If in nowadays it’s hard to sell station wagons, it’s a wonder how some of them became successful some decades ago. Until around the 1960s, most automakers had sedans and cabriolets as their urban options, while pick-ups and vans were dedicated to work. So the first station wagons appeared as a middle ground between those, sharing the sedans’ project in order to make them smaller enough for city streets, but also keeping a long, flat roof so as to increase the internal room for both people and cargo. The problem with this idea, on the other hand, was that it had some bad executions at first: Citroën CX and Ford Galaxie, for instance, were excessively long. Some years later, the way found by Citroën BX and Peugeot 504 to increase the trunk was a literal bump on the roof.
And what could be the reason for recurring to such ideas? The simple wish of using as many parts from the sedan (or hatchback) variation as possible, in order to cut costs. This is what led to younger concoctions such as Audi 100 and Saturn SW – although the latter wasn’t lucky at the front, either. SWs only looked as good as the other car bodies when companies began to them along with those, instead of making posterior adaptations. Most cases started to appear at the late 1990s, and they’ve only improved ever since. What makes the new C-Class Estate so interesting is taking such evolution to the level of having a personality of its own. You still remember the sedan, but it’s very easy to think of the Estate by its exclusive features.
Those would start with the attractive looks, which look sporty without getting mistaken for a shooting brake, but are concentrated in the cabin. The trunk reaches 1,509 L with the rear seats folded down, but it’s possible to have intermediate volumes due to their 40:20:40 division, and get them easier with the electric operation. Other very interesting items include the optional air suspension, also offered for the sedan, and the typical enormous list of comfort, entertainment and safety equipments: besides the array of electronic safety systems, there are head-up display, LED lights, COMAND infotainment system with a new touchpad, and premium audio system created by Burmester. However, most of these are restricted to the most expensive trims, as always.
When it comes to performance, the initial engine options are the exact same offered at the sedan. With gasoline, there will be a four-cylinder, direct-injected, 179-hp 2.0L, while the diesel line is composed by a common-rail, twin-turbo 2.1L whose power can be 168 hp or 201 hp. However, as German automakers are used to do, the next few months will host the debut of the “superlative” variations, such as a six-cylinder option focused on luxury, a plug-in hybrid to invest on fuel efficiency, and the AMG variation, whose sportiness is expected to come from a twin-turbo 4.0L V8, rather than the predecessor’s 6.2L unit. Mercedes-Benz is expected to start Estate’s sales in Europe during the next few months.