- C-Class has been totally redesigned for 2022
- Gorgeous interior with the largest screen in the class
- Larger in every interior dimension
- Turbo and electric power-boosting
- Fingerprint reader, damage alerts, and more cool tech
- Prices should start around $43,000
- Scheduled to go on sale early in 2022
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is all-new for 2022, boasting an exterior that’s sportier and more sophisticated at once, matched with an interior that borders on breathtaking.
The latest version of Mercedes’ venerable small luxury sedan offers a more driver-focused cabin with technology borrowed from the top-of-the-line S-Class, including a voice command system and driver personalization that unlocks through a fingerprint scanner. It’s larger in every direction inside, providing more room at every seating position. It also boasts an entirely new approach to performance – eschewing the usual lineup of increasingly-larger engines, Mercedes gives this C-Class a single 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with multiple performance boosters. It uses hybrid technology, not just to improve fuel economy, but to provide an on-demand power surge. If it all works well, it should set the C-Class apart from its competition, with sporty performance and great fuel economy… though reliability of a brand-new technology is always an open question.
How Much Does the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cost?
We expect pricing for the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class to start around $43,000, in line with the current C-Class and its main rival, the BMW 3 Series.
When Does the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Go on Sale?
The 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is scheduled to arrive at U.S. dealerships starting in early 2022. It’s one of dozens of redesigned models we expect to debut for the 2022 model year.
High-Tech, High-Fashion Interior
Inside, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class will have one of the most high-tech cabins in a class where high-tech is the norm. It includes a huge 11.9-inch central touchscreen mounted in portrait orientation. It’s slightly canted toward the driver, as is the 12.3-inch digital instrument display, which should create more of a cockpit feel than many other luxury sedans.
You control the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system with voice commands (just say “Hey, Mercedes”). It integrates with most music streaming services and uses the first augmented reality navigation system we’ve seen – a camera shows the car’s surroundings on the navigation screen, with directions and lane-change suggestions superimposed on the image.
Drivers can store their personalized settings and unlock them by touching a fingerprint scanner – just scan your finger, and the car remembers your temperature preferences, music settings and favorite destinations, and links to your calendar.
Electrically Boosted Power
At launch, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class will be offered only with a 4-cylinder engine… but launch is the important word there. The engine not only has two turbochargers and an output of 255 horsepower. It also uses an integrated starter generator – a 48-volt electrical system that both allows the car to glide with the engine off and restart almost imperceptibly when you step on the gas, but also provides a surge of up to 20 horsepower when accelerating. It should improve fuel economy and make the car feel as though it has a much larger engine than it does. New turbochargers based on a design used in Formula 1 race cars are also, the automaker claims, more responsive than ever.
A 9-speed automatic transmission is standard. It’s one of the lightest Mercedes has ever built. 4Matic models get a new all-wheel-drive system, which can transfer more torque than before, allowing for improved driving dynamics. “Agility control” suspension continuously adjusts damping for a smooth ride.
Impressive Driver Aids
Driver aids available on the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class include… well, just about everything. Active Distance Distronic maintains a pre-set distance from vehicles ahead of you and can come to a complete stop safely even from 62 mph. Active Steering Assist helps keep you in your lane at up to 130 mph (not that we recommend you test this). Speed Limit Assist can obey posted speed limits, and recognize stop signs and traffic lights to warn you when to slow down. There’s even an (optional) built-in dash camera. Active Brake Assist includes cross-traffic warnings. A parking damage detection system will even alert your phone if that car is dinged while parked.
Two Trim Levels at First
The 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class arrives first as a sedan, with C300 and C300 4Matic all-wheel-drive models offered at launch. Mercedes has not announced an AMG model yet, but a press release on the new edition included mention of the AMG version’s sport suspension, so we’re sure one is coming.
