Spied: Mercedes Ditching Annoying Twin-Spoke Steering Wheel in New C-Class

The Drive

4 days ago

Stefan Baldauf / SB-Medien
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It won't be long now before Mercedes-Benz unveils the updated 2026 C-Class, and our spies have now caught the long-roof version wearing only a token disguise both inside and out. Most of the same bits that were covered on the C-Class sedan spied earlier this month are similarly concealed on this prototype, but this is our first good look at the compact's new interior, and if you were put off by the spit-spoke design of the current compact's steering wheel, it appears you're in luck. The updated car appears to be equipped with a conventional three-spoke design.
But let's start outside. As befits a relatively small update, this prototype's exterior doesn't really look all that different. The nose appears more pinched on the new car, suggesting we may get a new grille design, and like the sedan, the new wagon gets lighted star elements its headlights. If the same will be mirrored in the rear on the wagon, the vinyl wrap is concealing the details.
The story's similar inside. Mercedes is sticking to a two-screen layout with separate infotainment and IP displays. The tablet-like floating design of the existing center screen carries over, though this prototype lacks the slotted-spoke steering wheel design offered in the current C-Class. If that's true for the entire range, we won't exactly be sad to see it go.
One other thing won't be changing: The C-Class Wagon isn't currently offered here, nor do we have any reason to suspect that will change with the refresh. You can browse the full gallery of pics below.
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