Mercedes-Benz C350 E vs Mercedes-Benz C350

What's the difference?

They're doing it again! Actually they've been doing it again for a bit now. It’s Mercedes-Benz Australia and plug-in hybrid tech.

The Ross and Rachel, or Jim and Pam of the premium automotive world.

It's been a will they, won't they for a while, and in the past Mercedes has dipped its proverbial plug into the electrons a few times and gotten cold feet.

But now it says it’s all in. There are others, the GLA and GLC SUVs, plus there’s the new C63 performance car, but this one feels like a bit of an arrival.

Yeah, the C-Class is no longer the Mercedes-Benz in terms of sales, but it might be the best way to make the most of a bit of battery power.

If you’re picturing the premium mid-size segment in Australia, you’re almost certainly picturing Mercedes-Benz. Honestly, the premium carmaker has the kind of powerful and unquestioning stranglehold on the segment that would have despots and dictators turning green with envy.

The C-Class often outsells its nearest competitor by a factor of two to one. Even more impressive, that nearest competitor is another Mercedes, the CLA. Audi and BMW are left off in the middle distance, duking it out for third and fourth place.

So yes, the C-Class is a very important car for Mercedes. And this new one, updated for 2019, is even more so. It’s the first major update in the current car’s four-year lifespan, with a handful of exterior tweaks, some new key cabin technology and, most importantly, a new and clever engine option for its top-selling version.

So is that enough to keep the C-Class at the top of the mid-size pile?