There are manufacturers who evolve and change their original character over the years, certainly in modern EV times. But not Mercedes. Their technology may change, but not the unique and unmistakable way they drive and feel. The Mercedes engineers indeed made a formidable “tour de force” with their electric version of their C-Class, presently their bestseller in the passenger car range. It puts a smile on our faces, and indeed, made me vividly remember all the Mercedes passenger cars we had in the family… starting with the ponton 180 Diesel in 1954, the first Mercedes my father owned.
Together with my father, we drove the 180 D again as a Mercedes works entry in the historic Mille Miglia, a wonderful way to revive history as father and son. But over the years, we just loved the other cars we owned: the Uhlenhaut “heckflossen” Mercedes 220 SE, the later S Classes, finishing with the Pagode 250 SL.
All this comes back when we slide behind the wheel of this electric C-Class. The smoothness, the workmanship, the comfort, the luxury, the sense of safety, and immense solidity. Indeed, only cars with the star can convey all this in a wonderful and unique mix of their own. The performance of this C 400 reminds me of the revolutionary power of the Paul Braque-designed elegant 300 SEL sedan with the 6.3-liter M100 V8 engine. We drove it flat out on the Antwerp-to-Liège motorway, now the E313. Remember, the car was the so-called W109, which was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1968 and produced from 1968 to 1972. It changed our notions of executive luxury saloon performance forever…
Hans Knol ten Bensel
Styling with the star…
The C 400 is sleek like a coupé, with the iconic Mercedes grille as a hallmark, re-emerging from its saloon car history. We talked at the latest Brussels Motor Show with Robert Lesnik, Director of Exterior Design, and he spoke with passion about the design hallmarks of the brand, its flamboyant curves and, last but not least, the typical radiator grille. He told us: “For the new generation we were inspired by our past cars and design heritage, which doesn’t mean that we are doing retro design. The radiator grille is a modern interpretation of a classic design icon.” Read more about this in our columns, “The Mercedes Styling Philosophy Uncovered.”
Also, Bastian Baudy, Chief Design Officer Mercedes-Benz Group AG, commented at the launch of the C 400: “From the iconic illuminated grille to the star-design headlights, every detail instantly symbolizes our new era of MercedesBenz.”
The fastback rear also evokes sportiness, as does the sloping edge and four round, deep-red, star-design taillights.
The sleek styling is also inspired by the need for an excellent aerodynamic profile. Remember, Germany is still the country of Autobahnen, and this means that—EV or not—high-speed capability is a must. With a drag coefficient starting at 0.22, the all-electric CClass ranks highly in its segment. Top speed of the C 400? Yes, 210 km/h…
Interior with luxurious charisma…
Stepping into the C-Class puts you in the Mercedes world among the stars. Indeed, 162 stars are illuminated in the SKY CONTROL panoramic roof of our test car. They take on the color of the individually selected ambient lighting to put you in the right mood.
The all-new electric CClass welcomes its driver with a comprehensive “Welcome” sequence too. Outside, the panel surface of the grille and the taillights come to life with light animations, while the aura sound of the selected Sound Experience plays simultaneously.
Of course, digital high-tech has arrived: you are totally immersed in a 39.1inch or 99.3 centimetres seamless MBUX Hyperscreen, creating a truly spatial experience. It welcomes youi with hundreds of stars when it lights up, and has over 1,000 individual LEDs and independently adjustable brightness zones, offering clear information for you and personalized entertainment for your front passenger.
Your eyes wander over the beautifully finished surfaces of the centre console, door handles and window controls. You admire the horizontal line graphic with 3D relief and a two-tone design for the speaker grilles. From the Burmester® 3D Surround Sound System upwards, as fitted in our test car, they are made of high-quality stainless steel. A feast for the eye, and of course also for the ears…
With the optional Burmester® 4D Surround Sound System, music can also be felt. Two body sound transducers are integrated into the backrests of each high-end front seat.(!) The seats also feature speakers close to the ear for a high level of speech intelligibility, for example, when making phone calls.
We found all the controls intuitive to use, and liked the controls on the steering wheel, featuring the popular volume roller switch as well as a rocker switch for the limiter and DISTRONIC.
The seats are also spoiling you: they are electrically adjustable with a memory function. The seat backrest can also be adjusted to the natural curvature of your spine using the electro-pneumatic 4-way lumbar support.
The C-Class also makes you fit for winter: automatic climate control ensures a comfortable temperature in winter after just a short time – even without preconditioning. For example, on a 20-minute journey at a frosty -7 degrees Celsius, the interior heats up twice as fast as in conventionally powered models – and, thanks to the multi-source heat pump, requires only about half the energy.
And there is more: Soothing sounds, energising massage, activating light—with the diverse ENERGIZING COMFORT programmes, you enjoy a true wellness experience… Just take your time to study all the programme controls!
Driving
The iconic little stalk which has been so typical of every Mercedes over the last decade lets you start away swiftly. Move it to D and there you go. Whisper-smooth and quiet. Indeed, the cabin of the C-Class is a relaxing cocoon. Decoupling elastomer mounts between the suspension and body see to that, besides a special design of the electric motors, as well as the new air conditioning unit. In addition, the front windows of the all-new electric C-Class are equipped with noise-insulating laminated safety glass as standard. The comfort you enjoy is very much on the same level as the S-Class..
The C 400 has power. The electric drive unit features a permanently excited synchronous motor (PSM) on the rear axle. The 4Matic also features a powerful PSM on the front axle. This front motor functions as a “boost” drive. Depending on the driving situation and driving programme, it is activated via a disconnect unit (DCU), for example when a corresponding power requirement or traction is needed. Under low load, the electric motor is almost instantaneously decoupled for greater efficiency and remains stationary. This reduces losses on the front axle by up to 90 percent and increases the range. By the way, battery-to-wheel efficiency over long distances is 93 percent.
Total system power is 360 kW, and this results in exhilarating performance. 0 to 100 km/h is achieved in 4 seconds. We already told you that the top speed is set at 210 km/h. We found the car quite frugal when your driving style is relaxed: averages around 14-17 kW/100 km are quite achievable, and we liked the power indicator on the instrument panel right in front of the driver, which shows you how to drive and coast economically… Cruising on the motorway at around 110 km/h lets the consumption drop as low as 12.5 kW/100 km. No small feat!
Besides the excellent aerodynamics, another factor is the two-speed transmission on the rear axle. Power is transmitted in first gear via claws and in second gear via discs. The first gear has a short ratio of 11:1, enabling excellent acceleration from a standstill, a high towing capacity and great efficiency even in urban traffic. The second gear (ratio 5:1) is designed for power delivery at high speeds and high efficiency on the motorway, ensuring excellent range and comfort on long journeys.
The practical range lies somewhere between 762 and 592 kilometres; consumption, according to the manufacturer, lies between 18.5 and 14.1 kWh, which is indeed quite realistic. Thanks to 800-volt system technology, a range of up to 325 kilometres (WLTP) can be recharged within just 10 minutes. The C 400 4MATIC electric has a new lithium-ion battery with a usable energy content of 94 kWh.
Sporting pleasure… with exemplary energy recuperation.
We drove the car during our test most of the time in comfort mode, but we must tell you that sporting pleasure is also to be had. Indeed, the blend of sporty driving dynamics and high long-distance comfort is impressive, to say the least. Our test car came with the optional AIRMATIC air suspension with intelligent suspension control and the 4.5degree rear-axle steering, offering a particularly wide spread between the “Comfort” and “Sport” driving programmes.
The air suspension lowers the vehicle when the “Sport” driving programme is selected, enhancing both driving dynamics and stability. It has to be experienced to be believed. The AIRMATIC features intelligent, predictive damping and indeed offers top-grade comfort.
Range is further enhanced by the so-called “One-box” braking system, offering a natural brake pedal feel combined with impressive recuperation performance. Indeed, almost all braking processes are carried out entirely by recuperation. Surprisingly, even during ABS braking or on icy roads, it can recuperate to ensure maximum efficiency. The recuperation power is up to 300 kW. The recuperation output can be adjusted using the shift paddles, and the C 400 can even brake electrically to a standstill, thus recovering kinetic energy, which we did many times in urban driving during our test.
Intelligent driver assistance systems…which you can expand at will by ordering through the app…
Let us first point out that via the MercedesBenz Store and the MercedesBenz app, customers can flexibly customise their CClass with Digital Extras at any time and adapt it to changing needs. The continuously growing portfolio ranges from entertainment, navigation, charging and GUARD 360° to MB.DRIVE driving and parking assistance systems. The entertainment offering currently includes more than 40 apps in various categories, including audio, video, gaming and other services.
The Mercedes-Benz Operating System enables a navigation experience based on Google Maps. Developed as part of the partnership between Google and MercedesBenz, the navigation solution is one of the first systems to integrate Google Cloud’s new Automotive AI Agent for in-vehicle conversational services in conjunction with Google Maps.;
The car tells you where to charge on your trip…
The intelligent navigation system recognises when a charging stop is necessary and automatically plans it in such a way that the total travel time is optimised.
Mercedes-Benz now makes its augmented reality navigation, available in the S-Class and EQS also available in the C-Class. It’s wonderful to see it light up with arrows and graphic displays on the head-up display.
DISTRONIC distance control is also standard. The saloon is equipped with up to 27 cameras (!) and sensors to assist you. Did you know it also has the PRE-SAFE® curve function? When the navigation is activated, it warns the driver by tightening the seat belt if the driving speed appears to be significantly too fast for the upcoming curve(!).
Practical and spacious
At 2,962 millimetres, the wheelbase is 97 millimetres longer compared to the conventionally powered C-Class saloon. The boot has a capacity of 470 litres. The front boot (frunk) adds a further 101 litres (liquid) of genuinely usable storage space. The all-new electric C-Class can tow up to 1.8 tonnes (braked) with a semi-electric trailer coupling (optional).
Conclusion
The C 400 4MATIC indeed sets high standards in its segment, showing clearly what the brand sees as important in its cars and stressing its values of engineering and mechanical excellence, build quality, performance, safety and comfort. It also expands the boundaries in the EV segment when it comes to efficiency, speed and range. This car will be coveted by many as the benchmark for many years to come…
Hans Knol ten Bensel
Photographer’s notes:
We used our faithful Canon G9 X, but for further interior details we also took our iconic Fujifilm X100F, a camera that has absolutely stunning classical looks and brings back the pleasure of photography.
It has an optical viewer, which also lets you see the digital image if you want. It has all the wonderful Fuji film modes to choose from, and it has a 24.3 MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor, a fast X-Processor Pro image processor, an improved 91-point AF system and an updated button layout with joystick autofocus control for easier AF point selection. I bought it second hand about 5 years ago, and it is a wonderful camera indeed…
Hans Knol ten Bensel
