CAR Magazine:First Drives - Mercedes-Benz C 350 Estate Sport

CAR Magazine:First Drives - Mercedes-Benz C 350 Estate Sport

What鈥檚 the point of the Mercedes-Benz C350 Estate Sport? Sure, it looks great and it鈥檚 got loads of power, but no way can a small estate (even a small Mercedes estate) be useful too. Surely you鈥檇 just buy an E-class if you wanted space. Should I just buy the salon, then? Well, as it turns out, no - though I wouldn鈥檛 recommend a camping holiday for four in the C350 Estate. First, it鈥檚 thirsty (you鈥檇 rather have a C320 CDI if you鈥檙e heading for the south of France) and no, it鈥檚 not the most capacious estate around. But it鈥檚 still pretty useful. I packed four fully-grown blokes and luggage for a long weekend into it. No complaints about legroom, plenty of boot space for the bags, coats and travelling paraphernalia (thrown over the back seat - we鈥檇 have struggled in the saloon). My passengers all appreciated the general level of finish, the air of refinement, seat comfort, and the ride. And there was plenty of entertainment for the driver too.

So the Sport in the name rings true, then? Absolutely. The C-class is always fun to hustle and the C350 Estate has enough power to treat the weight of a full compliment of chaps and chattels with disdain. When a stretch down the M1 became too congested, we peeled off and headed across the Vale of Aylesbury, following the sat-nav鈥檚 shortest suggested route. Hit the Sport button and the dampers and throttle response tighten noticeably. You trade a slight edge to the ride for superbly sure-footed progress. Your passengers appreciate the swift progress and there鈥檚 no wallowing or rolling to upset them. Meanwhile the gutsy V6 revs to the heavens and wails appreciatively. Of course, the diesel makes more sense economically, but it lacks the petrol engine鈥檚 tingle factor and red-line appeal. Yes, it鈥檚 a lifestyle estate. And, yes, it鈥檚 hard to justify nearly 拢40k for it. But forget about the kind of lifestyle the ad agencies are always plugging: this isn鈥檛 a mountain-bikes-and-dirt-tracks kind of car. Neither is it really a family car (there鈥檚 acres more space in a Mondeo for half the price). But if your lifestyle involves the need for a swift, refined, compact, well-finished sports saloon with a premium badge, and you occasionally need to carry a healthy payload, this C-class is two cars in one.

The car radio, DVD and telephone controls are combined into a single unit with a 6.5 inch screen. The options are: standard Audio 20 radio/single CD, Audio 50 APS or COMAND APS. Parktronic emits warning tones and uses an LCD to indicate how far the car is from an obstacle. Rain sensor (standard feature) smoothly adjusts the wiper speed, depending on the intensity of the rainfall. As a standard addition, when entering a tunnel or an underground garage, the Tunnel Mode closes all windows and the panoramic sliding sunroof. The multicontour seat (optional feature) is composed of a set of small air cushions individually adjusted to the driver's body, as he/she wishes. The W245 units have a powerful air conditioning system, with separate temperature adjustment for driver and front passenger side. The new optional sunroof is divided in small panels that can be displaced individually (optional feature). Each one can be controlled separately to selectively administer the shades inside the W245.

High-strength and ultra-high-strength steel alloys are combined with high-strength bonded joints. The B-Class has a generous quantity of airbags. The front airbag is adaptive with two-stage gas generators (standard feature), where the system evaluates the severity of the accident. The B-Class also includes side airbags for head and thorax (standard for driver and front passenger). Two other additions are optional: Rear Sidebags (optional feature) for side-on collisions in the back seats and Windowbags: large airbags expanding like a curtain from A- to C-pillars in side-on collisions. The belt system of the B-Class W245 is simply surprising. The Adaptive Function (standard feature for driver and front passenger) adapts the force exerted by the belt, relaxing dynamically during the collision. On the contrary, the Tensioners (standard feature) continuously adjust to remove any possible slack, and increase the tightness if necessary. The driver has a report if all the belts are buckled (standard feature). Lastly, the active head restraints (standard feature) respond actively to a collision, assuring even more protection.

The Mercedes Benz B-Class W245 has six engines: four of them are petrol (B150, B170, B200, B200Turbo), and two are diesel (B180 CDI, B200 CDI). All the six powerplants are four-cylinder. The B200 Turbo reaches a yield of 193 hp and 280 Nm of torque, making it one of the most powerful in its displacement class. It sprints from standstill to 100 km/h (60 mph) in a mere 9-11 seconds, and has a top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph). The B200 CDI reaches 140 hp and 300 Nm of torque. The newly developed direct-injection CDI diesel units possess a common-rail direct injection (standard on CDI models), with additional gains in terms of fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and noise levels. All the engines meet the tight Euro IV emissions regulation, and a particulate filter system is available as an option for the diesel units (this reduces about 99% of the particulate emissions, without the need for additives).