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By Jonathan Crouch

The revised version of Mercedes' fifth generation C-Class Estate looks a more complete package, thinks Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Reviewword count: 41

In this updated form, the fifth generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate offers a smarter exterior, plus detail engineering and cabin changes. As before, this premium lower mid-sized station wagon model brings more than a dash of S-Class luxury to this important segment.

Backgroundword count: 141

The fifth generation W206-era C-Class Estate still offers the largest boot of any C-Class station wagon yet made. That isn't saying too much, the 490-litre figure still well inferior to apparently smaller, humbler station wagons. Still, buyers in this segment don't usually come looking for ultimate capacity. They want sophistication and class - which the latest version of this MK5 station wagon model provides in spades. What's on offer here is a sharper drive to temp BMW folk; and a big enough step forward in technology to make a potential Audi customer think again. We've heard this before down the decades of course, most recently at this W206-era model's original launch back in 2021. As then, the aim here is to redefine what 'luxury' means in the premium badged part of the mid-sized estate segment. Sounds promising. Let's take a look.

Driving Experienceword count: 431

C-Class Estate customers, unlike those for the C-Class Saloon, aren't being offered the option of a full-electric drivetrain - which seems strange. Mercedes says that the GLC Electric SUV covers off that need. In terms of the combustion engines you can have, not a lot has been done to the engineering of this facelifted design. For the UK, the important news is that Mercedes doesn't want to sell diesel versions of this car any more - of either the mild hybrid or the PHEV kind, which is disappointing given that these variants carry on elsewhere in Europe. Mercedes says that the remaining mild hybrid petrol units that make up the bulk of the line-up have been revised to meet tougher Euro 7 emission standards. Specifically, the 48V system now powers a new electric compressor for the turbocharger, which is claimed to reduce turbo lag. Across the board, power and torque outputs of this rear-driven 9-speed auto model have slightly improved as a result. There are two main mild hybrid petrol options, starting with the C 250, which as before uses a turbocharged four cylinder 2.0-litre M 254 EVO engine mated to an electric motor and puts out 237bhp with 320Nm of torque, allowing for a 7.3 second 0-62mph time and a 154mph top speed. The alternative is the C 300, which uses a more powerful version of the same four cylinder unit and the same 48V mild hybrid set-up. Total power here is 278bhp with 400Nm of torque, which lowers the 0-62 mph time to 6.1 seconds and increases the top speed to 155mph. Mercedes also retains a very strong PHEV variant, the C 300e, capable of driving up to 65 miles on energy from its 19.5kWh battery. The C 300e uses the turbo 2.0-litre petrol engine and offers 347bhp, a little more than previously thanks to a small power increase for the petrol and electric motors. Mercedes has engineered the usual flagship high performance AMG models to complete the line-up. In all models, the chassis has been tweaked as part of this update, with stiffer dampers supposed to improve agility without compromising ride at cruising speeds. As before, adaptive damping and rear-wheel steering are optional on mainstream models. With rear-axle steering fitted, at lower speeds, the rear wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels - by up to 2.5-degrees opposite to the front-axle angle during parking. This reduces the turning circle by 43cms to 10.64 metres. Go faster and the rear wheels turn slightly in the same direction as those at the front to improve corner turn-in.

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