New Mercedes C-Class Electric gets a bittersweet range boost
New model has launched in Germany but won’t be coming to the UK
The all-electric Mercedes C-Class has just gained a new, entry-level C 300 version which brings a smaller battery, reduced range, less power and in Germany at least, a more affordable price tag.
Right now, the only electric C-Class you can buy in the UK is the C 400 and while it was thought the C 300 could join it, the less powerful, cheaper alternative isn’t coming to bolster the compact executive EV’s line up in spring this year. The C 300 has been made available to buy in Mercedes’ home market, starting from 62,951 euros (roughly £54,000). That would’ve undercut the C 400, which gets under way at £57,995.
Accounting for that entry price tag in Germany at least, the C 300 battery capacity, which stands at 85kWh – some way down on the C 400’s 94.5kWh unit. However, despite the drop, the C 300’s range sits at 423 miles, only 29 miles off that of the C 400.
The C 300 is lighter by 45kg thanks to that smaller battery and it still gets Mercedes’ dual-motor 4Matic set up, limited to 421bhp, while the C 400’s dual-motor output is a combined 489bhp. The C 300’s 0-62mph time rises by half a second as a result, to a still respectable 4.5 seconds.
Despite sitting on the same MB.EA 800v platform, the C 300 doesn’t get the benefit of the same charging capacity as its C 400 sibling. There’s a 320kW maximum charging speed (the C 400 has 330kW), meaning the C 300 takes 22 minutes to replenish 10 to 80 per cent of its battery. But this is actually the same amount of time as the larger battery C 400 takes anyway.
Unlike early versions of the CLA, which sits on another new Mercedes platform called MMA, the C-Class Electric comes with a DC converter so it can top up at 400V fast-charging stations.
There are only three trim levels of the C 300 to pick from in Germany, but there C 400 here in the UK which has five trim levels to choose from – Sport, AMG Line, AMG Line Premium, AMG Line Premium Plus and Premier Edition. Standard kit includes 19-inch wheels, a panoramic roof, screens covering the entire dashboard, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, ambient lighting and a litany of driver-assistance tech.
Higher-spec models cram in even more luxuries, such as a 39.1-inch Hyperscreen spanning the dash, a sportier AMG bodykit, an illuminated grille, Burmester 4D surround sound system, heated rear seats and flush-fitting door handles.
How does the Mercedes C-Class Electric range compare?
The equivalent BMW i3 50 xDrive features a larger, 112kWh battery that officially offers up to 563 miles of range, trouncing the Mercedes, although its dual-motor system delivers ‘just’ 462bhp and a 0-62mph time of 4.7 seconds.
Meanwhile, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive has what now seems like a puny 410-mile range and 346bhp, but that’s still enough for 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds.
While we won’t get the C 300, BMW has announced regular versions of its electric 3 Series will also launch in the autumn and drop the car’s starting price to £53,005.
But the smaller, sleeker and still cutting-edge Mercedes CLA Electric, which offers up to 483 miles of range, is available through the Auto Express Buy A Car from under £40,000.
What other technology does it feature?
As with the GLC Electric, the C-Class gets a new two-speed automatic transmission, with the first gear providing acceleration up to around motorway speeds and the second gear designed for power delivery at high speeds, while also focusing on efficiency. We’ve tried this in the GLC and found the changeover to be imperceptible and performance in the larger, heavier SUV was impressive.
As standard, the C-Class Electric gets ‘comfort suspension’, with a four-link front axle and a multi-link rear set-up. The optional ‘Agility and Comfort package’ adds Mercedes’ Airmatic air-suspension system with predictive damping based on the road surface ahead, plus rear-wheel steer.
The latter system isn’t as aggressive as the 10-degree movement offered in the EQS, but the 4.5 degrees of rear angle gives the C-Class an 11.2-metre turning circle. At higher speeds the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the fronts by up to 2.5 degrees to enhance stability.
What does the Mercedes C-Class Electric look like?
Mercedes has previously told us that the new look and rather controversial front-end design first found on the GLC Electric is here to stay, and true to its word, the German firm has given the C-Class Electric a similar face to its SUV cousin.
As with the GLC, there are lots of little lights within that distinctive grille (1,050 this time) and the headlights have a three-pointed star signature embedded within. Other design elements shared with the GLC include the rear lights, and while they’re new clusters, the black background and four round lights are undeniably similar.
The overall proportions give off a “coupé-like silhouette, sculpted with taut surfaces and muscular wheelarches”, according to Bastian Baudy, Mercedes’ chief design officer. In the metal there’s more than a whiff of the EQE, although the elongated side window does help to hide some of the vertical mass.
The wheelbase is almost three metres long (which explains the need for rear-wheel steering), which is 97mm longer than that of the combustion-engined C-Class. The benefit of this is more room inside, both for front and rear passengers. It’s also as tall as an S-Class and comes with a standard-fit panoramic glass roof, so headroom is improved over the current C-Class, despite the need for a big battery underneath. The boot capacity is 470 litres (15 litres more than the petrol C-Class) and you also get a 101-litre space under the bonnet, as with the GLC.
What’s the interior like?
In the C-Class Electric the first thing you notice inside is the vast triple-screen that’s taken from the new GLC Electric. Mercedes’ ‘Hyperscreen’ is an optional extra; as standard you get the ‘Superscreen’, which doesn’t have the third passenger-side display.
As with the GLC, there are several new features, including video capability for the passenger-side screen, which can be displayed while driving, although it turns off if the driver looks at it for too long. There’s also a huge amount of customisation to get comfortable, too, either through the ambient lighting, optional Burmester sound system or from the all-new seats, which have electrically adjustable lumbar support, massaging functions, seat ventilation and even 4D sound.
The expansive glass roof has 162 stars, while there’s something called ‘Sky Control’ that allows segments of the roof to be made opaque. We’ve already tried this in the GLC and came away pretty impressed.
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