The modern history of electric Mercedes-Benz models is decidedly weird. It started with the bonkers SLS AMG Electric Drive, pivoted to the Tesla-co-developed B-Class Electric Drive, then returned after a lull with a series of models that looked like fancy Dodge Intrepids. Models like the EQS and EQE were certainly polarizing, so it shouldn’t be surprising that we’re now seeing another change in direction. This is the new electric 2027 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and you can think of it as the sedan equivalent of the new electric GLC crossover. The drivetrain is actually quite fascinating, but the styling is a blend of everything people don’t like about modern Mercedes-Benz.
Compared to the fairly elegant C-Classes of the past decade or so, this new electric model looks simultaneously gawky and generic. Even beyond gauche details like three-pointed stars in the headlights and that enormous vertical faux-grille, this thing features tall proportions and some fairly generic surfacing. Even with black trim on the sills in an attempt to chop visual height, there’s still a lot of metal to the profile of the new C-Class.
Pair that with a bulbous roofline, and it’s fair to question how the overall look will age. Probably better than the EQS, but it still feels like Mercedes-Benz needs to find its feet again. Oh, and surprise: This thing isn’t a hatchback. You get a mail-slot trunk opening, which seems like a miss when the BMW i4 is already a liftback.
That being said, the heavy-set silhouette of the new C-Class does come with some packaging benefits. Mercedes-Benz was able to expand trunk space from 12.6 cu.-ft. to 16.6 cu.-ft. and carve out additional room in the nose for a frunk. Of course, cutting a silhouette some 5.2 inches longer than the gasoline-powered model helps in that regard, even if an overall length of 192.2 inches means this thing probably shouldn’t be classed as a compact anymore.
The questionable aesthetic choices continue on the inside, with the giant optional 39.1-inch “Hyperscreen” I wrote about last week taking center stage. Not only is it visually enormous, it also comes jam-packed with stuff you probably didn’t ask for, like ChatGPT-4o and Microsoft Bing and Google Gemini. It’s the same stack of AI assistants seen in the new CLA, and while the new C-Class glides along on clean electric power, surely the environmental impact of generative AI puts a dent in its decarbonization efforts.
While the cabin does look a bit richer trimmed out in beige leather and open-pore wood, the infotainment setup overwhelmingly dominates the look in here. How well this setup might age is a legitimate concern, but if you’re simply leasing, that probably won’t matter.
Really, everything interesting on the new C-Class is going on underneath the skin. In the launch-spec C 400 4MATIC model, buyers will get a 94 kWh battery pack hitched to dual electric motors with a disconnect on the front axle and a two-speed transmission on the rear axle. Not only does this pump out a considerable 482 horsepower and 590 lb.-ft. of torque to squeeze the zero-to-60 mph time under the four second mark, Mercedes-Benz claims it offers 762 kilometers, or 473 miles, of WLTP range. For context, a Hyundai Ioniq 6 will do 382 miles on the WLTP cycle, and a Tesla Model 3 long-range RWD will do 466 miles on the WLTP cycle, so Mercedes-Benz is right in the mix.
Unsurprisingly, this is an 800-volt EV so it can take advantage of high-kW stations, pulling up to 330 kW from the right sort of DC fast charger. Oh, and it features 300 kW of regenerative braking. It’s worth noting that the forthcoming BMW i3 promises 900 kilometers or 559 miles of WLTP range along with 400 kW charging, but in the broad scope of the segment, the new electric C-Class is still competitive.
Then there’s the chassis and suspension, which offers something you previously couldn’t get in a C-Class: Optional air suspension. While this does sound like one more complicated system to potentially break in 15 years’ time, Mercedes-Benz has been clever with this application because it should function as an aerodynamic aid. Pulling data from Google Maps, it knows when the car’s on a divided highway and drops the ride height to cut through the air, even when experiencing moderate traffic. It works to complement predictive adaptive dampers that can slacken off if there’s, say, a speed bump ahead. Add in rear-wheel-steering that shrinks the low-speed turning circle to 36.7 feet, and the new C-Class promises a certain level of ease.
Fundamentally, the new electric Mercedes-Benz C-Class seems like a bunch of interesting powertrain technology wrapped up in a package you might not actually want. The powertrain sounds promising, air ride should be super comfy, but the interior and exterior don’t have that instant desirability a Mercedes-Benz ought to have. Plus, when the new C-Class goes on sale in the first half of 2027, it won’t be alone. It’ll have to go up against the new BMW i3 which offers more range and a dashboard that isn’t entirely screen. Decisions, decisions.
Top graphic image: Mercedes-Benz
The dashboard and the front end ruin it. Wow, that is really ugly.
One word comes to mind when seeing that grill: prolapsed.
Are the Germans back on Meth? Wtf is that front end?
“The crease in the lower body side reduces the visual height, adds tension, and stiffens the panels” – there, I’ve released my inner Robert Cumberford.
I am of the mind that the current “a screen on every surface” will be a trend that ages poorly. Both in terms of the look but more in terms of the technology itself being what will send these cars to an early grave (though I believe that may well be intentional).
True luxury isn’t a million MFing screens. Luxury is silence. Luxury is peace. Luxury is choice. Luxury in the future will be an off switch for all of this crap or a complete lack thereof. There is nothing luxurious about having a screen blasting your face with blue light all the time. There will be nothing luxurious when the screen fails and has dead pixels, weird lines or an error message that spans across all of these (presumably stitched together) screens.
These are the trifling playthings of morons with more money than sense. I presume MB has enough money and market research to know who will buy this stuff and they are catering directly to them. They are a business and they know that if there is money on the table, they would be foolish to leave it there. I think the most sad part of this is that MB has sacrificed it’s dignity chasing dollars of rich idiots.
I have only ever owned one Mercedes and while it was an absolute trainwreck of a car mechanically, when it worked it was a very handsome, luxurious and dignified means of carriage. I guess if you want something dignified to drive, you’ll be buying a Genesis G90 in the future? Amazing how Hyundai started off as the knock off of Mercedes and now it’s taking over.
I don’t have any strong feelings about the exterior styling. But that big-ass screen in front can go jump off a bridge. And three separate AI “assistants”? Hah, no, no thank you.
AI is definitely doing automotive design work now and that machine needs to be terminated. Anathema to what MB used to stand for.
Given that they were released just a couple weeks apart, the comparison to the i3 is inevitable – and it’s damning for the Mercedes.
It looks like the only area the Mercedes is better is acceleration – but you can bet BMW has more up its sleeve in that department.
In isolation, specs-wise, this isn’t a bad effort. But 2 weeks after the game-changing reveal of the i3, it looks pedestrian at best.
And that’s not even getting into the subjective of it all. Mercedes is continuing the bar of soap with massive screen BS. What a horrid looking thing.
The Mercedes may have one other advantage over the i3 – the steering wheel. The i3 has those horrid capacitive buttons on the wheel. Looks like the Merc has actual buttons instead.
This is the worst era in Mercedes’ history. Remember how the W212 managed to capture the spirit of the W124 without being retro? Mercedes needs to do something like that again.
Aside from this being a horrendous piece of design, both inside and out. I wonder if there could be much traction on incorporating LLM environmental costs into the eco footprint of cars like this. That could get them to stop putting LLM into cars!
why does this thing have a face that reminds me of a frenchie bulldog
Someone hit that car with the ugly stick. Or the design team’s deadline came after a night of bad currywurst. Or it’s intended for China and the rest of us have to live with it.
This also reminds me of the last Ford Taurus. The platform was always meant to be a CUV but at the 11th hour an executive stumbled in after a “strategy” meeting and insisted they had to have a sedan too. The front looks like it would go better with a bigger second box and no third box IMO.
I love how Mercedes really leaned into the fake with this car. Not only a fake grille, but fake brake ducts too (oh yeah, the triple threat AI too)!
/s
Counterpoint – I don’t agree with the bashing MB has gotten on they styling of their EQ vehicles. To a certain extent it is function over form in that they are clearly prioritizing aerodynamics to improve vehicle efficiency and range, and I approve of that approach – this is much more cost efficient than throwing more battery at the car to hit the same range targets. But I don’t see how you can throw shade at MB for that but then turn around and lavish praise all over Lucid, Tesla, Hyundai Ioniq 6, etc. etc…
I actually think the EQE / EQS styling will age reasonably well. This new EQS is trying to inject more character into the front end; I can see the W108 influence in the faux grille shape, which is an iconic MB to throw back to, but otherwise it is busied up in a way I’m not a fan of relative to the previous gen.
I don’t know. I think the ‘aero function over form’ styling is un-fussy and honest, which is something that is lacking in basically all cars in the modern era, so perhaps I just find that somehow refreshing.
You can have an aero-led design without ending up with an ugly car. The Taycan has the same Cd as the EQS but is a much more striking design.
I don’t think anyone is criticizing the approach. The reason you don’t see Lucid bashing is because the cars actually look decent despite the aero focus.
There’s a way to do aero without making it look like an AI-designed pig-nosed blob.
In other source articles we’re told that this 2027 C Class has a CD of 0.22
Guess what else has a CD of 0.22?
2026 S Class.
2026 BMW 5 Series sedan
Meanwhile, the 2026 E Class has a CD of 0.023 – and the 2026 C Class has a CD of 0.24.
MB made this car ridiculously ugly on purpose.
Agreed. I think the EQE and EQS look nice in that un-fussy aero way that you described. If the motors and battery hold up decently and turn out to be reliable, I’d consider one used. Though I’d have to find a basemodel without the superscreen.
Whichever MB stylist looked over at his or her counterpart from BMW after gazing upon a recent BMW nose and said “hold my beer” needs to be reeducated with a cattle prod.
I’m becoming convinced German auto CEOs despise their customers.
Is it frumpy or is it dumpy?
Also- completely unrelated to this specific car, but why do we have to open an entire huge hood to access the frunk (triggered by photo 3)? Why can’t there be a door the same size as the opening? It can even be inset within the existing hood so the other stuff can be accessed. I feel ridiculous opening the whole hood to access a small compartment. It’s like… taking your pants off to pee.
The seams and panel gaps would be really ugly. Not that it stopped Mercedes making that criminal hood line anyway, mind you…
The trim on that fake(?) vent or whatever that is on the bottom corners of the bumper has a very interesting shape. The rest of the car has already vacated my mind in the time since scrolling down to write this.