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The new for 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC comes at a unique time for Mercedes. Mercedes is trying to move to an all-electric future, but it still needs to produce gasoline-powered cars and SUVs. The new for 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC is also an important SUV for Mercedes because it sells well. So, it’s investing heavily in hybrid power, and throwing as much of it as it can into the GLC. It is available only as a hybrid, but there are six versions. You can order it either as a plug-in version or as a mild hybrid in four gas versions and two diesel versions, all with a 48-volt motor. The new plug-in version will have a range of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) in EV mode.

How much power does the new  GLC have?

The 2023 Mercedes GLC
The 2023 Mercedes GLC | MErcedes Benz

The new GLC has engines from Mercedes’s Family of Modular Engines which are designed to be electrified. The new engines are exclusively four-cylinders, and each is a hybrid. The new engines offer up to 254 horsepower in gas models, and 261 horsepower in the diesel model, and 22 more horsepower is added from the hybrid motor.

But, and this is a big but, the electric motor adds 147 lb.-ft of torque. That’s an incredible amount of juice that boosts towing and acceleration. That electric motor can power the GLC silently off-road, too. ALL GLCs have a quick-shifting nine-speed automatic.

How does the starter-generator help?

The interior of the 2023 Mercedes GLC showing the Off-Road Mode
The interior of the 2023 Mercedes GLC showing Off-Road Mode | Mercedes-Benz

The integrated starter-generator will be great for all of us who hate clunky start/stop systems at stoplights. Mercedes says the starter is nearly imperceptible when it starts the engine. The new system allows the new 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC to “glide,” as Benz says. In addition, you can also boost or recoup power with the new system.

The 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC plug-in brings AIRMATIC suspension

The 2023 Mercedes GLC off road
The new GLC is designed to go off-road and has several new options to help.

If you order the plug-in hybrid version, you automatically get the Mercedes AIRMATIC air suspension. The air suspension has auto-leveling, so if you load up the back the headlights won’t hit the sky. Also, the AIRMATIC suspension can raise the GLC’s ride height for traveling off-road. Full electric power is available for 62 miles, and up to 86 miles per hour.

The plug-in version has an optional 60 kilowatt DC charger that can fully charge the 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC in 30 minutes. You can also boost the power of the electric motor when you decelerate or when you go down a hill. The GLC turns the generator to make electrical power.

What are the models of the 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC?

A white Mercedes Benz GLC off-road
2023 Mercedes Benz GLC | Mercedes-Benz

The new GLC comes in three different versions. Mercedes has not released prices yet. The base model will be the new GLC 200 4MATIC with 204 horsepower, the GLC 300 4MATIC with 258 horsepower, and the GLC 220 d, or diesel, that makes 197 horsepower and a monstrous 324 lb.-ft.

You can spot the plug-in versions by the little “e” added on. They come in GLC 300 e 4Matic, GLC 400 e 4MATIC and the GLC 300 de 4MATIC. The 4MATIC refers to Mercedes’s all-wheel drive system.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.