- The standard 2027 Mercedes C-Class has three separate screens.
- The passenger side display is basically a digital photo frame.
- It becomes a touchscreen if customers upgrade to the Superscreen setting.
When Mercedes launched the new CLA last year, I was curious to see what the base version would look like without a third screen on the dash. In the entry-level configuration without options, the passenger display is replaced by a sea of piano-black plastic dotted with three-pointed stars. Better or worse? It depends on who you ask. Some people don’t mind an overloaded screen, while others will accept the occasional lag.
For the new C-Class EV, the situation is different because you’re stuck with all three. The basic MBUX setup combines three separate displays under one piece of glass: a 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14-inch central infotainment screen, and a “digitally animated trim panel.” The latter is essentially a digital photo frame, as it doesn’t support touch input. Instead, it displays a user-selected image from the infotainment system.
To get the touch-enabled passenger display, customers will need to upgrade to the optional Superscreen. Those willing to splurge on the Hyperscreen will get a single continuous 39.1-inch display, eliminating the thick bezels of the other two dashboard layouts. It’s a look we’ve already seen on the electric GLC, and now it’s being applied to other Mercedes EVs in the same class.
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
The combustion-engined C-Class will undergo a mid-cycle facelift later this year, and it will be interesting to see which direction the ICE model will take. Despite sharing the same name, the two cars are fundamentally different, as the new electric model (W520) uses a dedicated EV platform with no ties to the gas-powered W206 launched in 2021.
The direction Mercedes is taking is clear: to go all out on screen, similar to its main rivals, BMW and Audi. While screens have the advantage of integrating multiple functions, they also limit the creative freedom that interior designers once had, when a glass-enclosed screen did not dominate the dashboard.
Said former Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener Top Gear last year a large display was a must: ‘You want to have a visual reference on the screen, or you might want to watch movies and things like that. So yes, you need a big screen.’
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Source: Mercedes-Benz
Motorcycle Pickup1: Luxury cars must deliver a high-end dashboard aesthetic, which is difficult to achieve if the screen dominates the cabin. Even Gorden Wagener admitted this in an interview with ABC News last year that “screens are not a luxury.” But the C-Class EV is filled with them, and this is no exception.
High-end models like the 2027 S-Class and the upcoming electric AMG GT Four-Door Coupe also feature a triple-screen layout. This is the direction the Stuttgart-based automaker is taking, and these days, it’s hard to imagine the beautifully crafted switchgear of the past making a comeback.
Hopefully Mercedes can prove us wrong.
