The 2025 Mercedes GLC PHEV Electric SUV Is Coming To The US: Why That's A Good Thing

Mercedes-Benz seems to be doubling down on its plug-in hybrid efforts in the North American market of late. A little over a week after the company announced the 2025 Mercedes-AMG E 53 plug-in hybrid sedan, the German automobile marque has followed that up with the launch of the 2025 GLC 350e 4MATIC SUV in the country. Interestingly, Mercedes already sells a mild-hybrid variant of the GLC 300 in the U.S. that features a 2-liter, 255 hp ICE engine.

The 2025 GLC 350e retains the same design language, features, and options as its ICE counterpart while also adding a bunch of EV-focused features. Being a plug-in hybrid, the car continues to use the familiar 2-liter engine as its ICE counterpart, albeit with lower power figures (201 hp as opposed to 255 hp). However, with output from the 134 hp electric motor, the combined power output on the GLC 350e goes up to 313 hp. The combined torque figure — at 406 lb-ft — is much higher than that of the ICE variant, which generates 295 lb-ft of torque between 2,000-3,200 rpm.

This hybrid powertrain combination is good enough to propel the car to an electronically limited top speed of 135 mph. In pure EV mode, the top speed drops to a relatively sedate 87 mph. With a claimed 0-60 time of 6.6 seconds, the Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e PHEV is slightly slower than its ICE counterpart, which does the same in roughly 6.2 seconds.

If not already evident from the tech specs, the 2025 GLC 350e is almost as powerful as its ICE counterpart. Where it differs significantly from the latter is the incredibly efficient manner in which this performance is made available to the end user.

Because it is a PHEV, it has all the advantages that come with it. For example, the car can handle short intra-city trips without ever switching to the internal combustion engine. This not only translates to lower emissions but also makes the SUV incredibly fuel efficient. The car has a WLTP range of 130 km on a single charge. The vehicle also gets several drive modes that let users further optimize their trips. Given that it can easily switch to ICE mode in the absence of a charger, range anxiety is not something prospective owners ever have to contend with.

The 2025 Mercedes GLC 350e comes in two trim levels: Exclusive and Premier. The standard list of equipment on both these variants includes a 12.3-inch instrument panel, an 11.9-inch infotainment display, heated seats with memory function, 64-color ambient lighting, and rain-sensing wipers. All variants also have lots of security features, including Active Bake Assist, Attention Assist, Blind Spot Assist, and Parktronic.

While pricing for the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e 4MATIC SUV is yet to be announced, we do know that the cars will arrive at select dealers across the U.S. in the second half of 2024.