Mercedes-Benz C-Class Electric review

It feels utterly faithful and reassuring. Despite the huge power there's bags of traction and a well-calibrated ESP. The steering too demands very little management from you. Even down a pretty lumpy B-road it's not knocked off course by bumps and ridges, and on a motorway the steering is perfectly calibrated to help you hold the lane.

Is it quick?

Good grief yes: for the C 400 4Matic it's 4.0 seconds for 0-62mph, with zero drama. But admirably the accelerator isn't twitchy, so it's easy to be less urgent and keep the passengers relaxed.

You've got three regeneration settings including an adaptive one, which takes more getting used to than similar systems from other manufacturers. When you're following another car that's slowing down, it freewheels quite late, then slows quite hard.

Actually, about 400bhp of regeneration reverse-power is available, in an integrated brake system that doesn't have to call on the discs much. But the brake pedal is surprisingly long in initial travel, which isn't the most reassuring thing in the world until you've done a big stop and know what it's actually capable of.

Is it fun as well as fast?

It's an undemanding car to steer: accurate and free of surprises. The steering weight is consistent, with an almost over-greased smoothness to it. Only when you push quite hard do you sense what the tyres are up to. It's pretty enjoyable and doesn't feel its two-and-a-half tonnes.

Best thing is the sheer absence of disturbance. On a really lumpy B-road where most cars would fight your hands and bounce side to side, the C-Class spears on imperiously. It's the same on a motorway, where it holds a straight line, but can still peel into a big-radius curve with relaxed precision.

Our test car had the Refinement Package of adaptive air suspension and four-wheel steering which sharpens it at low and manoeuvring speed but never feels unnatural. Its Sport mode sharpens up the car's reactions, but ideally wants a fairly smooth road.

That suspension is linked to the Mercedes cloud, so if another Benz has hit a bump at a specific location, your car is warned on approach and prepares the springs and dampers for the event.

Comfy with it?

The air-spring version rides beautifully on big bumps and annoying little corrugations. Our only quibble is the way it can thump audibly on sharp pot-holes. We haven't driven the coil-spring C-Class, but with the related GLC Electric the coils retain the comfort; they just lose a bit of the sporty dimension. Otherwise the big tyres are remarkably quiet, and the C-Class slips discreetly through the air too.

That makes it a very relaxing car. We haven't yet done a road trip, but experience with the CLA – similar aero and powertrain tech – makes us confident the C 400 will crack 350 miles even on motorways. Which translates into 250 real miles added in 22 minutes of recharging from 10-80 per cent.

It's just as well it's so stable and relaxing to drive yourself. Mercedes equips it with all the hardware needed for assisted and even – in China and the US – for near-autonomous driving. But to activate even the lane-centred cruise control and assisted parking, you have to pay a monthly fee. Those two features are standard on some trims of Renault 5 for heaven’s sake!

TopGear staffers are fiercely divided on the topic of subscription features in cars, but surely we can all agree that in asking an extra fee for this stuff on a £70k car, Mercedes is taking the mick.