Compare the2024 Toyota CrownVS 2024 Mercedes C-Class Sedan

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Crown are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Crown has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Crown has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crown. But it costs extra on the C-Class Sedan.

The Crown’s 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. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Crown has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Parking Support Brake on the Limited/Platinum automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Mercedes charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Alert on the C-Class Sedan.

Both the Crown 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Crown its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The C-Class Sedan has not been fully tested, yet.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Crown 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the C-Class Sedan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the C-Class Sedan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Crown for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the C-Class Sedan.

There are over 3 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Crown’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Crown’s reliability 34 points higher than the C-Class Sedan.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota higher than Mercedes.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Mercedes is ranked 29th.

The Crown Platinum’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 85 more horsepower (340 vs. 255) and 105 lbs.-ft. more torque (400 vs. 295) than the C-Class Sedan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Crown gets better mileage than the C-Class Sedan:

The Crown has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Crown stops shorter than the C-Class Sedan:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Crown has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the C-Class Sedan. The Crown’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the C-Class Sedan.

The Crown has a standard space-saver spare tire 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.

The Crown offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The C-Class Sedan’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Crown a Mid-size car, while the C-Class Sedan is rated a Compact.

The Crown has 5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the C-Class Sedan (98 vs. 93).

The Crown has .4 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front shoulder room and 2.9 inches more rear legroom than the C-Class Sedan.

The Crown has a much larger trunk than the C-Class Sedan (15.2 vs. 12.6 cubic feet).

Both the Crown and the C-Class Sedan have standard heated front seats. The Crown Limited/Platinum also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the C-Class Sedan.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Crown, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes C-Class Sedan isn't recommended.