Once upon a time – say a decade ago – the C-Class was a ticket to stardom. You bought it because the E-Class required a second mortgage, and you didn't want to be mistaken for a Passat driver in the parking lot in front of a bar. Good times. Forget them. Let's see - the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Mercedes-Benz officially opened orders for the electrical class C and set a price list that even five years ago would have been commented on with "obviously a typo"Basic C 400 4MATIC starts at 67,711 euros in Germany including VAT, and a fully equipped model easily exceeds 96,000 euros. The configurator is so generous that you can easily break through the 100,000 € mark if you diligently click on everything that you would like to see from this brand. morality to be part of the basic equipment. So – Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
And yes, you read that right: the electric class C is slightly cheaper than the base BMW i5 eDrive40 (from €70,200 in Germany), just a thousand cheaper than the outgoing EQE and in the same league as the Audi A6 e-tron. The C-Class is therefore no longer an entry-level model. It is mainstream luxury that pretends to still be affordable.
Under the hood of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class: goodbye EQ, hello MMA
Now for the positive side of the story. And there are many.
It's a Mercedes quietly buried the EQ architecture – the one that the semi-bubble EQE and EQS stood on and made them look like starving mice on the roads. The new C-Class based on MMA architecture with 800 V voltage, which it shares with the new GLC. This is a game changer.
Key technical goodies:
- 94 kWh lithium-ion battery (usable capacity)
- 800-volt architecture with maximum charging power 330 kW
- 22 minutes of charging from 10 to 80 percent
- 325 km of additional range in 10 minutes at a fast charger
- 11 kW AC charging as standard, 22 kW AC for an additional fee (€654.50)
Attention - those of you who have an older 400-volt charging station at home or are traveling in parts of Europe where 400-volt fast chargers are not yet extinct: to charge an 800-volt C-class at such stations, you need an additional DC-DC converter, which costs €654.50.
Mercedes' marketing sense has clearly waned here. The surcharge for an electric car to even accept electricity falls into a chapter that should be called "just accept it."
Numbers that will really interest you
The C 400 4MATIC has two electric motors and two-speed gearbox on the rear axle – yes, you read that right, two-speed. Mercedes says that first gear ensures a decisive departure from traffic lights, while second gear ensures economical navigation towards Austria.
Drive numbers:
- Total power: 360 kW (482 PS / 488 hp)
- Torque: 800 Nm (590 lb-ft)
- Acceleration 0–100 km/h: 4.0 seconds (0–62mph)
- WLTP range: up to 762 km (473 miles)
- Length: 4,882 mm (192.2 inches)
- Trunk: 490 liters, plus additional 100 liters under the front hood in the AWD version
Yes, four seconds to a hundred in a sedan that looks like a C-Class. A C-Class that accelerates like an AMG, although it doesn't even have the AMG badge. The old balanced Mercedes is here – only this time it's electric and can show its teeth.
The car is also really suitable for long journeys. Mercedes promises that in real-world conditions you can travel more than 1,000 km on a single quick charge – enough to travel from Berlin to Paris. This is the level where you finally Stop counting whether you will get home..
Longer range follows: C+ with almost 800 kilometers
Now comes the story that could actually make the C-Class win.
Mercedes opened orders at the same time announced a rear-wheel drive version (RWD), which will adopt the same 94 kWh battery, but only one 200 kW motor. It is predicted to exceed the magical 800 km range according to WLTP. In keeping with Mercedes's naming tradition, it will almost certainly get the suffix "+" – therefore C300+ or something similar.
Why is this important? Because it will be right this one model actually sold. Four seconds to a hundred is a good result, but 800 km range in a premium sedan is what the market has failed to do so far. For the first time, a European premium sedan would seriously break the psychological barrier where you no longer care about charging in everyday use.
And then AMG with three engines and 800 “horses”
For the sweet treat, Mercedes has also confirmed a top-of-the-line version – tri-engine AMG, expected to have around 800 horsepower, with active aerodynamics: movable wings and air flaps that close and open according to need. The goal? Direct battle with the BMW i3 M.
This will be the car that will finally convince the old AMG guard that the future doesn't necessarily smell of gasoline after all.
Competition: who will take away the buyer from whom? Mercedes-Benz
| Model | Base price (Germany) | Accumulator | WLTP range | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes C 400 4MATIC | 67.711 € | 94 kWh | 762 km | 360 kW |
| BMW i5 eDrive40 | 70.200 € | 81.2 kWh | ~480 km | 250 kW |
| Audi A6 e-tron Performance | ~75.600 € | – | – | – |
| Mercedes-Benz EQC 500 4MATIC | ~68.700 € | 90 kWh | 622 km | 330 kW |
The numbers speak for themselves. The C-Class offers more range and more power for less money than the BMW i5 eDrive40 – which is surprising in itself, since the C-Class is supposed to be a model one number lower. With one caveat: the BMW i5 is physically larger car (5,060 mm vs. 4,882 mm), so Mercedes is actually comparing apples to oranges here. But it is already quietly predicting how the C-Class will overtake its real rival, BMW i3 sedan, as soon as the Bavarians reveal the prices.
Interior: Hyperscreen or nothing
The interior is classic Mercedes, only with an octane boost. The MBUX Hyperscreen extends across the entire dashboard, 99.3 cm (39.1 inches) long. Additional charge: €1,487. Without the Hyperscreen, you “only” get a 10.3-inch display in front of the driver and a 14-inch one in the middle – what would have been considered a spaghetti luxury five years ago is now standard equipment.
More interesting: as an extra charge you can choose AIRMATIC air suspension and rear wheel steering, which Mercedes is positioning as proof that the C-Class is "the sportiest C-Class ever"The vehicle is 4.90 meters long, but is said to be almost as agile as the compact model.
"The sportiest C-Class ever." Remember, we're talking about a brand that once sold the C 63 AMG with a snorting naturally aspirated V8 engine. The marketing department clearly hopes we don't remember that anymore.
Conclusion: beautiful, powerful – and a bit too expensive
Quite honestly: Mercedes-Benz class C is really good car. It looks better than the EQE (it's not heavy), has a decent range, charges quickly, offers air suspension, rear-wheel steering, a decent trunk 490 liters plus 100 liters at the front and Burmester speakers, which make the music sound like it's in a living room with expensive curtains. Mercedes is using MMA architecture and an 800-volt system finally caught up with BMW and shook off the half-baked solutions of the EQ era.
Slovenian buyers should not rush to the German price list. At €67,711 we are talking about the bare basic version, where half of the accessories – from augmented reality projection to a 360° camera – are still surcharge. The real configuration will be closer to €80,000 or even higher, which is a lot of money for a car from a class that is supposed to be “accessible.”
For now, it's worth waiting. Version with rear-wheel drive and a range of around 800 km will be cheaper, more suitable for everyday use and probably the biggest star of this generation. The tri-motor AMG, meanwhile, will cost almost €200,000, but it will reliably made headlines. Mercedes is now truly relevant in the game again – it just needs to convince customers to pay "five" for "threesome"And this is exactly the story that Stuttgart will have to be able to sell.
