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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