Comparison Test: 2027 BMW iX3 vs. Mercedes-Benz GLC400
Wow, a comparison between a BMW and a Mercedes-Benz! Car and Driver is really digging deep into the annals of obscurity with this pairing, eh? While comparing these two German marques is already as popular as a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, there is a fun twist this time around: They’re both electric!
These Teutonic stalwarts are entering brave new territory. The BMW iX3 is the first EV from the Neue Klasse platform, which will also underpin the upcoming i3 sedan. The GLC400 also rides on a new platform, and Mercedes is keen to apply the learnings from the EQXX concept and the CLA-class EV to a larger segment. But which is the better car? Keep reading and find out. (Or spoil it for yourself and scroll to the end. We can’t tell you what to do.)
Marc Urbano|Car and Driver
What We Tested
Right now, both electric SUVs offer just one powertrain, although more variants are soon to come. Their base prices are closely matched, with the BMW starting at $62,850 and the Merc at $64,950. However, options vastly expanded the price delta.
At $75,050, our iX3 50 xDrive had several different option packages, including $4000 to look cooler and pack on more safety tech (the M Sport Professional package); $2500 for traffic-jam and lane-change assists; $1500 for multi-function seats, a panoramic sunroof, and a heated steering wheel; $1200 for a HUD and Harman/Kardon audio; and $750 to make parking easier. A special coat of paint ($650) topped things off.
The GLC400 was even dearer. Our test example carried the $6800 Pinnacle Plus trim, which adds all sorts of fancy features and digital baubles. Another $3950 went toward upgraded driver aids. The Agility & Comfort package, which we’ll bring up later, cost $2900. Various AMG Line aesthetic bits were $3850. Beyond that, there was $1100 for upgraded wheels and $350 for a faux-leather vinyl dashboard. The total rang in at $84,975.
The BMW iX3’s unusual dashboard design.
Exterior and Interior
There is no doubt among our logbook commenters that the BMW iX3 is the more futuristic of the two vehicles, inside and out. The Bimmer’s exterior rights the wrongs of the somewhat awkward gas-powered X3, which didn’t get the full Neue Klasse treatment. This thing looks sharp from the outside, with correctly proportional kidney grilles, a slickly integrated headlight array, and a squarish body with a bit of drama around the fenders. The GLC design takes more of an evolutionary approach; the overall silhouette is largely the same despite its new platform and larger dimensions, but the new taillight arrangement spices things up a bit. And then there’s the massive silver grille, which stands out in all the wrong ways against contrasting body colors.
The interiors drew more polarized opinions. The BMW iX3 has the weirder of the two cabins by far. The primary infotainment touchscreen is huge, high-resolution, and shaped like a parallelogram for some reason. Above that lives a dash-spanning strip that acts as the instrument cluster, putting the most pertinent information at eye level, while allowing for additional features to be displayed closer to the passenger. About half the staff liked it, and the other half (dare we say it, the half that trends older) found it unnecessarily odd. Thankfully, it’s easy to work with over time and is sufficiently customizable. What’s truly gratuitous, though, is that a HUD is available. All that info is right there at eye level already! Save yourself the $1200. Nobody really liked the steering wheel design either.
The Mercedes GLC400’s screen takes up almost the entire dash.
Whereas BMW’s interior drew about a 50/50 blend of love and hate, the GLC400’s interior accrued vastly more derision. The optional A-pillar-to-A-pillar Hyperscreen came in for the most criticism, in part because its flat surface picks up and highlights fingerprints way too easily, and in part because it’s simply too much damn screen. Did Mercedes even need to hire a dashboard designer? Because the dash is largely screen. Thankfully, the system’s bones have been kicking around long enough through various iterations that this setup is dummy-simple to master. Editors also dinged the GLC400 for plasticky trim not befitting the car’s price. But hey, at least these vents are manually adjustable; can’t say the same for the iX3.
Powertrain and Performance
Both electric SUVs here have dual-motor, all-wheel-drive layouts. The iX3 50 xDrive makes 463 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque, while the GLC400 has a bit more vim at 483 horses and 590 pound-feet, as well as a two-speed gearbox on its rear motor to improve high-speed efficiency. But the Merc’s extra power must contend with extra mass; the GLC400 weighs in at 5605 pounds on our scales against the comparatively svelte 5186-pound iX3.
The iX3’s cargo hold.
2027 BMW iX3 50 xDrive
HIGHS: Corner-carving dynamics, cool futuristic looks, fabulous pedal feel.
LOWS: Crashy over imperfect roads, polarizing infotainment layout, wholly unnecessary HUD.
VERDICT: It’d be our choice if we lived on the Nürburgring.
The GLC400’s extra muscle overcomes the extra mass, and the Mercedes wins the acceleration crown, hustling to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and reaching the quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds at 114 mph. That’s just a bit ahead of the BMW, which needs 4.3 seconds to hit 60 and crosses the quarter-mile mark in 12.7 seconds at 113 mph. The GLC400 is also quicker from 5 to 60 mph, and from 30 to 50, while the iX3 snags top honors in the 50–70 sprint.
The GLC400’s cargo hold.
The two vehicles are nearly evenly matched in braking. The GLC400 needs just 160 feet to clamp down from 70 mph, and the iX3 needs 163. The story is the same from 100 mph, where the Merc requires 322 feet, and the BMW asks for 328. The two are also nearly identical around the skidpad: 0.87 g for Mercedes, 0.88 g for BMW.
We saw even greater parity in our 75-mph real-world highway range tests, with both EVs tied at 330 miles of range. That’s a great showing for the Merc, which carries an EPA range estimate of 350 miles; it’s less so for the BMW, which on its 22-inch wheels is EPA estimated at 392 miles. We found further similarities in charging the batteries; both averaged above 180 kilowatts over the course of the fill-up, with the iX3 peaking at 389 kilowatts and the GLC400 topping out at 350 kilowatts.
Marc Urbano|Car and Driver
BMW iX3
Driving Experience
The topic of driving dynamics is where the logbook comments truly diverged. With few exceptions, our editors were not over the moon about the tuning of the iX3’s coil springs and passive dampers. Riding on 22-inch wheels, the BMW felt way too stiff around our rural Michigan evaluation loop. On the smoother pavement, the Bimmer felt fine, but there was vastly more head to
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