Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: No data available
Good to drive, plenty of luggage space, high levels of crash safety.
Patchy cabin quality, staid looks, pricey.
Best small premium estate on the market.
Mercedes is chasing the 'lifestyle' market this time around with its new C-Class Estate. Quite frankly, the last car didn't cut the mustard with successful Twenty-Something empty nesters.
Instead of attracting mountain-biking windsurfers that Audi and BMW have successfully ensnared, Mercedes had to make do with a loyal bunch of near retirees whose idea of exertion is a brisk walk down to the Rotary Club.
Mercedes hopes to reverse this trend with the new car and that's why it's gone for two very different looks.
The brand hopes its SE and Elegance models will keep its traditional audience happy while its aggressive sharp-suited Sport model is designed to attract those elusive 'lifestyle' luvvies.
Kicking off the new C-Class range is the C180 Kompressor and prices start at £24,630 for the SE spec. The Elegance SE costs £1,195 more, while you'll shell out £2,895 extra for the sport Sport against the base model.
There's more power too. The supercharged 1.8-litre has been boosted from its modest 143bhp to a more generous 154bhp.
