2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class revealed with four-cylinder power and S-Class-inspired interior

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is here, and it certainly shouldn't surprise anyone on the outside with looks closely based on its bigger siblings. But the familiar body hides a bigger car with a new four-cylinder-only engine range and S-Class inspired interior.

At first glance, the C-Class doesn't look significantly different from before, but the changes are in the details. At the front are the scowling headlights and widened front grille that can be seen throughout the Mercedes sedan lineup from the A- to S-Classes. Similarly, the thin and wide taillights are certainly familiar as is the longer rear deck. The hood picks up dual power bulges, and the roofline has a shallower slope toward the trunk lid. The whole car is bigger, too, picking up 2.5 inches in length, an inch of wheelbase, and about half an inch of width.

Stepping inside reveals a new, distinctive environment, and one that's between half an inch to an inch larger in most areas than before. It's clearly derived from the new S-Class with the waterfall dash panels and portrait-orientation center touchscreen. It's all at a smaller scale than the S-Class, though, and the air vents are rounded squares rather than slim rectangles. The screens are standard features, with the instrument panel measuring in at 12.3 inches and the infotainment display at 11.9 inches. Among the tech features available are augmented reality camera displays, over-the-air updates, ambient lighting, multiple display themes and a fingerprint reader for accessing personal vehicle settings and information.

Powering the C-Class is just one engine for now, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. It makes the same 255 horsepower as the old model, but now makes 295 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 22. It's also paired with a 48-volt starter/generator that produces 20 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. It allows for smoother and longer starting and stopping, plus coasting and energy regeneration. Despite the increase in torque, the 0-60 mph time has dropped to 5.9 seconds from 5.7. There is once again a choice of rear- or 4Matic all-wheel drive, but the only transmission is a nine-speed automatic. It all rides on newly designed suspension that retains the multi-link independent setup like the old model.?

The new C-Class will hit dealers early next year. Pricing should be available closer to the on-sale date. We also expect that hotter AMG variants will closely follow the regular C 300's launch.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 revealed with long range, strong performance, concept car looks

When the Hyundai 45 concept car was revealed two years ago, we were impressed by the sleek, creased sheetmetal and airy interior. But we figured that whatever production car came of the design would receive major styling changes to make it work. We were wrong. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 delivers on the looks of the concept inside and out with very few changes, and it's bolstered by the enticing E-GMP platform's range, features and powertrain layout.

The outside of the Ioniq 5 is as striking as the concept, and we're particularly impressed that Hyundai brought the boxy headlight and taillight treatments to market unchanged. The creases on the outside are intact, and they work great with the edgy, forward-leaning hatchback shape. The reveal car features 20-inch wheels that do look smaller than the concepts, but retain the detailed, aerodynamic design. There does appear to be more body cladding, which adopts little creased lines to help it fit in with the exterior's theme. The car has also sprouted door handles, but they're flush as to not distract from the shape and to aid aerodynamics. In some markets, the mirrors can be replaced with low-drag cameras and OLED screens, but they won't be coming to America. On the topic of cool, green features, a solar roof is available like that on the Sonata Hybrid, which can charge the drive battery.

As for size, the Ioniq 5 is unusual. It's nearly 2 inches shorter in length than the Elantra sedan and about 2 inches taller than a Kona, but its 118.1-inch long wheelbase is longer than the Palisade's. In EV terms, it's various dimensions align more closely to a Mustang Mach-E or Nissan Ariya than to a Nissan Leaf or the new Chevy Bolt EUV.

Inside, the dash is as minimalist as that of the 45, and it now has a fun magnetic panel that you can pin photos, notes and such to with fridge magnets. The seats now look more like what you'd find in a car rather than a midcentury modern home, but we're not too disappointed. Why? Well, the front seats not only recline, but even have a La-Z-Boy-like leg rest. The car adopts a moveable center console that can allow for additional space under the dash. The rear seats also slide fore and aft to provide either more passenger room or cargo space. Dual 12-inch displays handle instruments and infotainment, and the head-up display will provide augmented reality-style graphics and information. In a video shown to the press, it works similarly to the Mercedes-Benz augmented camera system in that it can project arrows that look like they're at a similar depth as the street you need to turn onto.

Underneath the striking body is Hyundai's first implementation of the E-GMP platform. It can be equipped with either a rear motor and rear-wheel drive or two motors and all-wheel drive. A standard 58-kWh battery or optional 72.6-kWh battery can supply power. The single motor configuration makes 215 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, and the dual-motor setup makes 302 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque. Despite the identical power ratings, the big 72.6-kWh battery versions accelerate faster than the small 58-kWh one. We've listed the powertrain combinations and acceleration times below.

Single-motor 0-60 mph times 72.6-kWh: 7.4 seconds 58-kWh: 8.5 seconds Dual-motor 0-60 mph times 72.6-kWh: 5.2 seconds 58-kWh: 6.1 seconds

As for range, Hyundai has only given an estimate for the longest-range, rear-motor, big-battery configuration at 298 miles on the WLTP cycle. We would expect the EPA range to be a bit shorter. Based on what we know from the Kona Electric and its 64-kWh battery size and 258-mile range, we would expect the 58-kWh Ioniq 5 to have a range between 200 and 250 miles.

Hyundai says the Ioniq 5 will go on sale sometime in the first half of 2021 in "select markets," so it will probably be released for the 2022 model year. Pricing hasn't been announced, but that should be coming in the near future. The Ioniq 5 will also be joined in the next year or two by the Ioniq 6 sedan, based on the Hyundai Prophecy concept, and the Ioniq 7 large SUV.