2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class levels up with sexy looks, hybrid tech and a fingerprint reader

[MUSIC] The C class arguably remains the entry level luxury Mercedes. And despite today's SUV all the things market it's still a cornerstone of benzes business. And now there's a new one. Yes even though the German automaker now offers the youth oriented a class and a whole bunch of lower end crossovers, the C isn't just the most affordable way to get into a proper rear wheel drive Mercedes. It's been the automakers most popular model worldwide over the last decade. Set to arrive in US showrooms early next year, the 2022 C class picks up a lot of the swoopy style of it's a class kid brother, and with a standard 48 volt electrical system, Mercedes says that this is the company's first classic model to be fully electrified, but don't misunderstand what that means. This is merely a mild hybrid with an integrated starter generator. This isn't an EV. Regardless, this new C class looks great packing strong rear wheel drive proportions thanks to a generous dash to axle ratio. Plus it has a markedly more aerodynamic appearance than before. Did I mention it's loaded to the gills with more luxury trappings and gobs of tech inside? Despite its lower, sleeker roofline? Mercedes says there's more space inside, especially in the back, which has always been on the tight side. That's possible because this new car is two and a half inches longer, and it sits on a nearly inch longer wheelbase. It's wider to the rear track alone is up by nearly two inches. As a result second row headroom is up by half an inch rear knee room is nearly an inch and a half greater than before. And if you've got broad shoulders well you should be more comfortable back there as well. As you can plainly see that dashboard is all new and there's a lot of trickle down tech at work from the Big Daddy S Class, is a standard 12.3 inch digital cluster and an 11.9 inch portrait oriented Infotainment display, it's canted sharply toward the driver. That last bit is a first for Mercedes sedan. This new cabin does away with a lot of physical switch gear in favor of MBUX is touchscreen functions and voice commands. We've seen a lot of brands go this route with widely varying degrees of success. So we're gonna have to wait for a test drive to see how well this works in the new C class. In any case, the new cabin is certainly both attractive and modern and I would like the way the driver can set the interior mood with a trio of styles classic, sporty and understated. Plus there are three different modes, navigation, assistance, which shows real time traffic and service. These modes affect the way the displays look, what they show As well as controlling things like interior lighting. One kind of crazy detail. It's got a built-in fingerprint scanner, which helps keep your personal information like emails, calendar, appointments, and payment information confidential from all of the drivers. Available in both rear wheel drive drive and formatic all wheel drive. The new C-Class is powered by a Benz's M 254 two liter engine. And thanks to the aforementioned mild hybrid tech. It gains up to 20 additional horses and a whopping 148 pound feet of additional torque in momentary boost mode. The rest of the time this 4 cylinder is rated at 255 horsepower and a healthy 295 pound feet of torque backed by a standard 9 speed automatic. The integrated starter generator setup will allow for fuel saving coasting with the engine off as well as that electronic boost mode that I mentioned earlier This electrification should also make for a smoother stop start functionality as well. Of course, if you are looking for a V6 or a V8, well, you're gonna have to keep on looking. Regardless of how many wheels are powered the C0 to 60 time is quoted At 5.9 seconds and route to unlimited top speed of 130 miles per hour. The last C class bout back in 2014. So it makes sense that this 2022 rides on a new generation rear wheel drive platform. Company officials tell me that this chassis also allows for full hybrid and more. But it isn't the same architecture that underpins Benz his raft of forthcoming EBS. So I doubt we're going to get a C class EV. That is what the EQ range is for. Like the S Class. All of the sensors and cameras available on the new C work together more cohesively for enhanced safety. Lane recognition tech now works with the available 360 degree camera system. For improved performance on corners and highways alike, better sensors and software also allow the car to look further down the road detecting and reacting to parked cars at speeds of up to 62 miles an hour. The old system could only manage 37 there's a new augmented reality navigation system available as well, where directional arrows are displayed in the gauge cluster superimposed over the front camera feed. We'll have to wait a while longer for pricing and fuel economy info but all in, this looks to be an impressive new sedan. The sea should stack up even better against perennial rivals like the BMW three series, as well as relative newcomers, like the Genesis G 70. Now is it gonna stem the worldwide exodus of buyers leaving Sedans in favor of SUVs. Well, no but globally Mercedes sold nearly four hundred thousand of these things in 2019 alone and as I said before they've sold More speed classes than any other model over the past 10 years. In other words, this sleeker new sedan is still really important to the three pointed star. And now it should be much better to drive.