Compare the2022 Volvo S60VS 2021 Mercedes C-Class Sedan

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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Both the S60 and C-Class Sedan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S60 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The C-Class Sedan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The S60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The S60 has standard Automatic Braking After Collision, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The S60 has standard CTA Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The S60’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the C-Class Sedan.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the S60 has a standard cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Cross-path warning costs extra on the C-Class Sedan.

Both the S60 and the C-Class Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo S60 is safer than the Mercedes C-Class Sedan:

	S60	C-Class Sedan
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	203 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	30%	60%
Neck Stress	146 lbs.	147 lbs.
Neck Compression	114 lbs.	219 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo S60 is safer than the Mercedes C-Class Sedan:

	S60	C-Class Sedan
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Hip Force	212 lbs.	452 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	271	459
Spine Acceleration	50 G’s	67 G’s
Hip Force	575 lbs.	949 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	490 lbs.	769 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the S60, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.1% less likely to roll over than the C-Class Sedan, which received a four-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S60 its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 68 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The C-Class Sedan is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

Warranty

The S60’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the C-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the S60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the C-Class Sedan.

Reliability

The battery on the S60 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the S60’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The C-Class Sedan’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 2 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

The S60 T8’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid produces 145 more horsepower (400 vs. 255) and 199 lbs.-ft. more torque (472 vs. 273) than the C-Class Sedan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the C-Class Sedan:

			MPGe
S60
	AWD	T8 Electric Motor	70 city/68 hwy
C-Class Sedan
			MPG
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/33 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the S60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the C-Class Sedan:

			MPG
S60
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/33 hwy
C-Class Sedan
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/33 hwy

The S60 T8 can drive on battery power alone for up to 22 miles. The C-Class Sedan must run its internal combustion engine to move.

Regenerative brakes improve the S60 T8’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The S60 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the S60 Polestar’s brake rotors are larger than those on the C-Class Sedan:

	S60 Polestar	C-Class Sedan
Front Rotors	14.6 inches	13 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	11.8 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the S60 has larger tires than the C-Class Sedan (235/45R18 vs. 225/50R17). The S60’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the C-Class Sedan (235/45R18 vs. 225/40R19).

The S60’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the C-Class Sedan’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S60 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the C-Class Sedan.

The S60 has a standard space-saver spare (not available on T8) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the C-Class Sedan; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the C-Class Sedan don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S60’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the C-Class Sedan (113.1 inches vs. 111.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the S60 is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the C-Class Sedan.

The S60 R-Design AWD handles at .91 G’s, while the C 300 Sedan 4MATIC pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The S60 Polestar executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the C 300 Sedan 4MATIC (25.4 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 26.3 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

Chassis

The design of the Volvo S60 amounts to more than styling. The S60 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is lower than the C-Class Sedan (.3) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the S60 get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The S60 has 6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the C-Class Sedan (96 vs. 90).

The S60 has .3 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front shoulder room and .1 inches more rear headroom than the C-Class Sedan.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the S60 easier. The S60’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the C-Class Sedan’s liftover is 28 inches.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the S60’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The S60 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The C-Class Sedan has no towing capacity.

Ergonomics

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the S60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Both the S60 and the C-Class Sedan offer available heated front seats. The S60 T8 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the C-Class Sedan.

The S60 Inscription offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the C-Class Sedan.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the S60 is less expensive to operate than the C-Class Sedan because it costs $382 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the S60 than the C-Class Sedan, including $187 less for a water pump, $278 less for a muffler, $27 less for a starter, $5 less for a fuel pump, $197 less for front struts and $507 less for a power steering pump.

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