2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class vs 2020

What's the difference?

Five is late middle age in car years, but the Mercedes-Benz C-Class’s late 2018 refresh has kept plenty of pep in its step. The C 200 is beautifully built (in East London, South Africa), well equipped and entertaining to drive. Modest rear headroom is a miss and Merc’s warranty cover needs a boost, but factor in the standard safety, high-tech drivetrain, and ease of use and you have an impressive entry-level package.

Does the C 200 look like premium small sedan value to you? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

The C 300e feels more like a purely electric car to drive than a hybrid, but to get the full fuel-saving benefits you'll need to be disciplined and charge it every day.

As a daily driver I found the ride in the C 300e to be overly 'bouncy' and body control could be better.

That said, the C 300e is a great urban vehicle for its excellent fuel economy, easiness to drive and advanced safety technology.

For a brand like Mercedes-Benz the challenge of respecting the look established by cars that have gone before, gelling with other models in the current range, and moving things far enough forward to generate fresh interest is a delicate one. Focus too much on any one of those three elements and the design will be too retro, too similar, or too adventurous.

And notwithstanding the fact the way anything looks is a subjective call, I think the Mercedes-Benz C-Class manages that juggling act just about perfectly.

Signature elements like the sizable three-pointed star in the grille, joined to chrome louvres either side leave you in no doubt about who manufactured the car. But beyond that, the C-Class’s overall proportions make it instantly recognisable as a Benz.

A relatively long bonnet, with the cabin set well back results in a short, high rear decklid, with chrome accents around the side glass, along the rocker panels, across the boot lid and surrounding the exhaust outlets adding a hint of traditional bling.

Yet, carefully sculpted strakes on the bonnet sides, a strong character line across the top of the doors, and equally well-defined channels along the flanks’ lower third say wind tunnel as much as design inspiration (Cd figure is 0.26). The multi-row ‘LED High Performance’ headlights also add an intriguing touch of tech.

Inside, the look is sleek and simple. Long unbroken curves define the dash and twin-dial (12.3-inch digital) instrument binnacle, with circular ball-and-socket air vents another recognisable touch.

But the 10.25-inch multimedia screen jutting out of the dashtop gives away the current C-Class’s age, with more recent arrivals like the compact A-Class now packing the very swish twin widescreen media and instrument set-up.

That said, strategic use of high-gloss ‘piano black lacquer’ finish on the centre console, brushed metal on the door inserts, and chrome picking out key elements delivers an air of restrained quality.

Speaking of which, Merc’s ‘Artico’ faux-leather trim material deserves a special mention. Yes, it’s vinyl, but nine out of 10 people getting into your C 200 will think it’s genuine hide. And the good news is it’s as tough as old boots.

The C 300e looks exactly like a C 300 except it has 18-inch alloy wheels not 19-inch rims, there's subtle hybrid badging on the front wheel guards and a charging flap on the rear bumper. Oh, and then there's the 'e' for 'electric' in 300e on the tailgate. The outward signs that the C 300e is a plug-in petrol electric hybrid are so discreet most people would have no idea it was anything other than a regular Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan.

When say I regular though, the car is stunning in its design. While our photographer was taking the shots which accompany this review he was 'oohing and aahhing' all over it. There's the way the light brought out the sharp crease running from the front wheel guard through the rear door; the wide stance seen front-on; the LED DRL eyebrows; and the curve of the rear window as it meets the boot lid, which flicks up into a spoiler.

If you were hoping the hybrid would be more futuristic and more radical looking then you might be disappointed, because the C 300e is unmistakably classic C-Class and that goes for the interior, too.

The black leather and stitching, the piano lacquer and aluminium trim, the large displays for media and the instruments – this cabin still feels and looks beautifully crafted and stylish, even though this generation of C-Class has been around since 2015.

The C 300e's dimensions are the same as any other C Class sedan too at 4686mm long, 2020mm wide (with mirrors out) and 1442mm tall.

At close to 4.7m long, a fraction over our 1.8m wide, and a bit more than 1.4m tall the C-Class is dimensionally in the centre of the premium compact sedan pack. But it’s worth noting the A-Class-based CLA four-door is fractionally longer overall. Looks like those niches are starting to overlap.

Space in the front is generous with two big cupholders, a 12-volt outlet and coins and key storage all sitting under a folding lid.

A lidded bin between the front seats contains an SD card reader as well as two USB ports, and doubles as a padded centre armrest. The glove box is a good size and generous door pockets have a separate spot for bottles.

There’s plenty of storage in the back, including a fold-down armrest incorporating a lined storage box and twin fold-out cupholders, as well as door bins with bottle holders and map pockets on the back of each front seat, plus twin adjustable air vents.

Leg and toe room sitting behind my own (183cm) driving position is surprisingly good, but the headroom situation isn’t as rosy, with my noggin making firm contact with the headliner in a normal sitting posture.

And much as the C-Class sedan is able to seat five, three full-size adults across the rear seat is a short-term proposition only. Up to teenage kids will be fine.

Boot capacity is a handy 455 litres (VDA), and the C 200 swallowed our three-piece hard suitcase set (35, 68 and 105 litres) with ease, as it did the jumbo size CarsGuide pram. Drop the 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat to liberate more volume.

The load space features tie-down anchors, shopping bag hooks, and elasticised storage areas behind each wheel tub. Towing capacity is 1800kg for a braked trailer and 710kg unbraked. And don’t bother looking for a spare wheel, the tyres are run flats (a 16-inch space saver steel wheel is available as an accessory option).

The C 300e is a four-door, five-seat, mid-sized sedan with plenty of room up front for even me at 191cm tall with good elbow-, shoulder-, leg-, and headroom, although rear seating isn't overly spacious.

I couldn't sit behind my driving position without my knees up against the seat back and my head was getting pretty friendly with the ceiling thanks to the sunroof housing.

Still there was enough room for us to install my five-year-old's car seat.

Being rear-wheel drive, the C 300e has a prominent drive-shaft hump, which eats into the floor space back there, too.

Cabin storage is good with a large split-opening centre console bin, large door pockets and four cup-holders (two up front and two in the rear).

For charging there are two USB ports in the centre armrest and one for rear-seat passengers.

Sounds just like a regular C-Class, right? Well, it is until you see how much of the boot space the hybrid batteries take up. Take a look at the images – the cargo capacity of the C 300e's boot is 300 litres, down from 455 litres in a C 300. That was a real problem; even a trip to the park with just scooters and skateboards meant we had to do a bit of clever arranging in the boot.

So, if you plan to frequently use the boot for large bulky items, such as prams or boxes, I'd take them to the dealership and test to see if they fit in the C 300e, because, as you can see from the images, there's not a lot of room.

The Mercedes-Benz C 300e lists for $82,300 and is the hybrid version of the C 300 that sells for $8K less. This means the C 300e has the same standard features as the C 300, such as leather upholstery with black piano lacquer and aluminium trim, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 10.25-inch media display, sat nav, Mercedes Me assistant, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio and Bluetooth connectivity, shifting paddles, drive modes, proximity unlocking, power opening boot, rear privacy glass, push-button start and LED headlights.

The C 300e has 18-inch alloy wheels (the C 300 has 19-inch) and picks up a few extra standard features over the petrol car it's based on, such as air suspension and pre-entry climate control, which will allow you to set the cabin temperature while you finish your coffee before leaving for work.

The safety features on the C 300e are impressive, too, and many have a focus on urban environment hazards. You can read about those below.

The C 300e's direct rival is the BMW 330e, listing for $81,900, and while Audi doesn't have a plug-in hybrid version of its A4, the 45 TFSI grade is $73,300. You may not have considered the Lexus IS 300h, which offers great value but still has a similar list price at $81,160.

My test car was fitted with the optional Vision Package, which costs $6300 and adds the panoramic sunroof, Multibeam LED headlights, 360-degree camera and a head-up display. There was also the $900 Seat Comfort package, which adds memory settings for all seat positions, heated front seats and power-adjustment steering wheel and head-rests.

The car was also optioned with wireless phone-charging – it's $400.

The 1.5-litre (M264) four-cylinder engine features direct-injection, a single twin-scroll turbo, and variable valve timing (on the intake side) to produce 135kW at 5500rpm and 280Nm at 3000rpm.

The ‘EQ Boost’ hybrid system is built around an integrated starter generator sitting between the engine and transmission. Combining the functions of a starter motor, alternator, and electric motor it powers an electric auxiliary compressor designed to minimise turbo lag, as well as a 48-volt electrical system supplementing the standard 12-volt arrangement.

Merc says the electric compressor spools up in less than half a second, supplying boost (and an extra 10kW) before exhaust gas has had a chance to drive the turbo up to full pressure. It also harvests kinetic energy under braking to charge the battery and smooth operation of the auto engine stop/start system.

The water pump is electrically driven and governed by a specific map to adapt cooling output to the current need.

Drive goes to the rear wheels via a nine-speed ‘9G-Tronic’ automatic transmission.

The C 300e is a petrol electric plug-in hybrid. There's a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 155kW and 350Nm and an electric motor producing 90kW and 440Nm. The drive goes to the rear wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 6.4L/100 km, the C 200 emitting 145g/km of CO2 in the process.

The cars ‘EQ Boost’ system includes a gliding mode and recuperative braking with ‘intelligent engine stop’ when the vehicle is coasting, plus start/stop (operated by the belt-driven starter/alternator) is standard.

Over a week of city, suburban and freeway driving we recorded an average of 10.5L/100km at the bowser, a little higher than the on-board read-out of 10.1L/100km.

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded and you’ll need 66 litres of it to fill the tank.

Mercedes-Benz says that after a combination of urban and open roads the C 300e will have used just 2.1L/100km.

For this urban review, my testing took place only on the streets of Sydney's CBD and inner-city suburbs and I found out a few things.

First, there are four drive modes: Hybrid, E-Mode, E-Save and Charge.

In my first fuel test I chose Hybrid Mode and drove the 8km from my home to Sydney's CBD and when I arrived the trip computer told me I'd used 0.8L/100km of premium unleaded petrol. For most of that peak hour journey I was being powered by electricity alone and my average speed was 21km/h. That's outstanding.

Then I drove home in E-Mode which is electric-only and the only time I used fuel, was when I accelerated hard to merge. Acceleration is pretty swift, too, with 0-100km/h coming in 5.4 seconds.

The trip computer said energy consumption for the round trip was 39.0kWh/100km. According to the energy gauge I'd used 'half-a-tank' of charge with an electric range of 16km left.

I did another fuel test and that was 112.5km of urban driving over seven days in mainly Hybrid Mode, but only charging the car to full for just two nights of that week. After that time the trip computer displayed my average use as 7.9L/100km. I verified that by measuring 9.06L needed to fill the tank back up to full, which comes to 8.0L/100km.

There's no official urban consumption figure for the C 300e, but as a comparison the urban fuel economy for the C 300 is 9.6L/100km. The tank capacity of the C 300 is 66 litres, while the volume of the one in the C 300e is 50 litres.

There's the lesson: if you're going to own the C 300e and get the best mileage out of it, then you'll need to charge it almost every day, like you would a phone. Otherwise, the fuel economy will be getting close to the regular C 300's.

Charging can be done through a regular 240V power point using the cable provided and if you plug it in empty at night, it'll be full by the morning (eight hours). Alternatively, Mercedes-Benz have a fast-charging Wallbox for $1250, which will add 15km of range every 30 minutes and fully charge the 13.5kWh battery in under two hours.

Mercedes-Benz claims the C 200 will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 7.7 seconds, which isn’t too shabby at all for a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine shifting a close to 1.6-tonne sedan.

But despite the ‘EQ Boost’ system’s best efforts, we experienced some hesitation in throttle response, particularly when stepping off from standstill. That said, the start/stop works almost imperceptibly. I often have to resist a natural instinct to turn these systems off because they stop abruptly or re-start roughly, but this one is quick, quiet and smooth.

Once up and running throttle response is faster and more linear, and with maximum torque (280Nm) available from 3000rpm all the way to 6100 rpm mid-range acceleration is snappy. Peak power (135kW) arrives across a narrow band from 5800-6100rpm if you’re really pressing on.

The nine-speed auto enhances the car’s quietly efficient vibe, with wheel-mounted paddle shifters providing the option of more involvement with quick and positive ‘manual’ changes.

Suspension is by multi-links front and rear with the ‘Agility Control’ adaptive suspension allowing fine-tuning of the damping from comfort to sporty. And even on the standard 18s ride comfort in the softer setting is excellent without ever slipping into floaty territory. Noise levels are also impressively low.

The standard ‘Dynamic Select’ system allows adjustment of the engine, transmission, suspension and (electrically-assisted) steering tune. Rubber is top-shelf ContiSportContact run-flat (225/45f – 245/40r). Tighten things up and the C 200 is transformed into a taut and even more responsive sporty sedan.

Brakes are ventilated 305mm discs at the front and solid 300mm discs at the rear, and the pedal is agreeably progressive.

Notwithstanding the rear headroom issue mentioned earlier, the seats are comfy and supportive front and rear, all-around vision is excellent, and the ergonomics are well sorted. Although it must be said, I’m still not a fan of the gear selector wand on the right-hand side of the steering column. Uncomfortably close to an oversize indicator stalk for my liking.

Quiet. That's what it's like to drive around town. See, because the C 300e is a plug-in hybrid, if you charge it every night and, like me, live close to the city where speeds don't get much higher than 50km/h and journeys tend to be less than 10km then you'll spend most of the time driving in E Mode, just powered by the electric motor. Combine this with a well-insulated cabin and it's almost an isolation-tank feeling when driving through a busy city with the sounds of traffic and even road noise from the C 300e blocked out.

Dab the accelerator and the shove from the electric motor is pleasing, but if you really need to accelerate hard and plant your foot, then the petrol engine will come to the party.

Drive like that over a couple of days without charging and you'll drain the battery. If you let that happen then suddenly the tranquil experience becomes much noisy as that petrol engine lugs you, an electric motor and stacks of batteries around.

Also, not ideal is the ride, I found. The C 300e comes with air suspension and while the ride was comfortable on good roads with a smooth surface, such as a motorway, on urban runs, which were potholed and speed-bumped streets with roundabouts and patchy surfaces, the body control could have been better and resulted in a 'wobbly' ride and too much head sway – and that's what can cause motion sickness.

It's a shame because everything else – from the light, accurate steering and responsive, smooth hybrid powertrain to the quiet cabin and good visibility – all add up to a car that's easy and comfortable to drive. But diminishing that comfort is a ride that isn't as composed as it should be.

The C 300e was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2014. Coming standard is AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection along with a cross traffic function; there's also evasive steering, active blind spot assistance and lane keeping assistance. All great safety systems for urban environments.

The reversing camera is excellent and Mercedes-Benz's auto parking system is standard on the 300e, too.

For child seats there are three top tether points and two ISOFIX points across the second row.

There are also nine air bags and in the boot you'll find two high-vis vests, although no spare wheel – just a puncture repair kit.

Mercedes-Benz covers its passenger car range with a three year/unlimited km warranty, like the other two members of the German ‘Big Three’ (Audi and BMW) lagging the mainstream market where the majority of players are now at five years/unlimited km, with some at seven years.

On the upside, Mercedes-Benz Road Care assistance is included in the deal for three years.

Service is scheduled for 12 months/25,000km (whichever comes first) with pricing available on an ‘Up-front’ or ‘Pay-as-you-go’ basis.

The Mercedes-Benz C 300e is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended at 12 month/25,000km intervals. A three-year service plan will cost $2000, a four-year plan is $2800, and a five-year program is $4300.

A six-year warranty applies to the battery system.