Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate (08 on) - Review

Review by Matthew Proud on
Last Updated: 25 March 2009
The C-Class is a roomy, premium estate with high levels of comfort, safety and equipment. Competition is tough and its main alternatives are BMW’s versatile 3-Series Touring and Audi’s popular A4 Avant. However, the C-Class stands up well to both. It blends potent performance and good looks with interior refinement and a big boot. There’s a wide choice of engine, trim and transmission combinations available. It’s evident that Mercedes-Benz has thought the design through well and there are many practical solutions that make C-Class easy to live with, it's a shame then that the cabin lacks the upmarket feel you'd expect of a car with this price tag.
4.5 out of 5

Other Mercedes-Benz reviews

3.5 out of 5

Running costs

The C-Class will be cheaper to run than before. Every engine has been tweaked to be greener and more frugal. The C200 CDI is the best example: fuel consumption is up by as much as 6mpg, while emissions are down by 13%. Insurance groups range from 13-17 but Mercedes dealers servicing is notoriously expensive and customer satisfaction isn't as high as it should be according to most surveys.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,306 - £2,192 *

Diesel

£1,068 - £1,732 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

According to on board computer.

Warranty

Three years/unlimited miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£100.00 - £460.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

3 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
    124
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
    235
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

Emissions are down across the range compared to the previous C-Class estate. The vast majority of models emit less than 225 g/km CO2 and, therefore, fall outside of the highest road tax band. Only the C350 emits more. 95% of the C-Class is recyclable.

Find the exact engine and CO2