Audi A5 vs Mercedes-Benz C300

What's the difference?

VS
Audi A5
Audi A5

2026 price

Mercedes-Benz C300
Mercedes-Benz C300

$58,990 - $83,800

2022 price

Summary

2026 Audi A5
2022 Mercedes-Benz C300
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 4, 2.0L

Turbo 4, 2.0L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded/Electric

Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
6.9L/100km (combined)

7.0L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Loses some interior simplicity 
  • Edition One not a permanent fixture
  • Having to wait for more variants

  • Huge price hikes
  • C200 could use more muscle
  • Dull steering feel
2026 Audi A5 Summary

The Audi A5 has done something naughty. It’s replaced the Audi A4.

Or at least that’s the case for now after the Ingolstadt brand made a bit of a mess of its naming strategy.

Essentially, the Audi A5 is now available as a sedan or a wagon, and the next A4 coming soon will be electric. The previous A5 was a swoopier two-door coupe or four-door gran coupe style model. So the A5 is now effectively Audi’s main BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C-Class and CLA rival.

Plus, the Audi S5 is also here to cater to performance car fans.

Can a new platform, a sleek, fresh look and a techy interior do the job?

We’ve been pedalling around the Victorian countryside in the hopes of finding out.

Stick with me, and I reckon we’ll get to the bottom of it. The question about the car, that is, not the bottom of Victoria.

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2022 Mercedes-Benz C300 Summary

Australia's relationship status with the Mercedes C-Class has long been… complicated.

Over 40 years and five generations, the German midsized luxury sedan has been a paragon of efficiency and safety on one hand, but on the other, well, the quality and ride comfort haven't lived up to brand expectations.

Now the completely redesigned version has landed in Australia, with shrunken S-Class limousine styling to take on not only the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Genesis G70, but rivals as disparate as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Tesla Model 3.

The question is? Is this latest, sixth-generation, new-from-the-ground-up C-Class good enough to take on all those and more? Let's find out.

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Deep dive comparison

2026 Audi A5 2022 Mercedes-Benz C300

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