From the launch of this GLC 300de, prices for the SUV body style were pitched in the £49,000 to £56,000 bracket and there was a choice of 'AMG Line', 'AMG Line Premium' and 'AMG Line Premium Plus' trim levels. For the alternative GLC Coupe body shape, budget for a premium of around £3,000 more. To give you some perspective, this 211hp petrol plug-in hybrid model in SUV form costs around £6,000 more than an equivalently-specified 194hp GLC 220d diesel. A 245hp GLC 300d diesel is around £4,000 less.
At least you get plenty of equipment. Even the base 'AMG Line' trim gets you an AMG body styling kit with a diffuser-look rear apron and 19-inch AMG wheels. Inside at this level, there are AMG sports seats part-trimmed in suede-like DINAMICA microfibre, plus you get a flat-bottomed steering wheel, AMG floor mats, a black fabric roof liner, sports stainless steel pedals and high gloss inlays in grey open-pore oak. You've to go further up the range though, if you want a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and the 'Smartphone integration' system that gives you the missing 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring features. Still, at least if you can stump up to a plusher variant, you get a lot more technology - things like 'MULTIBEAM LED' headlights which can tailor their beam to suit the road you're on and surrounding traffic movements. And something that Mercedes calls 'augmented reality navigation', effectively a live camera feed of the road ahead overlaid with house numbers, road names, direction arrows and other useful bits of information that'll help you find your way.