No surprises here as we can expect Mercedes-Benz C-Class estate safety to be exemplary, since the C-Class saloon on which it is based achieved the full five stars in the Euro NCAP testing. Of course the firm doesn’t just set itself the Euro NCAP tests as a benchmark, and is constantly crash testing its own vehicles as well as analysing real life accident data from customer’s experiences.

Like the saloon, the C-Class estate comes with seven airbags as standard, including one for the driver’s knees, and offers the option of side airbags for the outer rear seats also. The front passenger seat will automatically detect a child seat, and disable the airbag accordingly, while there are ISOFIX fittings on the outer rear chairs.

Pedestrians aren’t forgotten about either, as the C-Class estate has an active bonnet that moves upwards (by 80mm) away from the hard points in the engine bay to soften any impact with the human body. The car will even warn the driver, and if they fail to react will apply the brakes itself if it detects the likelihood of a pedestrian impact.

Mercedes’ Connect Me system includes an emergency call function, so in the event of an accident with at least one airbag deployed the car will automatically call the Mercedes-Benz service centre to find out if anyone is injured and needs assistance. If there’s no answer from occupants it will automatically alert the relevant emergency services and provide them with the vehicle’s GPS location.

It’s an estate, so you would expect Mercedes-Class C-Class estate practicality to feature high on the list of attributes – and it does, even if the firm would rather you load it with skis and tow boats than fill it with Aldi groceries and drag a caravan behind you such are its lifestyle ambitions.

The good news is the boot has grown over the previous C-Class estate, with a seats-up space of 490 litres and with them folded up to 1,510 litres of space available. And while the old C-Class made do with a standard 60/40 split in the rear seats, the new car’s bench can be sectioned into a 40/20/40 configuration.

You don’t even need to clamber over the load lip to reach the catches either, with buttons placed near the back of the boot – and to the side of the seats in the passenger cabin – that electrically release the backrests and allow them to fold almost perfectly flat.

The boot opening is large and squarely shaped as well, so it should be easy enough to load in awkwardly-shaped or sized items. There’re a couple of handy cubby spaces either side as well, just behind the wheel arches.

Anyone sitting in the rear of the car will appreciate the extra 45mm of legroom too, thanks to a wheelbase that’s grown by 80mm to 2,840mm, plus extra head, shoulder and elbow room compared to the previous model.