Driving After Dark: 2021 Mercedes GLC 300

Article content

There’s something special about driving in the dark. Take away the sun, and the city lights, you take away much of the scenery. It’s a more concentrated form of the “car, driver, and road” relationship that many drivers cherish.

Article content

When all is dark, that’s all there is: just you, your machine, and whatever is visible in the headlights up the road.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Driving After Dark: 2021 Mercedes GLC 300 Back to video

I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of kilometres driving after dark, in hundreds of different cars, and I’ve enjoyed telling readers about the benefits of a high-performing headlight system for some years now.

I recently gathered some after-dark driving impressions of the 2021 Mercedes GLC 300, a popular luxury crossover from a brand I’ve noted to do an excellent job of creating a fantastic  after-dark environment for the driver on numerous recent test-drives.

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 7 Photos

1 of 7

All 7 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

If you’re a shopper considering a GLC 300, I hope you’ll find the following impressions of it’s after-dark drive to be useful.  After all, you don’t usually get to see your luxury SUV’s new headlights in action until after it’s been bought and paid for. The same goes for its after-dark interior — the second interior that luxury car designers have to create. 

Recent updates to the Mercedes GLC 300 have improved the nighttime drive.  High-performance LED headlights with a new design are now standard. The new design rolled out for model-year 2020 with a smaller, thinner, and re-shaped housing that gives the GLC a new after-dark lighting signature as it goes down the road.

As the LED technology that powers lighting systems like this continues to advance, it’ll get smaller and thinner, which gives designers the ability to do more creative things with it. From the driver’s seat, the GLC 300’s standard LED lighting system impresses with a pure white lighting, excellent spread and saturation of forward illumination, and solid reach with plenty of light cast into tree-lines and culverts.

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 7 Photos

1 of 7

All 7 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

By making sure drivers have plenty of light where they need it and almost none where they don’t, the eyes are more easily able to settle in and focus on what matters.

Elsewhere, the latest infotainment system and associated displays give my tester new high-resolution readouts that are easier to read from a glance and less distracting. The Mercedes MBUX system makes use of improved touch and voice command functionality, which makes it easier to manipulate the system without taking your eyes off of the road, or hands off of the wheel. 

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 4 Photos

1 of 4

All 4 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

From behind the powerful headlights, drivers are faced with high-quality displays that are clear and crisp, even when dimmed significantly. Manipulating numerous functions can be handled with a simple spoken command, or a little tap and slide on the steering-wheel mounted track-pads. 

To sum up, drivers get a high-performing standard lighting system, easy-on-the-eyes display tech, and easy access to a multitude of functions via simple voice command. This makes it easy to get into ‘the zone’ after dark, that is, comfortable, connected, focused, and alert.

Lighting on other models

Mercedes does some pretty killer lighting on more affordable models, including coupes and sedans, too.  The A220 impressed with a knockout-for-the-dollar cabin on a past test-drive, with off-the-charts ambient lighting tech. Up front? A similarly high-performing set of LED headlights for that all important combination of a great looking cabin, and great looking lighting up the road.  The CLA 250, I figured, was a great four-door coupe for drivers looking to spoil themselves, and the expanded use of ambient cabin lighting really pumping up the after-dark ambiance.

Article content

The E63 AMG’s after-dark drive takes things to the extreme — with more customization, and increased use of spotlighting and lighting zones to playfully highlight various curvaceous or glossy surfaces.  There are even responsive LCD display screens embedded within certain controls on the steering wheel. Turn the heat up or down, and your selection is confirmed with an animated, coloured flash of the interior lights.  Hop aboard as the sun goes down, and it’s like you’re taking the helm of a battleship from a sci-fi movie. The result, from the driver’s seat, is an incredible array of very beautiful, glowing, digitized scenery looking back at you. It’s remarkably energizing, too.

The most memorable after-dark drive I’ve ever had comes not from a Mercedes, though — but a Cadillac.  By way of its massive wrap-around OLED display screen, augmented reality cameras, and exceptional display graphics, the new Cadillac Escalade’s designers have set drivers up with some of the most brilliant-looking display tech on the road today.   The incredibly precise graphics and total lack of light leakage from unlit pixels mean the displays are incredibly easy on the driver’s eyes. Ditto the potent LED headlights that illuminate the way ahead — with plenty of light cast peripherally into tree-lines and culverts.

Article content

Jump on board as the sun’s going down and watch the start-up animation before all of the high-tech features and functions glow into action, or watch the rear camera mirror system which provides a safer, clearer view rearward, and it feels like you’re driving your very own sci-fi space-craft. From that expansive array of cutting-edge display tech, you’re also enjoying a creamy, library-quiet highway drive, too.

Big picture? This is all part of a battle that’s being waged for the ultimate after-dark driving experience, as automakers compete with display tech and LED accent lighting to create interiors designed to impress, by day and night, better than the other guys. On the customer side, it spells more value, and increased after-dark driving confidence  from your new luxury car or crossover.