Mercedes-Benz aims too low with GLC200

The less powerful version of the GLC300 lacks firepower and features, but offers a smaller sticker price

- Christopher Tan

Only a brand with supreme confidence in its unwavering fan base can pull off something as bold as Mercedes-Benz has with the GLC200.

Introduced at the 2025 Singapore Motorshow in January, the mid-sized GLC200 does not come with adaptive cruise control as standard fare. This feature—which allows a car to follow the vehicle in front at a safe distance without throttle or brake inputs—is available in many mass-market cars now.

But in the GLC200, it is part of a driving assistance pack which costs $12,200. For a car which is priced at $367,888—with certificate of entitlement (COE), before applicable discounts—the cost option is equivalent to an airline asking you to fork out extra for champagne in Business Class.

The GLC200's price tag is a whopping $150,000 heftier than that of the previous GLC200 in August 2019. The sharp increase has largely to do with the spike in COE prices, an increase in additional registration fee and a higher emission-based surcharge.

The Straits Times first noticed Mercedes' practice of excluding adaptive cruise control from its standard equipment list in the current Mercedes-Benz E200, which was reviewed in February 2024.