Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate Review 2019

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate Review 2019

Mercedes-Benz has traditionally made estates that provided classless transport for the discerning individual. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate continues the tradition, and is the company's entry-level player in the luxury load-lugging sector. The car鈥檚 closest competitors are its fellow Germans, the BMW 3 Series Touring and the Audi A4 Avant, as well as Sweden's entry, the Volvo V60. The C-Class was facelifted in 2018, with a bunch of new technical highlights added along with some new engines to keep it fresh. The latter means lots of choice, including diesel, petrol or hybrid power, all operating though a nine-speed automatic gearbox with the availability of rear- or four-wheel drive. Read on over the next few pages to get our in depth impressions, along with our recommendations for trim levels and engines. And when you've decided on you next new car, head to our deals page to find out how much we can save you.

When you鈥檙e the Commodore and you can buy any new car you want, what do you choose? It鈥檚 a weighty decision. After all, as Commodore, you set the standard. That means you can鈥檛 just buy a mass-produced idea of style and form. You must create your own; an expression of automotive craftsmanship fine enough to park beside the finest hand built yachts. You commission a motorcar as others commission a new kitchen. It鈥檚 a hard choice, but someone has to make it. You鈥檝e got both, and for this car, it鈥檚 going to be American. They build some beautiful yachts in Europe but our native craftsmen are very fine too. That鈥檚 an easy question. This vehicle鈥檚 job is to travel to the waterfront, and there may be a need to carry rigging, guests, live bait or giant fish. An open utility is the only answer. Open car or closed? It鈥檚 summer on the oceanfront, folks!

The only way to ride is under and open top. How else will you move the fishing poles, and how will parade guests stand and wave? Open tourer it is. Now we鈥檙e getting down to it. Who makes such a vehicle? Not Cadillac. Not Lincoln. Not Chrysler. International Scout? Too boxy. One of the best loved open top sport utilities in the postwar period is the Willys Jeepster. That, folks, is the Commodore鈥檚 Choice. Isn鈥檛 this a magnificent example? The common Jeepster had an economy level of finish, with inexpensive vinyl seats and basic, simple trim. But even simple can be interpreted with beauty. Basic lacquer can be replaced with the finest Glausurit urethane finishes. Basic vinyl seating can be replaced with the finest leathers. Wilton wool can pad the floor better than tar paper. It didn't start out that way. This is what we began with. What did we do instead? Try powder coated seat frames, new marine plywood bases and cushions, Connolly leather upholstery and top-grade Wilton carpet. Which seats would you prefer? Some people would change the engine for a new hot-rodded piece of iron.

This engine was good enough to take American solders to victory all around the world. Surely a rebuilt version can take a few modern day connoisseurs to the club and back! This is the famous Go-Devil motor, the engine that earned a reputation as 鈥渢he motor that won World War II鈥?in the original Jeep. Here's how it began . And he she is today . You won鈥檛 win any drag races in this old Jeepster, and you won鈥檛 be running the fast lane on the Interstate, but in a car like this you will have something truly unique. Like a fine wooden boat, this is a car to treasure for a lifetime. There鈥檚 restoration, and then there鈥檚 Restoration. In the image above expert body man Al Keinath looks at what we're facing. Three different shades of burgundy on the nose alone. A full quarter-inch of plastic filler in some spots. Rust holes covered in household caulk. A cardboard firewall that's painted car color to hide the crumbling.