2027 Mercedes C-Class Electric | UK Review
Everything from diesel hybrids to V8s have powered the C-Class over three decades - how does it fare as an EV?
Seldom has a new car as significant as the C-Class Electric - note no ‘EQC’, and expect that prefix to disappear pretty quick - felt less like the centre of attention. Blame the ‘cleverest Mercedes-Benz ever made’ (otherwise known as the new CLA) launching first, the continuation of the combustion C-Class (looking familiar from last time around) plus, of course, the i3. That car represents the total reinvention of the small BMW saloon; for Mercedes, that car was arguably the CLA. Which means the thunder of the electric C - a car that Mercedes assures us will be ‘redefining the segment’ - has been stolen just a little bit.
Still, there’s plenty to talk about. First being that this is rather more than the upsized CLA that it might appear. Where the smaller car sits on the Mercedes Modular Architecture, beneath the C-Class is the Mercedes-Benz Electric Architecture. So there’s a lithium-ion battery rather than the CLA’s nickel manganese cobalt lump, and superior efficiency - up to 4.4mi/kWh, against 4.28 - for the C-Class, despite it earning another 100-odd horsepower (and many more kilos) for this 400 4Matic compared to a CLA 350. Along with the Neue Klasse BMWs (also being offered with combustion alternatives), we’re surely moving to the point where electric sits as another powertrain option rather than a choice that comes with compromise.
Rather unlike BMW with the 3 Series, however, Mercedes has decided to ensure the battery-powered version has a very different look to the petrol car. And that wasn’t a wise decision. While the association with the AMG GT is plain to see, especially from the rear, that model hasn’t been received well either - ergo none of the cars inspired by it look brilliant. The front is too busy and too snouty, the rear a weird mismatch of hatch and saloon. Yes, the aero is good (0.22Cd), the wheelbase increase is welcome and there’s a useful frunk, but you’d be hard-pressed to say that the C-Class Electric is a good-looking car. You might feel pressed to call it something else entirely.
Similarly, those not sold on the current Mercedes interior approach probably won’t love the inside of the Electric. It’s undoubtedly very reliant on screens, voice activation and AI; all those features at least work extremely well. Though it’s not exactly inviting. Still, the seats are excellent, the central spine with storage underneath looks smart and this top-of-the-line Premier Edition featured some sumptuous materials. But some details still grate: the driver shouldn’t be able to see such a large passenger screen, some wheel buttons are fiddly, and a few parts didn’t feel expensive enough for a car that starts at £60,000. Mercedes is hardly alone in this, though it remains noteworthy. The wheelbase increase is negated a tad by squished feet. So it’s a good but not quite great interior, even if you appreciate the way it looks.
Fortunately, there’s much more of the traditional Mercedes-Benz appeal in the way that the C-Class drives. If you think a compact (or not so compact in this case - it’s almost 4.9m long) Benz should be about calm, unruffled, effortless progress, then this Electric will most certainly appeal. It takes all the strengths innate to EVs and makes even greater virtues of them: it’s quieter than a silent disco at the morgue, it glides like an S-Class soapbox when coasting, it does enough braking by regen to make using a pedal seem as old hat as a choke. With the range and efficiency on top, the C is a very convincing argument for all of the EV benefits with none of the downsides. We’ve mocked carmakers for suggesting they can replicate offices or business lounges - yet here the comparison makes sense.
The rest of the experience complements the hush of electric power. The (optional) adaptive suspension is very good indeed, suppressing all but the very worst intrusions and ensuring the glorious calm is barely ever disturbed. The paddles offer some meaningful resistance to adjust the regen, and while intelligent recuperation isn’t as smart as it claims, you’ll get by with a mix of low and high. The steering is light, easy and accurate. The throttle response means as many or as little of the 489hp can be metered out with total confidence. In truth the drive modes don’t seem to drastically alter the experience (EV gimmicks are a bit gauche for a Mercedes like this) and they’re adjusted with a fiddly drive select switch, so best just leave it as is and sail along.
That seems like the greatest success of the C-Class: incorporating all the technology and features now required of a new electric saloon (all 245,694 of them), while feeling like a resolutely traditional Mercedes. It’s a pleasure to operate and it’s the sort of car in which a long journey would be relished - such is the refinement, the ride quality, the composure and so on. It’s hard to imagine a C-Class that relies on suck-squeeze-bang-blow and using old architecture (however heavily revised) delivering the same grade of cosset.
There’s a bit more to the dynamic makeup, too. While an hour around Surrey lanes will never be the most revealing test, the C appears to shrug off the demands of greater speeds and load levels with the insouciance it tackles all tasks. There’s just enough sensation to suggest that motorway diversions will prove enjoyable rather than just tolerable. So an electric C63 doesn’t sound like the craziest idea - certainly no more daft than a hybrid one…
The sticking point? All this impressiveness is nothing less than we should all expect from a Mercedes optioned up to £75,000. Even without extras, the Premier Edition is a £70k prospect. The bigger test will be whether the feel-good experience of the Electric extends to the more affordable models, including the rear-drive version when it comes. Everything thus far would suggest that it would - fancy spec bringing embellishments rather than fundamental change - but it’s worth being aware of. What the C and the i3 feel like at less than £60k is surely more important to sales success and reception than how they come across at £75,495.
So despite a shaky start in terms of its appearance, the C-Class Electric leaves a positive first impression overall - particularly with 3.7mi/kWh recorded. Without having driven an i3 yet (expect that to change in short order) an emphatic recommendation would feel like raving about a new Android handset without trying the iPhone. But in isolation there is enough on show here to cheer Mercedes' customers - especially those who have a fixed idea of what a C-Class should drive like.
More broadly, the new model demonstrates a meaningful step forward from some sub-par EQ Benzes. Doubtless Mercedes has learned a lot from those experiences, including what its customers didn't like. The new C-Class may reflect its strange preoccupation with cars that don't look quite right - but otherwise it's Mercedes doing what Mercedes does best, just with electric power. Which you'd imagine is exactly what its customers want...
SPECIFICATION | 2027 MERCEDES-BENZ C400 4MATIC PREMIER EDITION
Engine: 94kWh lithium-ion battery, twin permanently excited synchronous motors
Transmission: Two-speed transmission, 4Matic all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 489
Torque (lb ft): 590
0-62mph: 4.0 seconds
Top speed: 130mph
Weight: from 2,460kg (EU)
Efficiency: 4.40mi/kWh-3.36mi/kWh, 428 miles range
Charging: up to 330kW (DC)
Price: £70,995 (price as standard; price as tested £75,495 comprising Refinement Package (Including Airmatic air suspension and rear axle steering) for £2,500, 22kW AC charging for £1,000, Manufaktur Alpine Grey Solid paint for £1,000)
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Kind of left scratching your head at who’s buying this screen on wheels for around £70k?!
It s quite large, isn t it? I just googled it and the 7 series BMW of Pierce Brosnan Bond years (the E32) was 4910mm in length.
The whale-looking Ford Scorpio was 4825mm!
Edit for predictive nonsense. I give up on PH and iOS squabbling over apostrophes and thr like.
This and the other mercs who have the same set up, in my eyes is just so much better.
Crazy that a 'normal' saloon car now has more performance than the poster supercars of the 90's and early 2000's
The interior looks quality and bespoke in the key areas. Good to see they kept manually adjustable air vents.
The reality these days is any base spec car below £120k has cheaper plastics below the waistline.
Have we actually come full circle and the Europeans are now copying the Chinese?
Of course they aren t identical, but even so
It’s going to be an interesting future to see this all play out. And scary.
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