Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate 2014 Review

Fresh from winning the carsales.com.au car of the year award, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class is augmented by four new Estate (wagon) variants. And Benz has also launched its hybrid C-Class model as a sedan – the C 300 BlueTEC Hybrid.

The wagons align with their sedan counterparts for trim levels and drivetrain options – including engine outputs – although the Hybrid is on its own as a sedan. There is no wagon version. The 2.1-litre diesel four-cylinder of the Hybrid produces 150kW and 500Nm, but is coupled to an electric motor in the same basic configuration as for the E 300 Hybrid.

Prices start at $63,400 for the C 200 Estate, and rise through $64,900 for the C 200 BlueTEC Estate – a diesel – $71,400 for the C 250 Estate and $72,900 for the C 250 BlueTEC Estate – another diesel.

While it would be easy – and wrong – to dismiss the Estate variants as just sedans with some extra sheet metal tacked on over the luggage compartment, the wagons do offer some worthwhile differences from the sedans and some practical advances over the previous (204-series) wagons.

There's more room in the rear, for a start. Benz claims the new model is longer by 80mm in the wheelbase, contributing to 45mm more rear-seat legroom and five litres more luggage volume behind the rear seats.

Unlike the 204-series, the 205-series wagons feature a triple-split folding rear seat, which effectively provides a ski-port in the middle while retaining accommodation for four passengers. Alternatively, three passengers can share the space with a bulkier item on one side, or two passengers can sit up front with a really large payload occupying the full space behind with the seats folded flat.

Benz has adopted electrically-operated finger pull levers in the rear, for those moments users are grappling with pushing a large load in through the tailgate without having thought to lower the seats first. And the premium C 250 models come equipped as standard with a hands-free system to open the tailgate from outside.

A cargo blind features a clever sliding channel in each of the D-pillars. It can be raised and lowered to accommodate larger items while keeping them concealed or out of the sun's direct light. This would be handy to keep flowers or food fresh with the vehicle parked.

On the road, the wagons are as poised and refined as the sedans. There's more tyre noise apparent in the wagons than could be detected in the hybrid sedan, but whether that's due to the different body construction or the lower friction tyres of the hybrid is unclear. What is certain, however, is even the wagons are very quiet on the coarse-chip bitumen of the roads around country Yarra Glen.

The two wagons driven were both C 250 variants, one a petrol model, the other a diesel. On a short loop the petrol C 250 returned a fuel consumption figure of 11.7L/100km. The diesel was driven from the Yarra Valley back to Melbourne Airport, over a combination of freeways and arterial roads, so the 7.1L/100km figure posted by its trip computer is not directly comparable to the petrol model's. With a difference in price of just $1500, the diesel is almost worth consideration on economic grounds alone.

What also separates the two variants is their driving character. The petrol C 250 is obviously willing to rev faster, which makes it sportier to drive, yet the enjoyment never comes at the expense of refinement and comfort.

In contrast, the diesel C 250 provides easily tapped performance from low speeds, and is arguably a better choice for drivers who prefer comfort and effortless driving over involvement. The diesel is ludicrously quiet and auto-started almost imperceptibly. On just one occasion (with Agility Select set to 'Sport') was the diesel apparent – because the transmission was holding lower gears longer.

On the subject of Benz's drive mode systems, Agility Control set to Sport+ had little effect on either wagon's ride/handling balance. Most owners could spend all day with the car set to Sport+ and not feel unsettled over bumps and other irregularities. Yet the C-Class also impresses with its steering response and grip – in Comfort mode!

It's this balancing act between the need for comfort and dynamic ability that makes it so hard to pick between the C-Class wagons and their sedan counterparts, from behind the wheel.

Similar comments apply to the hybrid sedan. It rides and handles unlike any fuel-sipper I've driven in recent times – and does so availing itself of respectable performance without detriment to either conserving fuel or flattering the driver.

In some respects the C 300 Hybrid operates more in line with Honda's hybrid philosophy than Toyota's. The electric motor supplements performance of the diesel, and operates in stand-alone mode too, but the transition between the two modes is seamless, and you are left almost disappointed that the car feels more conventional than it should. It's simply more satisfying to drive, and the electric motor delivers immediate torque while the diesel is still cranking over – for those times performance is a priority.

Fuel consumption on the road loop around Yarra Glen worked out at 5.1L/100km, according to the trip computer. On descents the engine cut out altogether to save fuel and maintain inertia for the moment, inevitably, when the diesel would need to restart.

The electric motor will move the car around at low speeds, even when reverse parking. Naturally it's quiet, but it will keep the car moving in bumper-to-bumper traffic without the diesel constantly restarting and sucking down more fuel.

Unlike cheaper hybrids on the market, the Mercedes offers quite a lot of boot space. Other than the slightly raised floor near the rear axle, the C 300's boot could be a conventional car's.

The maddening thing about the hybrid is its price of $74,900, which is just $100 less than the upper cut-off point for the 'green' vehicle dispensation from the luxury car tax. It's $4500 more than the C 250 BlueTEC sedan, with the same engine but lacking the electric-drive system and battery pack.

And the C-Class wagon is not especially cheap either, but given its all-round competence that's forgivable. Is the wagon – in C 250 trim, either petrol or electric – the top choice for C-Class buyers? I reckon it is...