Xpeng P7 vs Mercedes C 400 e 4MATIC Limousine W206: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the P7 hits 100 km/h in 4.22 s versus 5.29 s for the C 400 e 4MATIC Limousine. At this point, the P7 leads by 1.08 s and sits roughly 9 m ahead.

At 200 metres, the P7 is doing 147 km/h against 135 km/h for the C 400 e 4MATIC Limousine. The gap is 0.72 s. The challenger starts to claw back ground.

At 400 metres standing start, the P7 crosses the line in 12.54 s versus 13.55 s. The 1.01 s gap represents roughly 46 m of track — a gap visible to the naked eye.

Past 400 metres, the situation changes. The P7 maxes out at 170 km/h while the C 400 e 4MATIC Limousine keeps accelerating towards 240 km/h. At 600 metres, the gap has dropped to 0.77 s.

Around 840 metres, both vehicles are level. This is the inversion point: the C 400 e 4MATIC Limousine overcomes its launch deficit thanks to a 70 km/h higher top speed.

At 1,000 metres, the C 400 e 4MATIC Limousine finishes in 24.53 s versus 25.24 s. The 0.71 s delta in favour of the C 400 e 4MATIC Limousine shows that top speed makes a clear difference.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the P7 is capped at 170 km/h, the C 400 e 4MATIC Limousine at 240 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit — it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

With two plug-in hybrid powertrains, the difference comes down to power-to-weight ratio (4.81 kg/hp vs 5.59 kg/hp) and transmission (Automatic vs Unknown).

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 8.28 seconds. The 1.08 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.