The Estate version of Mercedes-Benz's C-Class is being rolled out with a price tag of $1800 more than the sedan.

THE first to arrive, the supercharged four-cylinder C 200 Kompressor Estate is available this month while the turbodiesel C 220 CDI Estate and the high-performance V8-powered C 63 AMG Estate arrive in September 2008.

The wagon can hold a maximum of 1500 litres, which Benz says gives it a larger load capacity than any other premium class estate.

Handy features for easy loading and safe transportation include a tailgate which opens and closes automatically at the push of a button.

The C 200 Kompressor Estate is priced from $58,890 and is powered by the same supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine as its sedan sibling, producing 135 kW of power and 250 Nm of torque.

The redeveloped supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine under the bonnet of the petrol wagon now runs modified engine management, a more dynamic supercharger and is fitted with improved pistons, all combining to boost output by 15 kW over the previous model.

The $63,100 C 220 CDI Estate comes with the same torque-rich 125kW turbodiesel power unit fitted to the popular sedan model and is the first diesel-powered C-Class Estate to be offered for sale in Australia.

Improvements have been made not only to the injection system, the turbocharger and the intercooler but to more than 90 other components too for more power and higher torque.

The engines are backed by a five-speed automatic transmission. A manual transmission is not available.

The C 63 AMG wagon comes with 336kW of power and 600Nm of torque and is priced at $141,300.

The car's AMG-designed and developed 6.2-litre V8 petrol engine accelerates from to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds and a top speed electronically limited to 250km/h.

Power transmission goes through a seven-speed automatic gearbox steering-wheel shift paddles and three drive programs, the seven-speed automatic.

This is the first AMG C-Class estate to hit Australian shores since the C 43 AMG estate in the late 1990s.

The wagon adopts the sedan's three model lines of Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde.

The Avantgarde line features a large Mercedes star positioned in the centre of the radiator grille to emphasise its sporty, agile nature.

This traditional distinctive mark of sporty models from Mercedes is now being employed in an estate model for the first time by the Stuttgart-based automotive brand. In the Elegance model, a three-dimensional, louvred radiator grille with a high-gloss paint finish accentuates other brand-typical attributes such as comfort and luxury.

The Classic is deliberately more restrained and traditional.

Inside there are two bag hooks and four rings for anchoring loads in the load compartment.

Stowage compartments with net covers and a collapsible shopping crate are in all models, as are the combined luggage cover and retaining net.

The new optional Easy-pack tailgate opens and closes at the push of a button and there is a load-securing kit for not only partitioning the load compartment but also for securing the load being carried.

The wagon has a towing capacity up to 1250kg for a braked trailer. The self-levelling suspension that is optionally available keeps the vehicle at a constant ride height regardless of the load it is carrying.

Mercedes-Benz anticipates 300 sales for the wagon from launch to the end of 2008, with 500 units selling per year from 2009.

 

 

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