Mercedes C-Class (2014-present)
The Mercedes C-Class is a is a luxurious and hi-tech family car
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
The Mercedes C-Class, now in its fourth generation, sits in one of the most prestigious and hotly contested sectors of the car market – the ‘compact executive’ class. Its age-old rivals in the company-car parking lot are the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, but more recently the Volvo S60, Lexus IS and Jaguar XE have joined the fray, raising the level of competition further.
Starting at just under £28,000, the C-Class is definitely among the more expensive of the bunch, but the prestige attached to its famous three-pointed star badge means the premium can be justified. The current C-Class also mirrors the styling of the larger and more expensive Mercedes E-Class and Mercedes S-Class, further strengthening its image.
Diesel is generally the engine of choice for C-Class buyers, although if you don’t fancy it there is one regular petrol, a plug-in hybrid and the high-performance C63 to choose from. The hybrid actually outstrips the already pretty frugal diesels when it comes to fuel economy, although it does cost a bit more to buy in the first place.
This is the smallest of Mercedes’ three main saloon models, so it’s not entirely surprising to find things are a little cramped in the back – largely due to the swoopy, coupe-like roofline. It’s not too bad, though, so as long as you’re not regularly carrying four adults on long journeys, it should be fine.
The latest C-Class is a very safe car – and it’s not just about protecting you in the event of a crash (although it’s very good at doing that). It also features a raft of technology designed to avoid an impact in the first place, such as Attention Assist (which detects if you’re getting sleepy at the wheel) and Collision Prevention Assist (which can sense nearby cars and objects and apply the brakes to avoid a crash). Higher-spec models also get lane-keeping assistance, which stops you unintentionally drifting out of your lane on the motorway.
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Key facts
Warranty: Three years/unlimited miles | Boot size: 480 litres |
Width: 1,810mm | Length: 4,686mm |
Height: 1,442mm | Tax (min to max): £0 to £265 |
Best Mercedes-Benz C Class for...
Mercedes-Benz C Class History
March 2014: Fourth-generation C-Class saloon goes on sale in the UK
September 2014: Recall of 8,145 cars for potential steering column issue
November 2014: C300h 2.1-litre diesel hybrid engine joins the range
May 2015: Recall of 437 diesels for software problem that could cut engine
May 2015: Recall of 1,371 petrols for potential fuel pump problem
July 2015: High-performance Mercedes-AMG C63 and C63 S go on sale
September 2015: Recall of 5,385 cars for potential oil leak
Understanding Mercedes-Benz C Class car names
- C Class
- Engine
- C300h
- Trim
- AMG Line
- Gearbox
- Auto
- Engine
- Except the high-performance C63, C-Class engines have three-digit names, with the higher numbers indicating greater power. Petrols have no letter at the end of their name, diesels have a ‘d’, diesel hybrids a ‘h’ and petrol hybrids an ‘e’.
- Trim
- From least to most expensive, the different version of the C-Class are SE, Sport, AMG Line, C350e Sport, C63 and C63 S.
- Gearbox
- Mercedes offers a choice of six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic transmission on the C-Class. The C63 gets its own seven-speed sports automatic.
Mercedes-Benz C Class Engines
Engines: C200d, C220d, C250d, C300h (diesel); C200, C350e, C63, C63 S (petrol)
Mercedes offers a wide variety of engines to C-Class buyers: there are three conventional diesels, a diesel hybrid, a regular petrol, a petrol plug-in hybrid and the hugely powerful AMG C63 high-performance models.
The most efficient of the three regular diesels is the entry-level C200d, but we’d recommend the C220d. It’s only slightly less economical than the C200d, but feels a lot smoother and quicker in everyday driving, offering the sort of swift, unflustered progress people associate with executive cars. The C250d is quicker still, but there’s a sharper drop in fuel economy.
The C300h diesel hybrid manages to beat both the C200d’s fuel economy and C250d’s performance – however it’s also around £5,000 more expensive to buy than the C220d, so it’s hard to fully recommend. Also, unlike the petrol hybrid discussed below, it’s not a plug-in, so it doesn’t have the ability to drive on electric power alone for a significant distance.
Turning to the petrols, there’s just one regular choice: the C200, whose fuel economy and performance numbers look a bit average next to the diesels. It’s the cheapest to buy and remains a good choice if you don’t do many long journeys, but residual values aren’t great.
Next up is the C350e, which combines a petrol engine with an electric motor and batteries that can be charged up by plugging the car into an electric vehicle charging point. It’ll travel for up to 20 miles on electric power alone, so if you have a short commute and somewhere to charge the car, you could do almost all your driving without using any petrol. Performance is impressive, too: the C350e takes less than six seconds to do the 0-62mph sprint.
Even that pales in comparison next to the Mercedes-AMG C63, which in standard form makes an enormous 469bhp and rockets to 62mph in just over four seconds. If for some reason that’s not enough, there’s an even faster C63 S, but even though the difference between them isn’t huge, it’ll set you back an extra £4,000 – and it’s not really worth it.
Fuel | Mpg | Bhp | 0 - 62mph | top speed | |
C200d | Diesel | 72.4mpg | 134bhp | 9.7s | 135mph |
C220d | Diesel | 70.6mpg | 168bhp | 7.7s | 145mph |
C250d | Diesel | 65.7mpg | 201bhp | 6.6s | 153mph |
C300h | Diesel | 78.5mpg | 229bhp | 6.4s | 152mph |
C200 | Petrol | 53.3mpg | 181bhp | 7.5s | 147mph |
C350e | Petrol- | 134.5mpg | 275bhp | 5.9s | 155mph |
C63 | Petrol | 34.5mpg | 469bhp | 4.1s | 155mph |
C63 S | Petrol | 34.5mpg | 503bhp | 4.0s | 155mph |
Mercedes-Benz C Class Trims
Trims: SE, Sport, AMG Line, C350e Sport, C63, C63 S
The SE is the entry-level trim – or version – of the C-Class, but it certainly doesn’t feel cut-price. You get 16-inch alloy wheels, a collision-prevention system, four driving modes (comfort, economy, sport and ‘sport plus’), rain-sensitive windscreen wipers, cruise control, a reversing camera, a seven-inch colour display, digital radio and a leather steering wheel.
Sport is the next model up in the range. As standard, it has 17-inch alloys, LED headlights and lowered suspension for a classier look overall. Other useful features include parking assistance, additional interior lighting, Garmin sat nav and heated leather seats. The C350e plug-in hybrid gets its own trim level, called ‘C350e Sport’. It has everything the SE and Sport have, plus very smooth air suspension.
The AMG Line is the sportiest of the regular C-Class trim levels. It’s not any faster or more powerful than the other versions, but it does have 18-inch alloy wheels and a bodykit that mimics the look of the high-performance C63 model. It also gets upgraded brakes, steering and suspension for a sportier driving experience – although the ride quality may be a bit harsh for typical UK roads. Inside, there are brushed-metal pedals and sports seats.
In the C63 itself, as well as that mighty engine under the bonnet, you get a special design of 18-inch alloy wheel, a beefy AMG bodykit and plenty of AMG lettering and sporty-looking visual additions inside and out. The C63 S is mainly about extra horsepower, but it does throw in even bigger 19-inch wheels for good measure.
Mercedes-Benz C Class Reliability and warranty
Having been introduced in the second quarter of 2014, this incarnation of the C-Class is a relatively new car, but its engines have all been tried and tested in other Mercedes models for some time. So it was surprising to see it ranked a disappointing 188th for reliability out of 200 cars looked at in Auto Express magazine’s 2015 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. The build-quality score was a lot better, fortunately: 44th out of 200. Also, if any issues do crop up, they will at least be covered by Mercedes’ three-year warranty (which, like BMW’s, has no mileage limit).
Used Mercedes-Benz C Class
Cars with a prestigious badge on the nose tend to hold their value well on the used market, and they don’t come much more prestigious than the three-pointed star of Mercedes. This version of the C-Class has barely been around for two years, though, so we don’t yet have a full picture of its long-term depreciation.
At the time of writing, the news looks better for new buyers than those in the market for a secondhand example. Dealers on BuyaCar were offering a significant discounts on all our recommended models, with the hefty savings on the C350e hybrid pretty much eliminating one of that car’s downsides: its high list price. And in the case of the high-performance C63 model, the available dealer discount was equivalent to the market value of a year-old car.
Value on the used C-Class market is most likely to be found in a low-mileage, two-year-old example, which will have a year of its manufacturer warranty still to run, but possibly be available for nearly 30% less than new.
Prices below show typical BuyaCar discounts for our pick of new and used models. Scroll down further for the very latest new Mercedes C-Class deals or search for all new and used Mercedes C-Class offers.
List price | BuyaCar new | 1 year old | 2 years old | 3 years old | ||
Best for performance | Price | £60,055 | £52,839 | £52,660 | N/a | N/a |
Save | 12% | 12% | N/a | N/a | ||
Best for families | Price | £31,675 | £28,113 | £25,705 | £23,315 | N/a |
Save | 11% | 19% | 26% | N/a | ||
Best for economy | Price | £38,270 | £31,514 | £34,690 | £31,300 | N/a |
Save | 18% | 9% | 18% | N/a |
Other Editions
- Mercedes C-Class coupe (2015-present)Sporty, stylish and upmarket: the Mercedes C-Class coupe covers all the bases