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The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has always been known as the benchmark of the luxury compact sedan segment. However, being in continuous production for over 7 years, the fourth generation of the C-Class has been feeling its age, especially with the growing competition in the segment. As a result, Mercedes is back with the 2022 C-Class, which is the first model year of the all-new fifth generation.
Offered for a base selling price of $43,550 and coming in three trim configurations, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class continues the ethos of the outgoing generation, without losing out on the technology and comfort front. The striking interior and exterior design make it a looker as well. Competing with the likes of the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, and Genesis G70, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
10 Beautiful Exterior Design
This fifth generation of the C-Class comes with a more rounded design language, and that makes it much more elegant than the BMW 3 Series. We loved the vertical black elements on the grille coupled with a neat horizontal chrome accent with the large Mercedes-Benz logo in the middle. The blacked-out air dam, LED headlights with DRLs, and character lines on the hood look the part too.
However, it is the side profile that looks the best for the 2022 C-Class. The angular nose design stands out from the rivals, and the beautifully crafted 18" wheels give the ride a proper stance. The dimensions are spot-on for a compact luxury sedan, too. As you go to the rear, the sleek LED taillights and the dual faux exhaust outlets make it look very similar to the S-Class. If you get the AMG trim, the design gets even sportier.
9 Dramatic Cabin Design Looks Similar To The S-Class
Get into the cabin of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class and you would be mesmerized by the design and feel of the cabin. It looks very similar to the all-new S-Class and offers a level of luxury that none of its rivals could even come close to. The MB Tex upholstery feels rich and comes with perforation, contrast stitching, and excellent bolstering. It can be had in 3 different colors as well. There is an optional quilted Nappa leather upholstery too.
The dashboard and door cards come covered with a premium leather finish, open-pore wooden accents, and elegant aluminum and chrome inserts. We also loved the neatly integrated infotainment system and digital gauge cluster, and the massive panoramic sunroof gives the cabin the required ambiance. The circular AC vents, ambient lighting, and funky center console design are onboard too.
8 Excellent Space
This redesigned cabin comes with giant under-armrest storage at the front, and houses two USB-C ports. Along with that, the glove box and the door card storage are quite massive as well. The same is also the case with the rear, as Mercedes has offered multiple storage spaces and cubbyholes. There are bottle holders and cup holders neatly integrated too.
The front-seat passengers are treated with excellent headroom, legroom, and shoulder room. Even though getting in and out of the rear row is a bit of a task, once you are inside, the seats are very supportive, offer excellent under-thigh support, and have a superb amount of space. The cargo capacity of 12.6 cu ft is decent too.
7 Large, Intuitive Infotainment System
Both the infotainment system and digital gauge display that are offered throughout the trim configurations is superior to most of the rivals. The 12.3" digital gauge cluster is bright and vivid, and it also offers all the information you need. There is no lag for this system, and the speedometer and tachometer look almost like a regular analog dial when in use. There are multiple designs as well. The Pinnacle trim gets a head-up display too.
The 11.9" touchscreen MBUX infotainment system offers an intuitive user experience and is amongst the best displays in the segment. All the climate control and infotainment functionalities are baked into this display and features like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, navigation, and SiriusXM radio are standard too. The optional 700w 15-speaker Burmester audio system should be selected if you are an audiophile. The lows, mids, and highs are excellent with this system, and the overall audio experience is much superior to the standard audio system offered with the base trim.
6 Brakes Are Sharp And Precise
The braking of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is handled by the 4-wheel disc brake setup with 13" front rotors and 11.8" rear rotors. The braking features like ABS with EBD, automated emergency braking, brake assist, ventilated rotors, hill hold control, and electric parking brakes are standard too.
The brakes offer a sharp initial bite and that helps in shedding the speed very effortlessly at slow city speed. The baking progression is spot on too. The brake pedal offers superb feedback and the ABS works effectively. Due to the ventilated rotors, the brake fade is very minimal as well.
5 Decent Fuel Efficiency
All the three trims of the regular C-Class come with the same turbocharged inline-4 motor coupled with a mild hybrid system. The 9-speed automatic has a well spread out gear ratio as well. All of this help the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class to do 25 MPG in the city, 35 MPG on the highway, and 29 MPG of combined gas mileage.
With a 17.4-gallon fuel tank capacity, the C-Class could do 435 miles in the city and 609 miles on the highway on a full tank of gas. In comparison, the Lexus IS 300 offered a combined gas mileage of 24 MPG and the Audi A4 offered a combined gas mileage of 27 MPG.
4 Gets A Host Of Standard Driver-Assistance Tech
Unlike the previous generation of the C-Class, which missed out on most of the driver-assistance tech as standard, Mercedes-Benz has managed to include some of these much-needed techs with the base Premium trim as well. This includes automated emergency braking, pedestrian detection, auto high beams, driver monitoring alert, and active brake assist.
However, you would need to go with the Exclusive or Pinnacle trims to get the full suite of driver-assistance tech. All the basic safety features like ABS, airbags, traction control, stability control, reverse camera, and tire pressure monitoring system are standard across the trims. The build quality is excellent too. However, this luxury sedan hasn't been crash-tested by the NHTSA and IIHS yet.
3 Offers Impressive Performance
The 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor under the hood of the 2022 C-Class also gets a 48V mild hybrid system, helping it to provide 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The 9-speed 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission is standard for all the trims, and this sedan can be had in either RWD or the 4MATIC AWD drivetrain configurations. The 0-60 mph is dealt with in 5.9 seconds.
Put your foot down from a standstill, and you'll be pleased with the brisk acceleration provided by this powertrain. The low-end and mid-range are superb, and the 9-speed automatic is seamless in shifts. The roll-on acceleration is superior to the IS 300 and A4, however, the BMW 330i did turn out to be the quickest of the bunch. When you put this luxury sedan into the sports mode, the acceleration and gearshifts get a bit more fierce.
2 More Comfortable Than The 3 Series
The ride quality hasn't been watered down with this fifth generation of the C-Class, and it easily outshines most of the rivals, which are quite famous for their almost magic-carpet-like ride quality. When driving through the city streets, we found the comfort mode of the C-Class to be all that is required for having a comfortable traveling experience.
All the potholes and irregularities on the roads are absorbed well, and the suspension works silently. In comparison, the BMW 330i was a bit harsher at slow speeds due to the stiffer setup. Even when you drive on the highway, the ride remains almost flat. There is no major body roll on offer too.
1 Superb Refinement
Refinement has always been a strong point of all the outgoing generations of the C-Class, and this all-new model is no different either. The turbocharged inline-4 motor is supremely smooth and silent during both city driving and freeway cruising. Even when pushing the motor to the limits, the engine doesn't emit any unwanted vibrations. It sounds sweet, too.
We also loved the traveling experience offered by the C-Class, not just due to the unmatched comfort offered by its suspension, but also due to how quiet it was on the inside. The factors like road-noise, tire noise, and wind noise were much lower than the IS 300 and the 330i. The excellent sound deadening makes sure that all the other external noises are to a minimal level too.