Mercedes-Benz Malaysia today previewed the all-new electric Mercedes-Benz C-Class, just a few months after its global debut in April this year as the counter to Neue Klasse-era BMW i3.
The electric C-Class is the second model to be built on the dedicated MB.EA electric vehicle (EV) platform after the electric GLC and is completely different underneath from the current internal combustion engine (ICE) W206 C-Class. Before proceeding further, we need to point out that the car being previewed today – a C400 4Matic electric, no less – isn’t fully representative of local specifications.
For our market, we’re getting the electric C-Class in a different variant: the C300 4Matic electric AMG Line Plus, also with dual electric motors and all-wheel drive. Outputs are 421 PS (416 hp or 310 kW) and 800 Nm of torque for a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 210 km/h.
The motors draw power from a nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery with a usable energy content of 85 kWh that delivers up to 690 km of range following the WLTP standard. For charging, the 800-volt architecture enables DC fast charging at up to 320 kW, with a 10-80% state of charge (SoC) achieved in 22 minutes. At peak capacity, 290 km can be regained in just 10 minutes.
AC charging is courtesy of a 22-kW onboard charger, which is an upgrade over the standard 11-kW unit. As such, getting the battery from 0-100% SoC takes around 4.5 hours instead of 10.5 hours.
For the sake of efficiency, the rear motor is incorporates a two-speed transmission (11:1 and 5:1 ratios), while the front gets a single reduction gear. This is similar to the electric CLA as well as other EVs like the Porsche Taycan and Lotus Emeya 900. The electric 4Matic system also has a disconnect unit that can disengage the front electric motor to reduce losses and optimise range.
Meanwhile, energy recuperation of up to 300 kW is handled by the one-box braking system also found in the electric GLC. With this, almost all braking processes are carried out entirely by energy recuperation, even during ABS-activated braking or on icy roads.
If you’re wondering why there’s no ‘EQ’ branding being thrown around, as exemplified by the mouthful ‘GLC with EQ Technology’, that’s because Mercedes-Benz has steadily phased out ‘EQ’ when naming its EVs. Instead, it is using traditional model names and adding the ‘electric’ suffix to make things easier to understand. For example, the G580 with EQ Technology is now the G580 electric. Simple, right?
In terms of dimensions, the electric C-Class measures 4,883 mm long, 1,892 mm wide, 1,503 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,962 mm. That makes it 132 mm longer, 72 mm wider and 65 mm taller than the W206 C-Class, while also having a 97 mm longer wheelbase.
Styling-wise, the C-Class EV adopts the brand’s reinterpreted front grille that was applied to the GLC EV. This features a thick chrome surround and can our version is optioned with illumination via 1,050 individual LEDs. Our variant also comes with Digital Light headlamps with micro-LED technology, a big step up from the display car’s lowly High Performance LED system.
Viewed from the side, the pulled roofline gives the C-Class EV a fastback look that differs from the traditional three-box outline of the W206 C-Class, contributing to a drag coefficient of just 0.22. At the rear, star-design taillights in circular arcs are similar to what you’ll find on the GLC EV and the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe. Despite the fastback profile, the boot opens like a sedan instead of a hatch like the EQS.
More instances of the GLC EV are found inside, with the headline feature being the expansive and standard MBUX Hyperscreen that measures 39.1 inches to span nearly the entire width of the dashboard, bookended by circular air vents. The show car gets the less seamless Superscreen with three screens under a single sheet of glass.
The largest-ever screen fitted to a C-Class is capable of local dimming thank to its over 1,000 individual LEDs, so two display areas can have different brightness levels. Comprehensive ambient lighting with 11 selectable styles is included and pairs with the standard, illuminated Sky Control panoramic roof, which lacks a sunshade but compensates with an electrochromic dimming function.
Powering the screens are high-performance chips and real-time graphics from Unity Game Engine. To make sure the driver isn’t distracted, the front passenger screen features a camera-based blocking function. The MBUX experience also includes artificial intelligence from ChatGTP4o, Microsoft Bing and Google Gemini, which can tie into the MBUX Virtual Assistant that can conduct complex, multi-part conversations.
Other equipment that is included with our C300 4Matic electric are 20-inch AMG multi-spoke light-alloy wheels (show car has 19s), the AMG Line Plus styling package, AMG sports seats with black genuine leather upholstery and red topstitching (show car has Comfort seats), red seatbelts (show car has plain black), Artico man-made leather for the door trim, Thermatic climate control, AMG floor mats and the Burmester 3D surround sound system (absent in the show car).
Assistance systems packages include MB.Drive Assist that includes lane-change assistant, steering assist, lane keeping, distance control, braking and acceleration as well as parking and manoeuvring, on top of core functions like autonomous emergency braking. Safety is also not skimped on, as we get the full 11 airbags, including airbags for rear passenger sides, front passenger knee and front centre.
So, how much will this cost you? For now, the estimated price for the C300 4Matic electric AMG Line Plus is RM360,888. Initial units will be fully imported (CBU) but it was mentioned this model is part of a CKD bridging programme, which opens up the possibility of local assembly (CKD).
Deliveries are expected to start early next year, which is likely to be well ahead of the expected introduction of the C-Class EV’s rival, the BMW i3. Mind you, the i3’s global debut was a month earlier than the C-Class EV. Which one would you go for?
