IT MIGHT NOT GET TONGUES WAGGIN’, BUT BENZ WAGON DESERVES A LOOK
Whether it’s another driver snagging the final parking spot in front of you at Costco on a Saturday or biting into a chocolate chip cookie before realizing you’re out of milk, life is unfair. Just ask the mighty station wagon.
It’s a puzzling predicament, really. This type of car is regarded as a near-perfect blend of SUV-like practicality and car-like driving dynamics. Yet more often than not, they’re unfairly saddled with a bad rap, usually for styling.
Come on. Just because the Ford Country Squire wagon proudly wore wood panelling in the 1960s doesn’t mean that trend is coming back. It’s a weak argument, especially after taking so much as one passing glance at the new-for-2018 Mercedes-Benz C300 wagon. It’s a genuinely attractive package and the horizontal LED tail lights, stretched-out roofline and optional AMG package work especially well with the car’s stance. The C does, from certain angles, have a tendency to come across as a smaller E-Class wagon, but that’s hardly a knock, because the E is far from ugly.
Powertrains, on the other hand, tell a different story, and it’s arguably the C300 wagon’s weakest point.
While Mercedes had the courtesy to offer buyers the choice between a wagon and a crossover, it somehow forgot the additional powertrains. When it was originally announced for Canada, the C-Class wagon was slated to arrive with a 2.1-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine under the hood. But times change and two years after the original announcement, the only way to have the long-roofed C is with Mercedes’ ubiquitous gasoline 2.0-L turbo-four.
With 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque at your disposal, it’s not as though the C300 wagon is lacking, but it’s hardly an inspiring choice for such a niche model. Pretty much everything else out there has a 2.0-L turbo-four. The 362-hp, double-boosted V-6 from the C43 would be perfect and it’s already available in the C-Class sedan, coupe and convertible models, plus the GLC crossover.
Mercedes quotes a zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour sprint of 6.1 seconds, a touch slower than the slightly lighter C300 sedan, but quicker than the slightly heavier GLC 300. In the real world, the turbo-four is certainly fleet, hardly breaking a sweat while taking off from a red light or slingshotting into an open space from the merging lane of a busy highway.
There’s a certain smoothness to how the turbo-four works with the nine-speed automatic, though with Mercedes’ standard dynamic select configured correctly, the duo can certainly be pushed around with gusto. Of the five driving modes, eco maximizes efficiency and dulls the C300 wagon almost to a fault, while sport and sport-plus allow for more spirited drives. Do yourself a favour and just leave it in comfort.
The C300 rides quite well, both around town and at speed. Wind and road noise are minimal, and it soaks up bumps and rough pavement with ease. Inside, the C300 wagon is nowhere near as opulent as an S-Class, or even an E-Class, for that matter. Still, it’s deserving of the Mercedes-Benz moniker, and given the wagon’s $46,000 starting price, it’s well appointed.
The materials and trim pieces are topshelf and compliment one another quite well.
The instrumentation — pleasantly enough, a set of analog gauges with a digital display nestled in the middle — is clear, but those wanting a wagon and Mercedes’ 31-centimetre display would have to move up to the E-Class.
The C300 wagon can accommodate 490 litres with the rear seats up, and 1,510 L with the seats stowed.
As tested, the C300 wagon fetched $56,865, thanks to more than $10,000 in options. The $1,700 sport package ought to be considered mandatory, dressing up the C300’s bodywork with unique front and rear fascias and side skirts, as well as 18-inch AMG wheels (19s are optional) and performance-oriented brakes and suspension bits. For a seemingly hefty $5,000, the premium package adds a power liftgate, GPS navigation and LED headlights.
The premium plus package adds a 360-degree camera, the ability to open the liftgate using your foot, manual rear sunshades, ambient interior lighting and lets the car park itself, among other enhancements, for $2,300. Want the 360-degree camera or self-parking gizmos on their own? Too bad. You’re required to spend the $5,000 for the original premium package, and the $2,300 on top of that for the premium plus.
Competitors are few and far between. Aside from the GLC 300, the C300 wagon’s closest competitor is the equally lowvolume BMW 3 Series Touring, but at least BMW gives you a choice in engines. There’s also the Volvo V60 — and the delicious V60 Polestar — but the Swede is getting long in the tooth. The closest North Americans can get to an Audi wagon is the A4 Allroad, but it is technically a crossover.
Value, as you may notice, isn’t exactly the C-Class wagon’s strong suit. Neither is variety, given a turbo-four is the only available powertrain. Not only that, the GLC is a touch more practical, slightly less expensive, and comes with more variety.
So, the question is: When a C-Class sedan is too impractical and the GLC fits the bill in most other regards, why bother with the wagon?
It’s simple, really. Premium German automakers are infamous for chasing niche markets that just don’t make sense and Mercedes-Benz is hardly an exception. For example, it’ll happily sell you a four-door SUV it calls a coupe — in multiple
sizes and flavours, no less — with promises of off-road capabilities. The C300 wagon makes no such promises; it’s a comfortable and quiet luxury car that’s just as spacious as its closest plus-sized crossover counterpart.
The long-roofed C300 is arguably the most honest car Mercedes offers, but it’s a shame most customers won’t see that. They’ll dismiss it simply because it isn’t a crossover, even if it otherwise ticks off many boxes.
Surprising? Hardly. Life isn’t fair.