Price position puts first-out ‘400 4Matic’ on collision course with a certain BMW aiming at a common customer.

LESS driving range, more power and torque and around the same asking price - announcement of detail of how Mercedes’ first electric GLC will initially place here suggests a game-on strategy against a specific arch-rival.

Launching initially as a GLC 400 4Matic with more variants set to be added, likely sometime in 2027, the Benz’s new product seems positioned to demand comparison with the BMW iX3 that precedes it into market.

Both cars are similar in size and social status; the BMW in its iX3 50 xDrive format has a decent range advantage - 805 kilometres WLTP maximum, against 630km for the Benz - but also delivers with less power and torque, 345kW and 645Nm against the new rival’s 360kW and 800Nm.

Price-wise, they basically knock heads. At $126,000, the Benz is just $100 more than the BMW, but that’s when it’s bought in a restricted count Limited Edition that lacks a glatworthy technical element - the new MBUX Superscreen - that most buyers will surely desire.

With that, the GLC 400 goes to $128,900. The Benz also has options to bump up the price further by some distance, but so does the BMW.

Both cars run on new platforms featuring an 800-volt architecture.

Benz’s has with DC fast charging at up to 330kW in ideal conditions. Achieve those and it can add up to 300km of range in just 10 minutes. For those charging at home, it can also be charged at up to 22kW using AC power.

The 94.4kWh NMC battery offers energy consumption of 17.1kWh/100km.

The dual-motor electric drivetrain provisions a claimed 0-100kmh sprint time of 4.3 seconds, so 0.6s ahead of the BMW.

A two-speed transmission mounted on the rear axle features for “maximum efficiency across the entire speed range”, according to Mercedes-Benz.

Standard equipment for the GLC 400 4Matic includes the ‘MBUX Superscreen’ infotainment incorporating a 14-inch central touchscreen and a 10.3-inch front passenger screen.

The Limited Edition that divests the Superscreen for a static front passenger screen. That model also features black upholstery. This for a $2900 saving.

It’s also a software-defined vehicle. the new MB.OS software doesn't just control the cabin displays and all their background electronic stuff, but also manages and controls the whole car from the digital driver aids to the battery conditioning.

Mercedes says that at the heart of the system is an 'AI-driven superbrain' which can run 254 trillion operations per second. The idea is that the system learns from you and adapts automatically to your preferences, and Mercedes reckons that its constant over-the-air software improvements mean that the GLC electric will actually get better as it ages.

The new car also has Artico imitation leather, approved by the Vegan Association (the German bad back association has signed off on the seats) and brown open-pore birch wood trim, AMG Line and AMG Line Sport Seat Packages, heated front seats with memory functionality, a panoramic glass roof, heat- and noise-insulating glass and rear privacy glass.

The company’s ‘MB.Drive’ assistance system features eight cameras with a front mid-range radar, four corner radar sensors and 12 ultrasonic sensors to support systems such as adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping assistance, evasive steering assistance, exit warning and manoeuvring assistance with low speed automatic braking. Mercedes’ Digital Lights are standard with adaptive high beam, while a head-up display also features as standard.

Metallic paintwork is standard, as is the AMG Line with sportier styling and 21-inch AMG alloy wheels, while the Night Styling with high-gloss black exterior accents and a dark chrome grille also feature.

Compared to internal combustion variants of the GLC, the electric model is 84mm longer between the wheels at 2972mm.

With 570 litres (rear seats up) to 1740 litre (rear seats folded), the boot is smaller by 50-60 litres than the fossil fuelled editions offer, but the electric GLC has something they don’t, for obvious reasons: A 128-litre frunk.

Cabin space-wise, the electric wins over the ICE GLC, with 13mm more legroom and 46mm more headroom up front, while rear passengers achieve 47mm more legroom and 17mm more headroom.

Towing seems a thing. It can cope with 2400kg on a braked trailer, and the tow-hitch itself can cope with a 100kg down load, so you can attach a bike rack.

The options list for the GLC 400 4Matic is short, and includes only a $8200 Luxury Package with heated and ventilated front sport seats with massage functionality, heated rear seats, an illuminated star pattern in the panoramic roof, Digital Light projection functionality for the headlights, a Burmester high-end 4D surround sound system, the 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen, active lane change and steering assistance and the Pre-Safe Impulse Side side collision protection system.

There’s also the $5200 Agility and Comfort Package, which introduces Airmatic air suspension and rear-axle steering, and finally, for $1100, aluminium-look running boards with rubber studs can also be added for more comfortable entry and exit.

The most obvious styling feature is set to be the most obvious talking point is. That grille. Actually, a backlit shield, as it has no functional purpose.

It’s all about a future-forward car looking back to history. Mercedes styling boss Gordon Wagener has referenced the 1950s 'Ponton' Mercedes sedan as the inspiration. The PR spiel is that sit “embodies the classic proportions of a Mercedes-Benz midsize SUV in a modern and captivating way.”

Mercedes Benz NZ says the car is now available to order.