About time the C-class Estate turned up…
It is, and while the new C-class saloon has only been around for six months, it’s so good that the old outgoing estate that’s been soldiering on has suddenly been left feeling very long in the tooth. Merc has responded – and today presents the new estate. It’ll be shown in the metal at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show and then go on sale in the UK in summer 2008.
Inside, inside, tell us what’s inside!
A lot of space. The old car could hold 470 litres with the rear seats in place, or 1354 with them folded. The new C-class Estate increases this to 485 and 1500 litres, respectively. That comfortably beats the BMW 3-series’ 460 and 1385 litres. The one challenger the C-class may have is the new A4. The boot in Audi’s recently revealed saloon is 480 litres, beating the Merc saloon by five, so expect the A4 Avant to be equally cavernous. Of course, if you want a proper estate, rather than a posing exec lifestyle one, you’ll find plenty of rivals such as the Volvo V70 whose boots will make a mockery of these German wagons’.
How much more do I have to pay compared with the C-class saloon?
Merc isn’t revealing any prices just yet, but in 180 Kompressor SE trim the saloon costs £22,937 so don’t expect much change from £24k. From there the range will work up through 200 Kompressor, 200 and 220 CDI to C350. That range-topper comes as standard with Merc’s 7G-Tronic ‘box as standard, while every other car has a six-speed manual as standard.
What about a hot model?
Well of course. We’ve scooped the C63 AMG estate before and the 6.2-litre V8 that we know and love will find its way into the wagon. Georg Kacher recently drove and raved about the C63 saloon but it is perhaps a little too OTT for some tastes, so we can’t wait for the AMG estate. Come back to CAR Online on 5 September for pictures and details of the C63 AMG wagon. If you’re not quite so hardcore, you can have a dynamic handling pack, or the AMG pack, both of which have tweaks to the suspension.
Anything else I need to know about the C-class Estate?
Trim levels will be SE, Elegance and Sport while Mercedes also claims the C-class can be up to 12 percent more economical than the old car. Then again, if it said anything else it would be seen as a social pariah. In the boot hooks, rings and a collapsible shopping crate are standard in all models, whilst the Easy-Pack tailgate opens and closes the boot at the touch of a button. No word yet on whether this is standard. Self-levelling suspension is definitely an option though, and keeps the ride hide constant, whatever you carry. Seven airbags are standard as is Merc’s Pre-Safe system.