ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THRIFTY
These plug-in hybrid SUVs promise luxury and potentially low running costs in equal measure. But which one has the fewest wrinkles?
Lexus NX 4
50h+ F Sport
List price £62,200 Target Price £60,820
Our reigning Plug-in Hybrid of the Year has a plush and practical interior and is good to drive, but its electric-only range is well short of the GLC’s
Photography: John Bradshaw
NEW Mercedes-Benz GLC
300e 4Matic AMG Line Premium
List price £68,210 Target Price £68,210 This new GLC has a classleading official electric range of 80 miles and an ultra-low company car tax rating. But is there more to it than that?
Say you live in London and fancy escaping to the beach for a holiday. You could perhaps head to the beautiful coastal town of Margate, around 80 miles away.
The idea of completing that journey in a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) on battery power alone seemed pretty far-fetched not too long ago. When PHEVs first arrived, you’d be lucky to get 20 miles of pure electric driving from the battery.
Now, though, you’d have a much better chance of success, with PHEVs’ electric ranges climbing to the point where it’s possible to make such a journey (at least officially) without troubling the petrol engine. That 80-mile figure is achieved by the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300e, thanks to a battery that’s larger than what the fully electric Renault Zoe started out with.
So, is it now the best PHEV on sale? That’s what we’re finding out. We’re testing the GLC 300e in AMG Line Premium guise against our current favourite, the Lexus NX 450h+, but this time it’s in sportier mid-range F Sport trim.
DRIVING
Performance, ride, handling, refinement
Our contenders have a strong focus on keeping costs down, but they’re still capable of keeping up with hot hatches in a sprint. The NX produces a combined 305bhp and is the quicker of the pair, getting from 0-60mph in a swift 5.9sec. Despite being slightly more powerful, with 308bhp, the GLC gets to 60mph in 6.4sec – which still matches a Hyundai i20 N.