2027 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The new C-Class grille, which harkens back to Mercedes designs from yesteryear (search “1978 Mercedes SEL), looks tacked on and is not cohesive with the rest of the design, which largely carries over. It's a lot bolder than before, though, so maybe that’s a good thing. The headlights are also new, and the taillights gain elements shaped like the Mercedes star.

The changes inside are less obvious. A new steering wheel has physical toggle buttons for the audio volume and cruise control that replace the old car’s infuriating touch-sensitive sliders. Surrounding “buttons” are still touch sensitive, but they’re located and activated easily enough. The same can’t be said of the touch-sensitive slider that remains for radio volume under the touchscreen. The climate controls are also entirely within the touchscreen, but at least they consist of large, easily read virtual buttons. The heated and ventilated seats still have proper buttons on the doors.

So, in addition to the infotainment improvements (more on those later), the 2027 C-Class is easier to use than before. That often can’t be said when a car goes under the knife these days. The tough-to-define element of interior luxury can also take a hit, as enormous screens replace more traditional surfaces and design. That argument can certainly be made about the Audi A5 and Mercedes’ own CLA-Class.

The C-Class, by contrast, keeps the beautiful “waterfall” of trim, available in multiple materials and finishes, that stretches across the dash and down toward the center console. It serves as a backboard (and pleasing visual contrast) for the enormous-enough, portrait-oriented touchscreen. Quite simply, the cabin looks expensive, and the materials and build quality back that up.

AMG models will eventually return (including with a V8 for the C 63 in place of the unloved and fiendishly complex four-cylinder plug-in hybrid), but for now, the lone C-Class offering is the C 300.

At first glance, it might seem like nothing has changed under the hood. It still has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system featuring an electric motor that contributes a dollop of power when accelerating, smooths out the auto stop/start system, and increases fuel efficiency. Output is even the same, at 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Ditto the fuel economy, with an EPA-estimated 29 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive (RWD) and 27 mpg combined with all-wheel drive (AWD).

The engine features a new electric supercharger that enhances engine response by “filling in the gaps,” so to speak, in the car’s power delivery. Basically, there’s less lag between the driver putting their foot down and the engine responding. Indeed, engine response was excellent, and the electric unit removes one of the main downsides of the turbocharged four-cylinder engines that have become so common in the automotive market. This is a tangible improvement, even an advantage, that won’t show up on a spec sheet.

Mercedes also made substantial updates to decrease cabin noise. This includes aerodynamic tweaks, an extra windshield seal, a vibration-reducing exhaust update, and other acoustic changes. It’s hard to say how much of a difference it makes without driving the 2027 model back-to-back with a 2026. That said, this test drive occurred in Germany and multiple Autobahn stints of 100 mph showed that the 2027 C-Class does an impressive job of quelling wind noise. It also felt mighty stable at such high speeds, too, so drivers should be A-OK doing 70 on the Interstate.

Changes were also made to the suspension, including the adaptive dampers, to sharpen handling. This might be a less successful enhancement, because the steering has an atypical-for-Mercedes artificial feel to it, with a mild elastic band quality to it when turning off center. So, even if the suspension is theoretically sportier, the steering ensures that the overall driving experience doesn’t actually feel that sporty (even in Sport mode, which just tightens the steering’s metaphorical elastic band).

We also have reservations about the ride quality. Germany has exquisite roads, so we didn't encounter many bumps during the test drive. Those that managed to sneak through the German ministry of road repair, however, gave us a sneaking suspicion that the 2027 C-Class may be a touch too firm for American roads and tastes, although only time and a full stateside test drive will confirm or refute this suspicion.

There were no under-the-radar changes made to improve the C-Class’ performance in this section. Unfortunately.

Space up front remains abundant for even two occupants over six feet tall. The driving position is good, and the reach to the steering wheel and touchscreen are manageable. Side and rear visibility are also good by modern standards, though the dash may feel awfully high to some drivers (the downside of putting the air vents above the touchscreen where they can blow on the driver's face instead of their knees or knuckles).

The back seat is on the small side, and straight-up cramped with tall occupants up front. Six-footers are unlikely to fit behind themselves, and even those of average height might find their heads grazing the roof.

The trunk situation is complicated. The on-paper volume is only 11.6 cubic feet, which seems pretty darn small, and is one cubic foot lower than before. It looks identical, though, which is good news, because last year’s model took advantage of its boxy shape, a surprising amount of width between the wheel wells, and nothing dangling from the parcel shelf (speakers, seat-folding pulls, etc.) to hold far more luggage than we expected given its modest volume spec. That said, the trunk is still less versatile than the Audi A5’s hatchback cargo area.

As for small-item storage, the main cupholders are fairly useful, even for metal water bottles (so are those in each front door). They reside in a somewhat configurable bin that’s also home to the wireless phone charger. Sort of. The charge pad is buried under the dash and blocked by anything in the cupholders, which isn't ideal. The under-armrest bin is relatively deep and useful, though.

The C-Class cabin retains its 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, and the screen in turn retains its general look. The C-Class also goes without the option of a passenger touchscreen, unlike the smaller CLA and other Mercedes models. Just because something’s missing doesn’t mean it’s missed.

The central touchscreen retains its 11.9-inch portrait-oriented dimensions and a few key design and layout elements such as the climate controls and permanently docked “buttons” for Home and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the upper left-hand corner. However, it gains the adaptive and customizable “zero layer” home screen concept that’s been in other Mercedes models for years now. The design of menu and app icons has been simplified, too. They’re not as pretty, but they're easier to identify and press. It would be nice if Mercedes would show more than three at a time, though, and it takes too many screen swipes and swishes to go through the menu and app carousel.

This is just the cosmetic stuff. At the software level, this is an all-new infotainment system featuring what Mercedes dubs the “MB.OS supercomputer with AI”. Among its improvements is expanded over-the-air update capability, which should more easily correct any hiccups and/or provide future upgrades.

The AI bit comes in the form of the enhanced voice assistant, which pulls from three different AI agents—ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing and Google Gemini—and the results are incredibly impressive. Yes, it does a good job of meat-and-potatoes car tasks such as quickly programming the navigation system, which, by the way, now utilizes Google Maps technology despite retaining its unique Mercedes look. And yes, it probably is a bit sad if people routinely use the assistant’s ability to carry on conversations.

Yet it has the amazing ability to put to rest any fact-based arguments or queries one might have. Upon noticing that diesel prices in Germany didn’t seem much different than those for gasoline, we asked, “Hey Mercedes, where does Germany get its diesel?” The resulting answer was not only correct, but nuanced, adding helpful context beyond what was simply asked. It also correctly identified the capital of Germany, who won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, and where the 2013 Mercedes E-Class was built. Is this trivial stuff? Literally, yes. Is it safer than using a phone for such queries? Also yes.

Nevertheless, there’s a decent chance that the new, 15-speaker Burmester 3D sound system option will be more appreciated. It sounds sensational, with clean bass and crisp vocals. It’s a big-car sound system in a small car. The “Augmented Reality Head-Up Display” first seen on the S-Class also returns to the C-Class’ options list. The augmented reality bit largely comes from the dynamic arrows that appear in the driver's line of sight roughly where navigation turn points are ahead.

The selection of driver-assistance features is largely unchanged for 2027, but the operating system that controls them all by pulling data from 12 ultrasonic sensors, eight cameras and five radar sensors is new and also utilizes AI algorithms. If having AI on board to correctly answer “Berlin,” “ABBA,” and “Sindelfingen” seems a little pointless, using it to help prevent accidents and injuries is not.

This is an inherently difficult thing to test, though. For the most part, the below laundry list of systems seemed similarly as well-executed as before. There were no false alarms or hyper-active corrections. It’s also easy enough to turn off anything that might be irksome, most notably the speed-limit warning that blinks in the instrument panel and head-up display, and the adaptive cruise control’s automated speed adjustments. The latter is a terrific feature in Germany where speed limits are enforced, realistic and appear and disappear suddenly—less so in the United States where they’re routinely ignored or unevenly enforced.

The standard assortment of MB.Drive systems includes forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, reverse automatic braking, and adaptive cruise control. A slew of extra features and enhancements is then optional, such as lane-centering assist, those speed-limit-related features, and a new reverse maneuvering function that allows the car to automatically “retrace your steps,” so to speak, if drivers have come to a dead end. It surely beats the Austin Powers alternative.

Crash-test ratings for the 2027 C-Class were not available at the time of writing, but the 2026 model, which is very similar, was named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Pricing was not available at the time of writing, but it’s unlikely that it’ll rise too much beyond the typical inflationary norm. For context, last year’s C 300 started at $51,000 with RWD, with 4Matic AWD tacking on an extra $2,000.

The Audi A5 has roughly the same starting price but has traditionally come with a bit more standard equipment, such as leather upholstery (although that may not be a plus for some folks). Pricing for the 2027 BMW 3 Series was also unavailable at the time of writing, and it’s unclear how much its radical redesign may affect the starting price, which was around $48,000 for the 2026 model. Basically, the C-Class is on a par with its main competition, but is obviously pricey for a small(ish) sedan.

For those looking to reduce running costs, it’s a shame that the plug-in hybrid powertrain offered in Europe won’t be coming to the United States. The all-electric C-Class will, but it’s also a completely different car apart from its name and general size. That said, the C 300’s fuel economy is quite good given its performance and when compared to other luxury sedans.