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Used 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class Consumer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars
41 reviews
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5 out of 5 stars

You've Gotta Drive it!

Steebie, 09/08/2018
2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class GLC 300 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 9A)
35 of 35 people found this review helpful

This 2018 MB GLC300 is really awesome. I've put on 4100 miles on varying roads and highways since purchase date of May 7th. I've owned many MB's including S Class Coupes, E Class sedans and Coupes, and the technology is similar to the GLC300. The Driver Assistance Package is a no-brainer add-on you should consider. My highway mileage at 75mph averages around 31mpg. Non highway I get around 25mpg. The 9 gear transmission is smooth and manual intervention using the steering wheel rocker switches really gives you the performance you need for passing. The lighting package with LED variable and adaptable headlights and automatic hi beam monitoring is a must as well. Upgrading the Burmester radio is also suggested, since it comes with a sub woofer and the sound is so much better on the ear than the standard radio. Others have complained about the air noise at high speeds. There is a noticeable swoosh at high speed, but it's not a deal breaker in that my other MB's also have similar high speed air swooshing. Everyone that has driven with me both as a front seat or rear seat passenger remarks how comfortable the seats and ride are. I opted for MB Tex rather than leather since I really don't see or appreciate any difference, and for the price savings, go for it. The Climate Control is excellent, and quickly cools the car in seconds rather than minutes after sitting in the sun for awhile. There's plenty of space for hauling groceries, or golf clubs, and under the inside rear where you would normally find a spare tire, there is additional storage space that really adds to total storage. With the Driver Assistance Package comes many safety options including auto steering, lane control, distance controllable cruise control, safety emergency braking to mention a few; it's worth the upgrade price. The Navigation system upgrade is also a no-brainer, and with the Mercedes Me App, you can send destinations to your GLC300. I also found that when I'm searching for a particular POI, the onboard internet finds what I'm looking for if it's not on the Master File of POI's in the command module. I urge that you not only test drive the GLC300, but also request a loaner to drive for a few days so you can really make a considered buy decision.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

My First Mercedes Benz

JJ in Arizona, 11/14/2018
updated 11/14/2019
2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class GLC 300 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 9A)
36 of 37 people found this review helpful

I am a retired senior and love SUV's. Ease of entrance and exit are paramount. I have owned Honda CRV's (x3), Acura RDX, BMW X1 and a BMW X3. I have to say that the Mercedes Benz is the best of the lot. While all these vehicles offer something better than the next the overall star in the pack is the GLC. The very first thing that you will notice when driving is the SILENCE and SOLITUDE inside the vehicle. It is far and away the quietest SUV of the above selection. The ride is in the upper part of the pack and equivalent to the RDX. Handling is a tad below the BMW's but the ride is WAY better. Both my BMW's rode like Corvette's. Harsh and when you hit a pot hole everyone in the vehicle knew it. Not so with the MB. Not to soft and not too harsh. Just what I was looking for. While the CRV's are great bang for the buck, they are plagued with high road noise to the point that they are fatiguing after a few hours behind the windshield. Additionally, the Seats on the MB are THE best. Just enough bolster to hold you in place and not enough to hinder ingress and egress. The X1 equipped with Sport Pac buckets was made for young men with lots of testosterone. At mid life one grows out of taking corners at Wide Open Throttle. The MB still performs on corners but does so softly. I really appreciate the Heads Up display as it gives the MPH posted for the highway that you are on. Don't know how they do that?! But it's a nice feature to always know the legal speed limits. While Edmond's & Consumer Reports and others have marginalized the GLC ... I for one who has owned and driven a new car yearly for the past four years, feel that you will fall in love with the GLC. All around the Pick of the Litter. Not the Cheapest, but clearly the best. And did I mention pride of ownership??

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Best car I have ever owned!

Kris, 12/08/2017
updated 07/02/2018
2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class AMG GLC 43 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 9A)
45 of 47 people found this review helpful

This is the best riding and driving car that I have ever owned! I traded in my 2011 Mercedes E350 sedan because I wanted to ride higher and have a smaller SUV than my husband's Acura MDX (along with all the new Mercedes safety technology). We ordered the AMG GLC 43 AWD and added the upgraded lighting package, active parking package, Garmin navigation as well as Apple CarPlay and the heated/ventilated front seats and heated steering wheel. This is the 1st car that I have looked forward to driving every morning. The acceleration of the AMG engine, steering, turning radius and braking are fabulous! I don't miss the Mercedes COMAND system at all! Using the Garmin navigation (installed with a SD card in the center console) works with the head-up display. And I have used Apple CarPlay separately with no problems (as long as you have cell phone service, but does not display on the heads-up windshield display). The Acura MDX is more "cushy" in the front seats and has the active lane assist and adaptive cruise control (that I did not get since you have to buy the COMAND system with navigation to get the Mercedes Distronic systems and I specifically wanted Apple CarPlay and Garmin navigation too). My husband wants to drive the AMG more than the MDX because the driving experience is actually fun! I highly recommend this car. UPDATE: After 7 months of owning this car I have had zero issues or complaints. Once a car going the opposite direction turned right in front of me and I had to swerve going 45 mph and the car handling was perfect and I avoided a head-on collision. The A/C is great in the hot weather. I have used the Apple CarPlay more than the Garmin navigation and either way works great. I have really liked having the heads up display on the windshield and will try to have that on all future cars. My daughter loves this car too and wants me to give it to her someday... I would buy this car again for sure!

Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Comfortable, Quiet, Safe - and Complex

Ralph, 01/03/2019
2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class GLC 350e 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric hybrid 7A)
14 of 14 people found this review helpful

I have leased a 2018 GLC 350e for almost 4 months now, and here are my early impressions. If you are looking for an incredibly comfortable, safe, and quiet SUV/Crossover for 1-4 occupants, look no further. First, this is a great looking vehicle on the outside, particularly in the Selenite Grey in my humble opinion. Second, the interior (as per almost every review) is executed perfectly, not only in ambiance, design and materials, but in fit and finish as well. The driver’s seat is the most comfortable I have ever experienced and the lumbar support is truly exceptional. Lengthy trips on the highway are effortless behind the wheel. Seating position and visibility are outstanding. Road noise is low, although I agree with one of the earlier reviews that wind noise around the windshield (while minimal) is noticeable at highway speeds. The sound system is superb, especially once you have adjusted the audio controls to find surround sound and equalizer/balance/fade settings that suit you. The climate control system is extremely quick to reach the temperature you desire, on both hot and cold days. Once you have acquired the muscle memory for the controls in this vehicle (which admittedly takes a while), the entire driving experience exudes quality and control. The 350e is a relatively rare model, as it is the plug-in hybrid. This is not for everyone. If you take very short trips on most days, and occasional long trips, then it might be a good fit. Otherwise, you might prefer to stick with the gasoline-only version (for reasons that are too numerous for this review.) The EV-only mode is delightful: silent and smooth and propels this extremely heavy vehicle (almost 4,700 pounds) with little effort even at highway speeds. However, the battery will only provide a precious few miles in that mode. In Hybrid mode, you get very good gas mileage (especially around town, as you primarily use the electric motor), and extend the battery life somewhat as the gas engine kicks in when needed. I am averaging 27 to 28 mpg overall, between city and highway driving, which is pretty good (although far from exceptional) for a all-wheel drive SUV of this capability and weight. The transition between electric motor and gas engine is fairly seamless and likely noticeable only to the driver. If you really want to optimize your mpg, you can manually adjust between modes (EV-only, Hybrid, E-Save, and Charge) during your trip. You can also adjust your driving mode between Economy, Comfort, Sport and Sport+ which impacts handling and mpg. Things get fairly complicated if you continuously adjust all of the above settings, but there is no need to do so as you can just set-and-forget and let the vehicle do its thing if you wish. So far, I have found zero quality defects, other than extreme frustration over the remote access systems (Mercedes Me and the mBrace My Mercedes Electric, neither of which work as advertised). If you do decide the 350e is for you, I would highly recommend leasing rather than purchasing for multiple reasons. Finally, while I do agree with other reviewers that some of the technology “gizmos” are rather complicated in this vehicle, on balance I am willing to accept that given the outstanding fundamental qualities offered in the GLC 350e.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Great car - terrible technology

Steve - SE PA, 11/05/2017
updated 11/16/2018
2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class GLC 300 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 9A)
56 of 61 people found this review helpful

UPDATE 2 (Edmunds sent a reminder, so why not): Two tweaks - 1) MB applied an update that enables me to connect my iPhone and play music via the bluetooth connection - that wasn't working before. Clunky, but at least it works; 2) MB of West Chester seems to be getting their act together - my last service experience was much better in terms of scheduling and the time it took to get the work done (just an inspection - nothing wrong with the car). Other than that, reviews below still stand - great car, 2011 technology. UPDATE from original review below: After 9 months of ownership, I can say that this is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. Rides great, seats great on longer drives (we take it to our beach house), lots of storage space (thanks to no spare) - and great mileage. Much more 'elegant' ride that my wife's BMW - but I still have to say that the BMW technology is way better than the MB. I am stunned that in the GLC300 the satnav is so clunky, the bluetooth interface is poor (no Apple Carplay), there are no standard distance sensors for parking - some work to do there. In addition, the BMW comes with service included - and if you live in SE Pennsylvania, from personal experience Otto's BMW is way better than MB of West Chester when it comes to customer care. So while I like the GLC300, when I take the technology and entire ownership experience into account, I would probably go with an X3 if I was buying again today. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I have owned a black 2018 GLC300 for three months now, and it is a great car - comfortable, good performance, lots of nice features, looks classy. Gas mileage is very good - much better than I expected. My only niggle with the ride is that the car can judder on bumps - I have the upgraded wheels, and I have read in other reviews that the larger wheels can be detrimental to the ride - I can attest that those reviews are accurate. Not a huge deal, but noticeable. Another niggle on a car at this price point is that the park distance control sensors are not included on anything but the highest package (I got premium package 1, not 2). Again, not the end of the world, but a bit surprising - I made the mistake of assuming that it was there. However, the reason I would not buy this car again is the horrendous technology and interface system for the radio, nav, and media devices - I feel like I have gone back in time 10 years to before the iPhone. Perhaps that seems like a silly reason not to buy a car, but since all of the cars at this level are so similar (BMW, Merc, Jag, Acura, etc), it becomes a bigger deal. Compared to the others, it is terrible. Voice recognition does not work for the phone, and it is so clunky for nav it is not usable. I will get by using my iPhone - with google maps and siri I don't really need the features on the car, but it's disappointing. So - depends on what your priorities are - car is great, but if you want some technology from this decade, go with a BMW or some other car (my wife drives a Mini, which has the BMW tech, and it's great). Last note for those in SE Pennsylvania - MB West Chester was fine during the purchase process, but I am surprised that there has been no follow up at all - when I compare that to the follow up from Otto's Mini (those guys are great) or other dealers from whom I have bought a car, a bit surprising. I haven't needed to speak to them, but do think that a lack of follow up reflects the management of the dealership (perhaps it was me or this is a one off). All the best in your car search.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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