The 2024 Mercedes-Benz C-Class continues to offer buyers all the luxury, safety, and performance expected from a Mercedes-Benz sedan, but at a price that may surprise prospective buyers (in a good way).
With the coupe and convertible now gone (they’re remade as the new CLE Class), the C-Class is a sedan-only affair with two distinct models in the lineup. Standard propulsion comes from the rear wheels, but buyers can opt for 4Matic all-wheel drive (AWD) on any of these three trims: Premium, Exclusive, and Pinnacle.
The C 300 features a 255-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid electric motor, providing momentary bursts of additional power so handy when passing or merging.
There’s also a high-performance Mercedes-AMG C 43 powered by a 402-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with a 13-hp boost from its hybrid-electric motor.
Swimming in the midsize luxury waters is a frenzy of shark-like competitors, including the Audi A4, Acura TLX, Lexus IS, Genesis G70, and BMW 3 Series.
Prices are current at the time of publishing.
What’s New:
For 2024, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class gains as standard a wireless charging pad, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Parktronic front and rear parking sensors. It also has Active Parking Assist, which can automatically park the car in a parallel or perpendicular fashion.
Our Recommendation:
There aren’t significant gaps in price among the Premium, Exclusive, and Pinnacle trim levels, at least not from a luxury car buyer’s perspective. We’d go with the C 300 Exclusive and add the Driver Assistance Package.
C 300 Premium
Starts at $46,950 | See listings
- Turbocharged 2.0-liter engine with 255 hp
- 8-way power heated front seats
- Automatic parking assistant
- Blind-spot monitor
- Automatic high-beam headlights
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Power sunroof
- Motion-activated power trunk release
- Keyless Start
- 12.3-inch digital dash
- Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
- See more
C 300 Exclusive
Starts at $ 49,000| See listings
- 360-degree Surround View monitor
- Enhanced ambient lighting
- Wireless charging pad
- Burmester audio
- Navigation
- Guard 360
- Heated power-folding side mirrors
- Power tilt/telescoping steering wheel
- See more
C 300 Pinnacle
Starts at $51,200 | See listings
- The Mercedes me app
- Augmented video navigation
- Digital LED headlights
- Head-up display
- Leather upholstery
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
- See more
AMG C 43 Premium
Starts at $60,700 | See listings
- Handcrafted 402-hp engine
- AMG suspension
- AMG brakes
- AMG AWD and transmission tuning
- AMG ride control
- Rear axle steering
- See more
AMG C 43 Pinnacle
Starts at $64,650 | See listings
- Augmented video navigation
- Head-up display
- Burmester audio
- Enhanced ambient lighting
- Sport seats
- See more
2023 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Premium: $46,950, 4Matic AWD: $48,950
We like the base C300 Premium trim for its robust luxury features, style, and sub-$50,000 price.
The Premium trim starts with a healthy dose of safety and driver-assist systems. Forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a blind-spot monitor, automatic high-beam headlights, and a rearview monitor are standard. Also included are Parktronic front and rear parking sensors and Active Parking Assist, which can automatically parallel or perpendicular park the C-Class.
There’s a system to warn exiting passengers if a vehicle or bicycle is approaching from behind and another that monitors the driver for inattentive or drowsy driving.
The Pre-Safe system can detect maneuvers that suggest a collision is imminent and prepare the cabin by closing windows and the sunroof and tightening the seatbelts. Pre-Safe Sound emits a sound that triggers the human ear to block damagingly loud noises, such as those you’d hear when colliding with another vehicle.
A walk around the Premium trim’s exterior reveals automatic on/off LED headlights, a power sunroof, a motion-activated power trunk release with closing feature, 18-inch alloy wheels, rain-sensing wipers, and heated power-folding side mirrors.
Mercedes-Benz Keyless Start features a multipurpose key fob. It acts as a proximity device, allowing you to unlock and start the car without ever having to remove it from your purse or pocket. The fob can also open or close the windows and sunroof and pop the trunk remotely.
The Premium’s interior includes 8-way power front seats with 4-way power lumbar support, a leather-wrapped power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, and 3-position memory for the driver’s seat, steering wheel, and mirrors.
MB-Tex faux leather upholstery looks and feels like the real thing. It covers the front seats, 40/20/40-split folding rear seats, door panels, and armrests.
Premium amenities include cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control, 64-color ambient lighting, illuminated entry with projected M-B logos, a wireless charging pad, and a stalk-mounted gear shift lever.
Visually, the C 300’s instruments take automotive interior design to new heights, with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an 11.9-inch center touchscreen display that resembles a tablet glued to the waterfall-shaped center dash.
The screen uses touch and swipe gestures and serves as the command center for climate controls, multimedia, and Dynamic Select selectable drive modes. It even incorporates a fingerprint sensor that lets the car know who’s driving, bringing up personal settings stored in the various Mercedes me profiles.
Mercedes me is a smartphone app that stores profile information. It can start the car remotely, set the interior temperature, schedule a maintenance appointment, and even get an alert if someone hits your car while it’s parked.
The MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) system includes a personal assistant summoned by saying, “Hey, Mercedes.” Once activated, you can ask the system to change the cabin temperature, find your favorite station, make a call, or change the ambient lighting color.
The C 300’s infotainment system is world-class, featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, HD Radio, a Wi-Fi hot spot, Bluetooth streaming, and SiriusXM satellite radio.
The Premium trim offers a few optional upgrades and packages. Among the more notable features are a heated steering wheel, heated wiper washer fluid, heated and ventilated front seats, premium leather upholstery, a panoramic glass sunroof, navigation, and enhanced ambient interior lighting.
The Driver Assistance Package requires the navigation option and includes Distronic Plus (adaptive cruise control with stop/go), speed-limit assist, active lane change assist, and more.
Also available are rear seat side-impact airbags, LED Digital Light headlights, acoustic glass, various 18- and 19-inch wheels, and additional USB ports.
Premium buyers can also upgrade the appearance of their car with several AMG styling upgrades, including the AMG Line with Night Package that adds gloss black exterior accents, AMG body styling, 18-inch AMG 5-spoke alloy wheels, AMG sport seats, a performance steering wheel, plus a sport-tuned suspension, brakes, and steering.
With the $1,150 destination charge, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Premium costs $48,100. On a 60-month loan with 5% financing and $0 down, the monthly payment is $908. See 2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Premium models for sale near you
2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Premium includes:
Multitalented front seats – Not only are the C 300’s front seats power-adjustable, but both the driver and passenger enjoy 4-way power lumbar support and memory. The driver’s seat also has memory settings for the steering wheel and outside mirror position.
Wireless connectivity – With this feature, you’ll never have to look at ugly cables in front of your lovely digital touchscreen. Just sync your phone to the C 300’s infotainment system, and you can wirelessly stream Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
Motion-activated power trunk – How often have you struggled to reach your key fob with two arms full of groceries or luggage? Not a problem with the C300. Just kick your foot under the rear bumper, and the trunk automatically opens.
2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Exclusive: $49,000, 4Matic AWD: $51,000
Building off the Premium, the C 300 Exclusive adds a 360-degree Surround View monitor, enhanced ambient lighting, illuminated door sills, navigation, and a 13-speaker Burmester audio system.
You’ll also get Guard 360, an advanced security system that sends warnings to your smartphone, alerting you when someone is trying to break into the car or getting too close. You can even deactivate the key fob from your phone, a clever idea should the fob fall from your purse or pocket.
With the $1,150 destination charge, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Exclusive costs $50,150. On a 60-month loan with 5% financing and $0 down, the monthly payment is $946. See 2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Exclusive models for sale near you
2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Exclusive includes:
Active Parking Assist – This system takes the worry out of parallel parking, letting you know if the space is large enough and then doing all the steering, shifting, and braking.
Burmester audio – Explicitly designed for the C 300 interior, the 13-speaker Burmester audio system delivers an immersive audio experience.
360-degree monitor – With cameras mounted around the vehicle, the Exclusive’s Surround View monitor can project a 360-degree image outside this midsize Mercedes sedan.
2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Pinnacle: $51,200, 4Matic AWD: $53,200
As its name suggests, the Pinnacle is the top C 300 trim. It builds off the Exclusive trim by adding navigation with augmented video, digital LED headlights with logo projection, and a head-up display.
Beyond the optional equipment mentioned on the previous two trims, the Pinnacle offers a dashcam that records events in front of the vehicle. The recording includes vehicle speed and the time of day and can be viewed on the car’s display or stored on a flash drive.
With the $1,150 destination charge, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Pinnacle costs $52,350. On a 60-month loan at 5% financing and $0 down, the monthly payment is $988. See 2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Pinnacle models for sale near you
2024 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Pinnacle includes:
Navigation – GPS navigation doesn’t rely on cell phone towers, so it’s more reliable in out-of-the-way places.
Augmented reality video – This helpful system superimposes features such as street names, building addresses, and directional turn arrows over a real-time video view of the environment directly ahead.
Head-up display – A color head-up display projects vital vehicle and navigation information onto the windshield.
2024 Mercedes-AMG C 43 Premium: $60,700 (estimated)
The AMG C 43 brings a level of performance to the C-Class on par with BMW’s M cars and Audi’s RS.
Under the hood, the C 43 gains a handcrafted 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder good for 402 hp, plus another 13 ponies when the hybrid electric motor kicks in. This combo propels the C 43 to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds.
As with all Mercedes-AMG models, the C 43 sees extensive upgrades to its major mechanical parts, including an AMG Speedshift 9-speed automatic transmission and AMG 4Matic AWD with a bias toward the rear wheels.
AMG Ride Control helps the suspension become more reactive with adaptive dampers that adjust in milliseconds. Rear axle steering quickens turning and helps with stability, while AMG Dynamic Select varies transmission shift points and throttle control based on Comfort, Sport, or Sport+ modes.
The Premium trim includes MB-Tex and microfiber upholstery, power heated front sport seats with power lumbar and memory, an AMG Performance steering wheel in Nappa leather, a power tilt/telescoping steering column, and a 5-speaker premium audio system.
Additional comfort and convenience features include a heated windshield wiper fluid reservoir, Active Parking Assist with a 360-degree Surround View monitor, and power-folding side mirrors.
Optional equipment includes the Driver Assistance Package, AMG Multi-Contour Performance Seats, Digital LED headlights, AMG Track Pack, AMG Dynamic Plus (adds adaptive engine mounts and Race mode), 4-zone climate control, ventilated front seats, and several AMG exterior styling packages.
With the $1,150 destination charge, the estimated cost for a 2024 Mercedes-Benz C 43 Premium comes to $61,850. On a 60-month loan with 5% financing and $0 down, the monthly payment is $1,167. See 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 43 Premium models for sale near you
2024 Mercedes-AMG C 43 Premium includes:
AMG performance parts – Every inch of the C 43 was designed with performance in mind, from its larger brakes to the track-tuned suspension.
Available AMG Track Pace – Intended for use on closed circuits, this smartphone app connects to the car’s Wi-Fi to keep track of the car’s telemetry data. It also has over 60 stored racetracks, so you can learn every turn before hitting the asphalt.
Available performance seats – These optional seats provide the ultimate lateral support with single-piece headrests and power-adjustable bolsters.
2024 Mercedes-AMG C 43 Pinnacle: $64,650 (estimated)
The Pinnacle includes all the Premium features plus navigation with augmented video, the 13-speaker Burmester audio system, a head-up display, and enhanced ambient lighting.
With the $1,150 destination charge, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz C 43 Pinnacle’s estimated cost is $65,800. On a 60-month loan with 5% financing and $0 down, the monthly payment is $1,242. See 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 43 Pinnacle models for sale near you
