. It’s the only explanation for this…. thing.
The new BMW model and (if Chris is right) this one are priced aggressively (to the good). That’s an interesting strategy!
That grille. Why?
I thought they were going to try to make their TVs less ugly but oh my god that’s so bad! This isn’t even GTA car level, this is like a generic car out of a video game that’s like 2 tiers lower
Holy fuck that is one of the ugliest cars I’ve ever seen – even worse than the mess that BMW has been producing for a few years now.
Nothing cohesive about the design. Like you took that massive grill from one car, used the headlights from another, taillights from another still, and slapped them onto some overly designed sheetmetal. The half-circles of the taillights look so amateur-hour. Same with the DRLs of the headlights. Very cartoonish.
At least with the BMW massive grills, you know they were looking for a shock-factor. Something big and bold that was in your face, but with this M-B design they probably thought this was a handsome design. And that’s makes it sad.
ooof
Taking bets on if the Ai integration is part of a subscription service?
How much will they knock off the purchase price to decline the free trial period?
I’d be delighted not to pay for it.
The AI bubble can’t pop soon enough.
It’s the new “blockchain”.
This Mercedes’ specs all seem mostly worse than the BMW iX3’s, so it better be priced well.
Against the iX3:
– Battery: 94kWh vs 109kWh
– WLTP range: 443mi vs 501mi
– 10-80% charge time: 24 vs 21 mins
– Peak charge rate: 330kW vs 400kW
– WLTP efficiency: 4.7 vs 4.6 mi/kWh
– Power: 483 vs 463hp
The Merc could make back some of the difference with better high speed efficiency (2-speed gearbox), lighter weight (15kWh battery is ~75kg/165lb), and the fact that the BMW needs 400kW to achieve 10-80% in 21 minutes when US chargers are generally capped at 350kW (similar chargers reach 400kW in EU).
“max DC fast charge speed of 330 kW and … 188 miles … in 10 minutes”
That’s 188/443=42.4% or 40kWh in 10 minutes, which is an average of 240kW, and assuming that started at 10% charge, 111kW average for the remaining 14 minutes to 80%.
The iX3 is a mighty, mighty compelling product on paper.
The light up front end is garish, but this is a vast improvement over their current EV styling.
I actually don’t mind the exterior styling but that interior that’s quite literally one giant screen is a crime against humanity
Not sure about the rest, but I love the 3 pointed stars in the headlights and taillights.
LOOK AT ME, I’M DRIVING A MERCEDES-BENZ!!!!!!!!!!
“Didn’t you see all the Mercedes logos everywhere! Look, every single light has one”
what an ugly mofo… Can’t believe they’re stealing some mazda design cues from the rear yet make it look horrid
So MB saw BMWs recent grilles and said, “I can do that too!”
That’s not a car.
And that’s not a knob.
It’s a thumbwheel.
In an AI appliance.
I don’t understand how Mercedes Benz is so bad at styling their EVs yet can style their gas cars so well (for the most part).
Most of their ICE cars have been pretty horrible for years now, just no one was willing to admit it because of their rich history.
You slap that 3-pointed star on anything, and there is a percent of the population that are label-whores that will magically like the car regardless of how bad it is.
And because they’re German and not domestic, they can never suffer reputational harm, even after the Daimler Chrysler disaster. Cadillac is still made fun of for the Cimmaron from the 80s, but don’t worry – no German car company could misstep!
Exactly. German brands always get a free-pass when it comes to their shit quality. Even to this day, people still consider German cars to be high quality, even though they have been mostly in the lower 1/2 of quality ratings for over a decade. They literally are down near the bottom next to Dodge and Jeep and yet the average person on the street would put them up near Lexus. It’s wild what marketing can do!
Agree. Their style offerings lately have been aughts Toyota. Boring as f. My thought about MB is: if you see one coming down the road you know instantly what it is: a brick shithouse of speed style and chutzpah with a big mB star on the hood. Light that up for the win. That grill looks jc Whitney
Well, it doesn’t look like an EQ model… That’s all I really have to say about that