Earlier this year, we got our first look at the all-new 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The compact luxury sedan yet again cribs from the flagship S-Class to add some luxurious pop to its small form factor. The new C-Class, with the chassis code W206, is new from the ground up, wearing sheetmetal with plenty of nods to the fresh S-Class and an all-mild-hybrid lineup, which sounds more impressive than it is because there’s only one powertrain offering so far. But now Mercedes is going into more detail about the trim levels and equipment on offer, and that is what today’s news is all about.
When the 2022 C-Class arrives at U.S. dealers sometime in early- to mid-2022, there will be three trim levels on offer for the C300 and C300 4Matic models: Premium, Exclusive, and Pinnacle. Whereas with the previous-generation 2021 U.S.-spec C300 there’s essentially one trim and several options packages, the new trims bundle various features—and will also have additional options that can be layered on top.
C-Class Premium
The “base” trim is called Premium and features a host of things standard: a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, an 11.9-inch infotainment touchscreen, second-generation MBUX with a fingerprint scanner, wireless smartphone integration, and 18-inch wheels. On the safety front, blind spot assist, attention assist, active brake assist, and the brand’s so-called “Presafe” pre-collision suite of safety features.
Several options are available on Premium, including the AMG Line with Night package (which adds a fancy diamond-pattern grille, among other things), adaptive headlights, navigation, and several luxury features like a panorama roof.
C-Class Exclusive
Stepping up to the Exclusive trim nets active parking assist, a surround-view camera system, more ambient lighting, an inductive phone charger, and Burmester premium sound—in addition to all the Premium features. The same options also apply, with the addition of a few add-ons like a heated steering wheel and Sirius XM.
C-Class Pinnacle
The top of the heap is the Pinnacle trim, with standard navigation, a head-up display, and the augmented video navigation feature for MBUX. Exclusive options for Pinnacle include a dash cam and an integrated toll pass.
What we don’t have yet is pricing, so we don’t know where the C-Class will start and how much of an increase each trim level brings. We think the C-Class will start at about $42,000, and go up from there.
