We’re days away from the world premiere of the all-new electric Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but the company has given us a taste of what’s to come with a first look at the sedan’s interior. This car will compete directly with the well-received BMW i3, so it has to do well, and that includes how comfortable and upscale the cabin feels. Described as a personal retreat by the automaker, the new C-Class continues Merc’s run of designing the flashiest interiors in the luxury segment—but you better be a fan of screens.
Wide MBUX Superscreen and Glitzy Lighting
Mercedes-Benz
The interior of the electric C-Class is dominated by the MBUX Hyperscreen or Superscreen, which stretches all the way across the dashboard. Whereas the screen in the larger, recently refreshed EQS has large bezels separating the three displays, the C-Class has one continuous display that looks gorgeous at night. It’s a completely different look to the new BMW i3, which has a separate center touchscreen and a smaller driver’s display at the base of the windshield. The two brands have always had unique design philosophies, but this is as different as it gets—BMW now divides displays into two levels, whereas Mercedes puts everything lower down and closer to the driver in one larger display. For reference, the i3’s more restrained interior is pictured below.
Extravagant lighting has been a feature of modern Mercs, and the C-Class can also be had with a Sky Control panoramic roof with 162 illuminated stars. The overall layout is very similar to that of the electric GLC, but the driving position will be lower and sportier in the sedan. Physical switches are used sparingly, such as for the cruise control and volume on the new steering wheel. A Burmester 3D surround-sound system is available with a new speaker grille design.
For anyone finding it a bit too disco-like, there are independently adjustable brightness zones to tone things down if that’s what you prefer. Other tech highlights include Energizing Comfort programs (including seat massaging) and a new climate control system that heats up twice as fast as equivalent systems in a combustion-powered model.
Upscale, Sustainable Materials
Mercedes-Benz
The C-Class interior can be customized with a wide range of colors and materials. There’s a new Twisted Diamond design for the sports seats in Nappa leather. Deep Black, Warm Beech Brown, and Ivory Beige are the standard shades, but many more are expected to be optional. Trim elements can be had in finishes like natural fiber honeycomb, open-pore wood in various shades, and AMG carbon fiber.
There’s also an available Vegan Package, which makes the C-Class cabin fully vegan-certified. This option adds soft-touch materials to the seats, headliner, pillars, door panels, and carpeting. Mercedes has also paid great attention to noise isolation, which is crucial in an EV. This starts with a rigid bodyshell and extends to aspects like laminated safety glass and a new, quieter air-conditioning unit.
“With the all-new electric C‑Class, we’ve raised everything customers love about this model to the next level,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management, Mercedes-Benz Group AG. “The result is a new benchmark for quality, craftsmanship and comfort. It is the most spacious and most intelligent C-Class ever.”
Final Thoughts
Mercedes-Benz
The electric C-Class has a lot going for it. Teased last month, early European impressions (from the passenger seat only, mind you) suggest a big step up in refinement and comfort. Final performance specifications remain unknown, but comfort appears to have been prioritized over explosive performance, at least in the early non-AMG models.
The new interior is a complete departure from the one in the current gas-powered C-Class. Tech lovers will drool over it, but we’ll have to assess usability when we get behind the wheel. That will only happen a while after the world premiere on April 20, but we look forward to a heated tussle between this and the BMW i3.
