Mercedes-Benz has updated its C-Class, retaining gasoline and diesel engines in the model range. The update is due to stricter environmental requirements and includes changes to the exterior, interior, electronics, and powertrain, Autocar reports.

The company calls the updated C-Class a “mini S-Class.” The car has received new lighting elements in the form of a three-pointed star, familiar from the electric version of the model, as well as additional lighting around the radiator grille.

However, its estate version has retained the previous rear lights. The new design brings the gasoline and electric C-Class closer together, which reflects Mercedes’ changing approach to electric vehicles. After the relatively weak sales of the electric EQE and EQS models, the German manufacturer is gradually abandoning the separate design of electric cars and making models with different powertrains more visually similar.

However, the regular C-Class is significantly different from its electric counterpart. It is lower, and the roof has a less steep slope. Mercedes emphasizes that the design should make the model visually sportier compared to the larger GLC crossover and the more restrained E-Class and S-Class.

There is a new steering wheel in the cabin, with a physical switch for cruise control and a separate audio system controller. The 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and the 11.9-inch central display have been preserved, but now they work on the basis of the fourth generation of the MBUX multimedia system. The main technological update has become a voice assistant with artificial intelligence.

It uses ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Bing technologies and can answer more complex questions than the previous voice control system. The powertrains remain almost the same in appearance, but engineers have reworked each engine, taking into account the future requirements of the Euro 7 environmental standard.

At the same time, power and torque figures have increased. The top-of-the-line C300e plug-in hybrid version can travel up to 114 kilometers on electric power alone. The model range retains the usual gasoline and diesel versions, as well as plug-in hybrids with diesel engines. Engineers have also updated the running gear.

This car has stiffer shock absorbers, which, according to Mercedes, should increase maneuverability without losing comfort at high speeds. Despite the growing popularity of crossovers, the C-Class remains one of Mercedes' core models. Together with its predecessor, the 190, it has sold more than 12 million units worldwide since 1982.