2018 MERCEDES-BENZ GLC-Class

Great car - terrible technology

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 2 Value Rating: 4

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.