Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Mercedes C-Class Estate range
Prices: £24,057-£51,565 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 13-19
Emissions: 157-326g/km
Performance: [C350] 0-60mph 6.5s / Max Speed 155mph
Fuel Consumption: [C320 CDI] (urban) 27.7mpg / (extra urban) 45.6mpg / (combined) 37.7mpg
Safety: Seven airbags / ABS/ ESP / Pre-Safe / active head restraints
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height mm 4526/1970/1426mm [est]

C-CLASS CARRIER

Our Rating: 7.6 / 10

In Estate guise, the Mercedes C-Class looks to up its load-carrying credentials. Steve Walker reports

The well-built, stylish Mercedes C-Class looks a safe bet in Estate guise. Boot space with the seats up isn’t increased dramatically over the saloon but it’s much more usable and when the seats are folded down, an impressive 1,500 litres is available.

It makes sense for car manufacturers to load their vehicles up with real world objects to demonstrate carrying capacity but the objects they choose can pose questions of their own. The golf bag is a longstanding favourite unit of measurement. Where a sports coupe will usually only have space for one in its boot and a supermini might squeeze in two, we’re reliably informed that the Mercedes C-Class Estate featured here can take four golf bags. Interestingly, Mercedes also reveals its compact executive estate will manage "44 drinks crates, each holding six 1-litre juice bottles". The load-lugging C-Class, it appears, is the ideal vehicle for a family of golf fanatics with chronic vitamin C deficiencies. Happily, even buyers who don’t fit into that select group will probably quite like it.

Load space is firmly back on the agenda in the compact executive estate segment. For a long while, manufacturers seemed intent on positioning these vehicles as more dynamic, lifestyle-orientated alternatives to their straight-laced saloons. The rakish styling and ‘sport wagon’ or ‘sport tourer’ branding often masked the fact that in many cases, these models weren’t a whole lot more practical than the saloon which spawned them. With its latest C-Class Estate, Mercedes has taken a refreshingly utilitarian approach. The car boasts an impressive 1,500-litre capacity, seats down, and numerous features specially designed to make it more in tune with the demands of family life.

The C-Class Estate carries its engine range over from the saloon ‘en mass’, which means there’s plenty of choice. On the diesel front, the line-up kicks off with the C200 CDI packing 136bhp and likely to be a stalwart model as far as fleet buyers are concerned. The C220 CDI offers 170bhp and buyers wanting the ultimate C-Class oil-burner can step up to the 224bhp C320 CDI. These engines are advanced common-rail turbo diesels and with torque outputs of 270Nm, 400Nm and 510Nm respectively, they pack a hefty punch in the mid range. Petrol-wise, it’s the supercharged C180 Kompressor getting things under way with 156bhp. The C200 Kompressor gets 184bhp, while six-cylinder buyers can choose the C230 with 204bhp, the 231bhp C280 or the range-topping C350 with its 272bhp output.

Power is directed to the rear wheels via the standard six-speed transmission, although the 7G-TRONIC automatic system is available as an option and standard with the C350. All C-Class models benefit from the Agility Control package that uses adaptive shock absorbers that adjust the suspension set-up according to the driving style to maximise either comfort or dynamic response. C-Class customers wishing to go further can specify the dynamic handling package that allows the suspension to be set in Comfort or Sport mode, locking in their preferred characteristics. The package also lowers the car by 15mm and adds thicker torsion bars for improved rigidity. Additional options include the AMG pack that further drops and stiffens the suspension or the self-levelling system that’s exclusive to the estate. This maintains the vehicle’s ride height regardless of the kind of load that’s on board.

So to the business end of any estate car, it’s rear end. The C-Class Estate immediately gives a clue as to its generous carrying capacity with its steeply angled rear screen and sure enough, there’s a potential 146-litres of extra capacity floating around back there compared to the old C-Class Estate. As tends to be