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Feann Torr21 Jul 2014
REVIEW

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate 2014 Review

Mercedes-Benz wants to make wagons cool again, and the stylish C-Class Estate is a good start

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate
Launch Review
Deidesheim, Germany

Are wagons fashionable? In Europe, sure, but in Australia they are sometimes viewed as dowdy, utilitarian rattletraps. The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate lands in Australia in November from $63,400 (plus on-road costs), a $2500 premium over its sedan sibling, and brings style, substance, and some clever features to the wagon genre. But with only minor increases in boot space, it's clear Benz is striving for buyer's hearts, not their heads.

Based on a new platform, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate is essentially identical to the new C-Class sedan, which we first tested back in March, and is due here in August. Except for one major difference – a more accessible load area.

Known internally as the W205 model, all C-Class Estate models come with electric power opening and closing tailgate, which puts the car in a good position functionality-wise, especially as its operable remotely via the key fob. There's even hands-free tailgate operation (standard on C 250 Estate models), just swipe your foot under the boot and voila, it arcs open of its own volition.

Poke around inside the cargo area and you'll find four heavy duty tie-down hooks, a self-retracting cargo cover and rear seats that unlatch electronically at the push of a button from either the back seat or the boot. The rear seats can also be folded down individually and are split 40/20/40.

Lump in several plastic divider partitions hidden beneath the floor that can be fixed to the sides of the load space to organise the lavishly carpeted boot and you're looking at a thoroughly structured cargo area, the sort of thing you just don’t get in a sedan.

Indeed, the load space is highly versatile and unencumbered by wheel arches but offers only 490 litres of cargo space, which is just 10 litres more than both its predecessor – and the C-Class sedan. And less than some small cars that cost half as much.

With the back seats folded down cargo space expands to 1510 litres, which is good but not class-leading.

In a world where we always expect more of everything in the latest cars, Mercedes-Benz engineers and designers explained the nominal increase in boot space (despite the car being wider and longer than before) was a case of form before function. The edict from top brass was to design the sexiest C-Class wagon yet.

It's a gorgeous car, so Benz's boffins certainly achieved what they set out to do, but the sloping tailgate design means there's no meaningful growth in cargo room. The slinky tail-end design also impinges on rearward vision. Another concern for some buyers will be the standard fitment of run-flat tyres on Australian models. That means no spare wheel.

Rear seat room is decent, my six-foot frame spent an hour in the back seat and it was a comfortable experience thanks to supportive seats, the central armrest extended and the twin rear vents piping cool air around me. With a six-foot-tall occupant in the seat in front, leg room was adequate rather than generous.

Driving the car is significantly more fun than being a passenger thanks in large part to improved suspension, particularly the new four-link front end. Combined with a more direct electric assisted steering system with five settings, from Comfort to Sport+, the car is more eager to please when the road begins to twist and turn.

It certainly doesn't feel like a wagon or an SUV when you're gunning out of corners, and is a big improvement on the previous generation C-Class in terms of dynamics. Even when the car is subjected to repeated changes of direction, the taller rear-end isn't felt with the car behaving much like a sedan.

Weighing on average 65kg less than before, with kerb weights between 1525 and 1650kg, the C-Class Estate can be hustled through corners quick-smart thanks to its more confident front-end. It's more involving than before too. Although there is some body roll – even when the adjustable suspension is in sporty mode – it never feels nervous.

There's also a new sense of sportiness when you first settle down in the captain's seat. The seats are much lower to the floor, which one Benz engineer explained was to give the car a sportier feel, to have occupants sit 'in' the car, not 'on' it. Electric seats are standard on all models, so you can raise seat height if long legs require.

As part of an Agility Select system, standard on all Australian models, the suspension dampers, steering, throttle and transmission are all adjustable, meaning you can flick it from Sport to Comfort mode and lope along meandering country roads without feeling every divot and defect in the road.

All told there are four C-Class Estate models coming to Australia, two petrol and two diesel, all of them fitted as standard with a seven-speed automatic transmission (see pricing below).

The entry-level C 200 model was my pick of three variants driven during the launch drive – C 200 and 250 petrol models and the C 250 diesel – its 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine extracting a useful 135kW/300Nm, seeing it sail past 200km/h on the autobahn without complaint. Speaking of sailing, the C-Class Estate has a neat feature (when in ECO mode) that decouples the gearing when you come off the throttle, essentially shifting into neutral to save fuel. Like much of the car's operations it's seamless.

The value equation is good in the C 200 Estate. It runs on premium unleaded petrol (95-98 RON), but consumes fuel at a rate as low as 5.5L/100km. Despite its frugality, it still offers brisk acceleration away from traffic lights, 7.5 seconds to 100km/h, and is a quiet operator when cruising.

All models feel significantly more responsive than the previous C-Class thanks to changes to the seven-speed automatic transmission, which now has rev-blipping on the downshifts and improved throttle mapping, which means you don't have to nail the throttle to the floor to adjust speed.

The more potent C 250 is powered by the same engine just in a higher state of tune, 155kW/350Nm, and sprints to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds while maintaining excellent fuel economy of 5.6L/100km. It doesn't feel dramatically quicker than the C 200, but is more eager to rev. It's also equipped with a lot more equipment and is expected to be the top seller when it arrives in Australia later in the year.

We also had a quick spin in the C 250 BlueTEC (diesel) model which is a charmer thanks a beefy midrange and smoother power delivery. The 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel uses just 4.5L/100km yet has a top speed of 241km. It doesn’t need to rev as much as the petrol models to maintain momentum, and thankfully it's a lot quieter than it has been in previous iterations.

Improvements in refinement, quality and design are the hallmarks of the new C-Class Estate. It's a considerably more luxurious and indeed sportier vehicle than its predecessor too, evidenced in the sumptuous interior that feel more E-Class than C.

The cockpit design with its new touch-pad input system and condensed control layout is pretty and almost every surface, from the dashboard to the door inserts and aluminium accents, look and feel primo. Even the automatic climate control is more advanced, the air-conditioning compressor is now more powerful, and there's little touches like the quality of the electric window switches, the vents; it's the tactile sensations and the materials used that make the car feel truly lavish.

It's quiet, refined, and comfortable even when riding on the 19-inch alloy wheels and 15mm lowered sports suspension of the optional AMG Package ($3490 to $4490). The C-Class has improved markedly and the no longer feels like Benz's bread-and-butter mass-produced car.

The only thing I didn't like about the interior was the high-res infotainment screen. The display is great, but the tacked-on tablet-look is not for my liking. I reckon it'll date quickly. Give me a retracting screen any day of the week.

The C-Class Estate will always be built in Germany, while sedan imports will come from South Africa before the end of 2014.

Mercedes-Benz wants to increase the proportion of C-Class Estate sales in Australia from 10 per cent of the mix to 15, and the new model has the potential to do just that. Perhaps more.

Though wagons will never be as popular here as in Germany, where the wagon accounts for 70 per cent of C-Class sales, this new model will go a long way to changing the way wagons are perceived by virtue of improved design, driver involvement and amenity.

In other words, wagons are cool again.


2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate local pricing:

C 200 Estate (petrol) $63,400 (plus ORCs)
C 200 BlueTEC Estate (diesel) $64,900 (plus ORCs)
C 250 Estate (petrol) $71,400 (plus ORCs)
C 250 Estate BlueTEC (diesel) $72,900 (plus ORCs)

2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C 200 Estate pricing and specifications:
Price: $63,400 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 135kW/300Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.5L/100km (approx.)
CO2: 128g/km (approx.)
Safety Rating: TBA

What we liked: Not so much:
>> Sumptuous interior >> Boot space
>> Improved dynamics >> Rearward vision
>> Seamless integration of tech >> Run-flat tyres for Oz
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