The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been completely remodeled for the 2022 model year and it brings a lot of luxury at an affordable price. At first thought, you may think that this entry-level luxury sedan is basic considering its place in the lineup. But in reality, it’s far more luxurious than you would think.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class has an interior from a class above

What’s more luxurious than a luxury sedan? An ultra-luxury sedan. Believe it or not, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class has a lot of the features you might find in an ultra-luxury sedan. The C-Class is available in three different trim levels – Premium, Exclusive, and Pinnacle. And while it’s easy to want your C-Class with everything on it, you may be surprised at what the mid-level Exclusive trim has to offer.

That trim level is Car and Driver’s recommended trim as it offers buyers “niceties such as a 360-degree exterior camera system, a self-parking feature, wireless smartphone charging, and a Burmester premium stereo system.” But even if you don’t opt for the mid-trim level, you’ll still be treated to premium standard features like an 11.9-inch infotainment system, a 12.3-inch digital gauge display, heated seats wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, and a fingerprint sensor for biometric identification.

Above all else, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class has a very upscale interior design. According to Kelley Blue Book, “the new C-Class has a stylish new cabin, and it benefits from technology that’s trickling down from the big new S-Class sedan.”

What does the 2022 C-Class Pinnacle come with?

Stepping up to the top trim on the 2022 C-Class will mainly give buyers a dashcam, a head-up display, and an onboard navigation system that includes a year’s worth of map updates and augmented video. They’re pretty nice features to have, but they could be a little excessive to some buyers.

In that case, it could be worth saving the extra money and going for the Exclusive trim level instead. For reference, the 2022 C-Class has a starting price of $43,550 for the Premium trim, which jumps up to $45,800 for the Exclusive level. If you want the top dog Pinnacle, then that will set you back $47,500 (before the destination charge).

The driver assistance features are optional

The only drawback to the 2022 C-Class’ interior updates is that Mercedes made the driver-assistance an option across all three trim levels. While safety features like blind-spot monitoring, active brake assist, and a driver drowsiness sensor are standard, the more advanced ones are not. They are instead part of a Driver Assistance package that includes:

• Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC
• Active Blind Spot Assist
• Active Brake Assist with Turning and Cross-Traffic Function
• Active Emergency Stop Assist
• Active Lane Change Assist
• Active Lane Keeping Assist
• Active Speed Limit Assist
• Congestion Emergency Braking
• Evasive Steering Assist
• Pre-Safe Plus

As we can see, that’s a lot of safety features for the German automaker to leave out. However, the C-Class wouldn’t be an entry-level sedan if it didn’t require an extra package. The cost for this particular one is $1,700, which sounds well worth the price.

Optional features or not, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is easily a bargain at around $45,000. It’s also a lot more luxurious than you would think for a car at that price point.