The 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class remains true to form.
Last year's remake of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class propelled this 4-door sedan to the top of the luxury car category, and its repeat victory underscores just how effective those changes were in making it one of the best Mercedes vehicles ever. With good looks, strong performance and a comfortable, yet compact package, the C-Class has winner written all over it.
Made in America
While its design, performance and three-pointed star point to its German pedigree, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is actually built in America alongside the company's SUVs at a plant in Alabama. This home-grown Merc has the build quality, upscale materials and solid chassis we've come to expect from vehicles imported from Germany. The C300 we tested was strikingly handsome, with clean lines and an almost coupe-like profile. While large doors make entry and exit of the front seats a breeze, the rear, as with all cars in this class, is a bit compromised with a little head ducking and twisting required to get in back. Once you're inside, however, there's a sleek interior clad in leather with quality wood accents and a modern layout, including a prominent center console screen that looks like an iPad set on edge. The front seats are comfortable and supportive and Mercedes' improvements to its COMAND rotary switch control scheme is greatly enhanced by the touch-sensitive pad that makes it easy to navigate the screen to select and operate various functions.
Performance with an Edge
Equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 not only has 241 horsepower delivered to the rear wheels via a 7-speed automatic transmission, but it also delivers impressive fuel economy of 25 mpg city/34 mpg highway thanks to technology that includes a standard start/stop system. On top of a $38,950 base price, our test car featured an AMG spec sport package that includes more powerful brakes, aggressively bolstered sport seats, a flat-bottom steering wheel with silver shift paddles, aluminum sport pedals and AMG-inspired exterior accents. The package is more of an appearance option than anything else, but does underscore the sporty nature of the basic C300 package, which has plenty of power and grip if you need it when pushing the car to its limits. And yet in everyday driving, the car is quiet, comfortable and responsive, in keeping with its luxury car brief.
Easy Does it
Among the options that make driving the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 Sedan easy to operate are the driver assists like blind spot warning ($550) and the excellent backup camera with dynamic gradations that are among the best in the industry. As one editor put it, "getting to the curb was utterly intuitive" using the camera, which is a $460 add-on. Other convenience features include keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone climate control, split-folding rear seats and power seats. Extras on our test car included a premium Burmester Surround Sound System, which was part of a $2,220 premium package, leather upholstery with a power front passenger seat and ambient lighting for $2,880, a multimedia package for $2,230, as well as an $800 LED lighting option and the aforementioned $2,175 sport package. With the $720 silver metallic paint, $325 for open-pore black ash interior accents and $825 destination, the all-in price is $53,715. While that's just a tick above a base Mercedes-Benz E-Class, remember that you are getting a fully-loaded C300 that offers the same level of amenities of a much more expensive car in a slightly more compact package. And if you can live without the sport package and a few other extras, the cost is comfortably in the $40,000-$50,000 range.
More 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Read our 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class full review for even more details, or build and price your own new C-Class to unlock this week's Fair Purchase Price, 5-Year Cost to Own and more. To keep exploring your category options, check out our Small Luxury Sedan Buyer's Guide.