Mercedes-Benz C300 vs BMW I4

What's the difference?

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.

BMW has been incredibly smart with its electric vehicle (EV) offerings in Australia to date.

Ever since the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemption was introduced for novated lease buyers of EVs under the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold, the German brand strategically introduced versions of its EVs that qualify.

The BMW i4 eDrive35 electric liftback, which is based on the locally defunct 4 Series Gran Coupe, is one of these cars.

It recently received a mid-life update that brought more range and features, while remaining under the LCT threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles.

However, the plot thickens. BMW is soon set to launch its new i3 electric sedan which is based on the company’s Neue Klasse dedicated electric architecture.

BMW hasn’t given the i4 an official production end date, however overseas reports indicate it’ll end as soon as next year to make way for the new i3.

Should you hold out for this new-generation car, or does the i4 still hold up? Read on to find out.