Mercedes-Benz EQE vs Mercedes-Benz C-Class

What's the difference?

The Mercedes-Benz EQE350 4Matic is an electric sedan that will comfortably house your family. My son really liked this one, the ambient lighting in particular!

It has enough power to satisfy the drivers out there and a driving range that will make you feel at ease. But the boot is small and this car will suit families whose kids are out of the pram stage best. I really like the safety and standard features on the EQE but the ongoing costs are a bit expensive for an EV.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 is such a stylish sedan and I would totally have one. The driving performance, luxurious features and practical size made it a winning combo for my family. The price point is definitely up there but you do get a high-end build for the cash. I've seen bigger boots in other sedans and not being able to fit a third child seat will limit some families, but this still easily earns an 8.5/10 from me.

My son really loved this one. The ambient lighting was the highlight for him and he thought it looked like a "space car" inside. He gave it a 9/10.

Love it or leave it, the swoopy design of the EQE sedan is decidedly modern with a shiny black grille that features a repeated Mercedes-Benz star motif and the aerodynamic covers on the 20-inch alloy wheels.

The nose is snubby and dips down too low for it to look sexy but the rear earns some design points with its elegant proportions, 3D ‘helix’ LED lights and cute spoiler.

The chrome accents around the windows and the illuminated flush door handles add some pizzazz, too.

I’m not a massive fan of its exterior looks but the interior is gorgeous! The dashboard features an 12.8-inch touchscreen multimedia system and a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel that pull your focus with their crystal-clear graphics but they need to, because the dashboard has a whole lotta empty space which looks a tad boring.

The side air vents are styled like jet turbines but are a little finicky to manoeuvre.

The black suede-like headliner creates a plush aesthetic but when you open the panoramic sunroof, the cabin is downright airy.

The door panels, which double as a grab handle, house the window and side mirror controls and its super handy to have the seat-configurator and memory functions on the door itself, rather than the side of the seat. This positioning makes them much easier to see!

Mercedes has added LED ambient-strip lighting around a lot of the interior, including the front seats, which has a massive wow factor at night time.

The ambient lighting can be adjusted up to 64-ways and also features a dynamic element where the lights pulse (under certain selections) when you accelerate. 

The C200 is a sleek and elegant steed.

Initially, you may think this is just a standard Merc showcase. There's the nice big badge on the pronounced nose. Beautiful sleek lines in the body... but it's the attention to detail that make this feel special.

There's a repeated badge motif in the grille and a cute cursive Mercedes logo tucked into the corner of the windscreen. The puddle lights on the doors project the badge at night time and you can often spot a badge etched into the LED lights.

However, it's the interior that's the highlight for me and I feel like it's a big step up from previous models I've been in.

Our model has the grey 'Artico' synthetic leather trim (says grey but it's really white) and a lovely mix of piano black and shiny chrome inserts that are set against soft touchpoints throughout.

The quality of the build oozes through every stitch and join. Don't even get me started on the cool customisable ambient lighting system inside, which makes this feel like you're on the set of Tron and really elevates the interior.

It's quite fun to build one of these in Mercedes' online configurator. You can customise your trims to make it feel like your own and their blue paintwork options are great (I do love a blue car).

Mercedes uses the term ‘saloon’ for its sedans and this term highlights the space each passenger will enjoy in the EQE sedan! There is plenty of head and legroom up front and you don’t feel like you’re on top of your co-pilot, either.

The electric front seats are comfortable with their adjustable lumbar control and extendable under-thigh support. The kinetic function on both also make longer journeys an absolute pleasure.

The rear seats are well-padded and you get limo-like legroom but the swoopy roofline does cut into the headspace. I’m comfortable enough with my 168cm (5'6") height but someone with a few inches over six-foot may not be.

You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to individual storage options with large middle and centre consoles, the latter can be made even larger because the two cupholders are retractable.

There is a massive shelf underneath them that has a handy elastic strap for larger items, like a handbag. The glove box is on the shallow side but both doors have a drink bottle holder and storage bin.  

In the rear, individual storage is also decent with two map pockets, two retractable cupholders in the fold-down armrest, as well as a drink bottle holder and storage bin in each door.

The other amenities in the rear are good with a couple of reading lights and directional air vents. I would have preferred to have seen climate control, too, but there’s enough here to satisfy.

The technology looks high-end but is relatively simple to operate once you get used to the Mercedes-Benz operating system.

The touchscreen multimedia screen has haptic feedback, which just means it vibrates when you touch it, and built-in satellite navigation with an augmented reality feature.

The digital instrument panel is customisable and the coloured head-up display is easy to see.

It is simple to connect to the wireless Apple CarPlay and there is also wired Android Auto.

Charging options are fantastic throughout the car with four USB-C ports and a wireless charging pad to choose from up front.

However, it’s annoying to use the charging pad if you’re also using the cupholders as its awkward to try and get a phone in and out of the housing. In the rear there are another two USB-C ports.

For the class, the boot isn’t massive at 430L and the wheels do cut into the width but it’s been big enough for my shopping errands.

You get a tyre puncture repair kit in the EQE sedan and I like the way you can electrically fold the rear seats if you need extra storage space. Having the hands-free powered boot lid is very convenient. 

I'm not going to lie – there are sedans out there that have an almost limo-like space inside but the C200 isn't one of them.

It's not small by any means and all occupants enjoy the comforts of decent legroom and headroom but it's not cavernous considering the specs (1437mm high/1820mm wide/4751mm long).

The optional panoramic sunroof does cut into the headroom for back seat passengers, which is something to consider if your family is very tall.

The storage is maybe a tad leaner-than-average for a car of this size. The glove box and middle console aren't massive but will suffice.

The cupholders up front can be removed if you need extra storage space for larger items and back seat passengers enjoy retractable cupholders in the armrest.

The way the front doors curve out creates a larger than normal storage bin and drink bottle holder – which help make up the difference. There is a dedicated phone pocket, to tuck it out of the way.

The boot space is 455 litres (VDA), which isn't as large as some others on the market but it was plenty big enough for my family's needs.

There's a handy under-floor storage pocket for smaller items, like the puncture repair kit, because you don't get a spare tyre in this.

When it comes to ease of use, my six-year-old loved not needing my help to get into his seat and he still enjoyed a decent view out of the wide back window.

The amenities in each row are good but not class-defining. Still, creature comforts have be well-thought through.

Front occupants enjoy heated seats and fantastic lumbar and under thigh support. Dual-zone climate control sorts out the temp, and the cool circular air vents that make loud audible 'clicks' when manoeuvred give the interior a jet cockpit vibe.

While I've never had an issue opening or closing a sedan boot, the powered lid was a nice feature to have this week.

The tech throughout is great and intuitive to use. The massive 11.9-inch touchscreen multimedia system is cool and is easy to use once you become acclimatised to Mercedes system.

The customisable digital instrument panel makes the driving experiences feel individualised.

The interior is a chilled out space with gentle scrolling touchpads taking the place of most 'push' buttons and dials.

Think of each surface as being a bit like a touchscreen tablet in how you operate it. I was a little worried the touchpads would be laggy but they're very responsive.

There's only one USB port in the whole car, which limits charging for other passengers but I did enjoy the easy connectivity of the wireless Apple CarPlay.

The electric heated front seats are a nice touch but I was amused by the 'kinetic' function on both. It's what you might call a 'massage' function on another car but here they don't really work. It's best to think of them as a way to do some (very) gentle stretching on a long trip.

The 360-degree camera view is super clear and crisp but the dynamic guidelines (which tilt the camera angle) are a bit too dynamic for my liking and I relied mostly on the bird's eye view to park.

As I've mentioned, the ambient lighting system creates a stellar atmosphere inside. I've often wondered why other car manufacturers haven't jumped on that bandwagon because it's a relatively cheap way of creating wow factor. And it generates massive wow factor in here.

Herein lies the rub. There are four models for the C-Class sedan and ours is at the bottom of the pack.

But don't let its position fool you in thinking it'll be cheap because this model starts at $78,900... and that's before you start adding the option packs. 

Our model is fitted with the 'Vision Package' which adds a host of features – like a panoramic sunroof, head-up display and heated front seats, to name just a few. This adds about $3000 to the price tag.

This also has the optional 'Sport Package' which adds 19-inch AMG alloy wheels and rear privacy glass, among other things, for an extra $1300.

Unfortunately, even without all of those options, this is still one of the most expensive 'entry-level' sedans in the luxury class!

The 350 4Matic is an all-wheel drive with two electric motors that have a combined power output of 215kW and a massive 765Nm of torque. The lithium-ion battery has a large 90.5kWh capacity.

The 350 4Matic has a 0-100km/h sprint time of only 6.3-seconds but it feels gusty and you get a tummy-sucking sensation when you have to put your foot down.

The C200 has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with an integrated starter-generator. 

What's that, you ask? So, glad you did. It's basically an electric battery that also acts as your starter... or alternator.

It smooths out vibrations from the engine and generates some power from braking. Making this a very mild hybrid. Note the 'mild'.

Is it powerful? Surprisingly, yeah. It has a maximum output of 165kW and 300Nm of torque. Combine that with the starter-generator and we have a powerful little engine that can push the C200 from 0-100km in 7.3 seconds, while still feeling like there's power in reserve.

The nine-speed auto transmission is damn smooth and there's no clunky gear changing at any speed. It's got great pick-up, too, for when you need to overtake or zip across traffic.

The 350 4Matic has an official energy consumption figure of 17.6kWh. My average sat round 16.9kWh and that is after a lot of open road driving. Happy with that.

With a driving range of up to 590km, I didn’t feet any range anxiety!

The charging port is a Type 2 CCS which will accept up to 170kW on DC, which means you can charge it from 10 - 80 per cent in 33 minutes. On an 11kW system, you can see that time jump to just under 10hrs.

The official combined cycle fuel figure is 6.9L/100km. Real world testing saw my figure at 7.2L, which was awesome for the heavy driving I did this week on a combo of urban and open-roads.

The light regen braking probably helps this coast comfortably into being a very efficient sedan for its size.

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded and you'll need 66 litres of it to fill the tank.

Driving range using the official consumption figure is around 950km, and 915km using our real-world number.

With the amount of power the 350 4Matic model has, it’s no wonder I enjoy driving it! The motor is responsive and the car doesn’t shift around when you have to put your foot down, either.

The EQE handles beautifully on the road where it feels stable and sure of itself. It tackles corners without breaking a sweat and the steering is crisp.  

The ride comfort is high quality with suspension that smooths out bumps without feeling floaty. The cabin space is quiet even at higher speeds.

There are three levels of regenerative braking – none, normal or strong – ‘strong’ enables a one-pedal driving experience.

It’s responsive enough that you’re confident using it in stop/start city traffic but it wigs me out how the brake pedal moves by itself when activated!

I have kept the level at the default ‘normal’ setting but do tend to turn it off whenever I need to reverse because it can cause a ‘bunny hop’ effect at lower speeds.

The EQE is super easy to park with a clear 360-degree camera system, as well as, front and rear parking sensors. 

The steering feels solid and concise. The tyres seem like they're glued to the road, making winding roads downright fun to tackle. Oh, and the sharp 11 metre turning circle is wonderful.

The handling makes this your best friend in a car park. The lower ground clearance did elicit some unladylike grunts when I parked on a hill, but otherwise the wide door apertures makes it easy to get in and out of.

The only thing I would note is the low-profile ground clearance. Just be aware of your speed and angle when you handle car park ramps or road bumps in this. They are not your friends.

The safety sheet is well-stocked and has the usual suspects you want in a family car, like: AEB with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction turning assist (effective speed 7.0-90km/h); forward and back-over collision warning, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning and emergency lane keeping assist, as well as, blind-spot monitoring.

I quite like the 'Active Distance Assist' which helps to automatically slow your vehicle speed to keep a set distance to the car in front in stop-start traffic.

Perfect for those busy city commutes. And if you're not confident on parking, this also has a 'Park Assist' feature.

It's nice to see that this has nine airbags, which include a driver's knee airbag and the newer front centre airbag.

This has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating which is nice and new from testing done in 2022.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard rear seats and three top tether anchor points but because of the narrower rear seat, you'll only comfortably fit two side-by-side.

It was super easy to fit my seats and there's a good amount of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.

On the EQE you’ll enjoy a five-year/unlimited km warranty and the battery is covered by a 10-year or up to 250,000km warranty (whichever occurs first) – which is better than most.

You can pre-purchase either a three-, four-, or five-year servicing plan and the five-year plan costs a flat $3555, or an average of $711 per service.

That’s quite expensive for an EV and the servicing intervals are more in line with a fuel-based car than an EV at every 12-months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

The C200 comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the market.

There are multiple servicing options and on the five-year plan, the services average $1090 annually, which is quite expensive.

Servicing intervals are pretty good at every 12 months or a longer than usual 25,000km, whichever comes first.