Some drives feel purely practical — errands strung together by stoplights and coffee runs.
Others feel indulgent — a meandering route where the scenery is as important as the destination.
And then there are drives like this one, where the path is both familiar and transformed by the machine beneath you.
Lincolnwood to Rogers Park: A Trip Elevated
Starting in Lincolnwood, threading through Skokie’s cultural corridor, cutting past downtown Chicago’s iconic skyline, and ending on the breezy lakefront streets of Rogers Park, the trip is a study in contrasts.
In the all-new 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC Hybrid, those contrasts become seamless chapters in a single, fluid story.
The morning begins in Lincolnwood, where broad, leafy streets give way to low-slung shopping centers and corner cafés.
This is the kind of suburb where you can hear your car door close — and in the GLC Hybrid, that sound is a soft, satisfying note engineered for acoustic comfort. As you press the start button, there’s no ignition growl, just the instant readiness of a fully hybrid powertrain.
The new illuminated grille, with its chrome frame and 942 animated LED dots, is as much a statement piece as the architecture on nearby Crawford Avenue. Mercedes-Benz calls this design language “the face of the future,” and in person, it feels both striking and calm.
Heading toward Skokie, the ride is smooth in that almost surreal way only air suspension can deliver. The GLC’s AIRMATIC® system absorbs the minor imperfections in Touhy Avenue, while its rear-axle steering makes tight corners feel like gentle bends. The MBUX Superscreen arcs across the dash in front of you, three integrated displays running the new MB.OS system.
It’s intuitive enough that you barely think about it — just a casual “Hey Mercedes, find a coffee shop in Skokie” and your next stop is plotted, complete with augmented reality turn cues projected directly over a live feed of the road ahead.
Skokie is a patchwork of global flavors and quiet green spaces. The Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park slides by on your right, glimpses of large-scale art installations flashing between trees. You pull in at a local café, and while you sip, the GLC is already charging — thanks to its 800-volt architecture, adding well over 200 miles of range in roughly 10 minutes at a DC fast charger. No fuss, no wasted time, just enough to carry you easily through the day’s journey and back again.
From here, the route south toward downtown Chicago feels like an unfolding panorama.
The lake appears suddenly to your left, its surface shifting from deep slate to shimmering silver in the morning light. Lake Shore Drive offers a perfect stage for the GLC Hybrid’s dual-motor all-wheel-drive system — smooth yet unyielding, with enough instant torque to make merging feel effortless. Even at higher speeds, the cabin remains serenely quiet, a testament to Mercedes’ attention to aerodynamics and sound isolation.
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As you glide into downtown, the skyline rises like a steel-and-glass cliff face. Millennium Park sits ahead, “The Bean” reflecting a mosaic of clouds and tourists. You slip down Michigan Avenue, passing flagship stores and architectural landmarks. In a city notorious for tight turns and sudden traffic snarls, the GLC’s rear-axle steering shines — letting you angle into a side street or swing a U-turn with the confidence of a much smaller car.
Downtown Chicago is a place of energy, of people moving at the pace of the traffic lights, and here the GLC’s augmented reality navigation proves invaluable. Lane changes are easy, parking is almost absurdly simple, and when a sudden downpour hits, the instant torque distribution to all four wheels keeps you steady. The Burmester® audio system fills the cabin with crisp jazz streaming from a local station, its clarity amplified by the car’s nearly silent operation.
Leaving the city, you head north again toward Rogers Park. The pace slows as the Loop’s density gives way to neighborhood streets, each lined with vintage brick two-flats and corner shops. Rogers Park has a personality that’s equal parts artsy, academic, and lake-loving. You roll down to Loyola Beach, its wide sandy stretch and endless lake horizon feeling like a deep breath. The GLC’s panoramic sunroof opens, letting in the lake breeze as you ease into a parking space, the illuminated grille glowing faintly in the late-day light.
This is where the GLC Hybrid feels most at home — not because of the terrain or the speed, but because of its adaptability. It’s a car that feels as natural slipping through Skokie as it does sweeping past downtown’s skyline. It’s as ready for the quiet of Lincolnwood mornings as it is for Rogers Park sunsets. And that’s exactly what makes it perfect for this route.
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Features of the 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC Hybrid That Make Your Drive Even Better
Illuminated Signature Grille. The GLC Hybrid introduces a new design language for Mercedes-Benz, centered on a grille framed in chrome and embedded with 942 animated LED dots. These lights are not just for show — they create a visual signature that greets you when you approach and sends you off with a farewell animation. On this trip, it was impossible not to notice passersby catching sight of the grille at stoplights, its subtle glow adding a modern flourish to every pause in the journey.
2. MBUX Superscreen with MB.OS. Inside, the GLC Hybrid’s Superscreen stretches in a clean, unbroken sweep, uniting three high-definition displays into a single design. Powered by the new Mercedes-Benz Operating System, it reacts instantly to touch, voice, or steering-wheel controls. On this route, it meant effortless navigation from Lincolnwood to Rogers Park, real-time traffic rerouting through downtown, and seamless access to entertainment — all without ever taking your eyes off the road for more than a glance.
3. 800-Volt Architecture and Rapid Charging. One of the standout features for any road trip is the GLC Hybrid’s 800-volt charging system. It can add more than 200 miles of range in around 10 minutes at a DC fast charger. In Skokie, that meant a quick coffee stop doubled as a substantial recharge, eliminating range anxiety entirely. It’s this ability to fit charging naturally into your travel rhythm that makes the GLC a true touring EV.
4. AIRMATIC® Air Suspension with Rear-Axle Steering. Comfort and agility rarely coexist in SUVs, but the GLC manages both with ease. AIRMATIC® suspension irons out rough pavement, lowers the car at speed for better efficiency, and adapts instantly to changing conditions. Rear-axle steering reduces the turning circle dramatically, which was invaluable navigating tight downtown turns and squeezing into Rogers Park’s lakeside parking spots.4.
5. Augmented Reality Navigation. The GLC’s AR navigation overlays precise directional cues onto a live video feed of the road ahead. On this trip, that meant stress-free lane changes on Lake Shore Drive and clear guidance through Chicago’s complex downtown intersections. It’s the kind of technology that you don’t realize you need until you use it — and then can’t imagine driving without it.
6. Acoustic Comfort and Premium Audio. Road trips are as much about sound as they are about sight, and the GLC Hybrid delivers both. Its cabin is engineered for near-total quiet, making conversation easy and music rich. The optional Burmester audio system turns even a casual playlist into a private concert, its clarity uninterrupted by engine noise or wind.
*Burmester® is a registered trademark of Burmester Audiosysteme GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
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