ST. JEAN-CAP-FERRAT, France: Undoubtedly as a result of some event related to an episode of Father Knows Best or the Donna Reed Show or Leave It To Beaver, millions of Baby Boomers suffered a psychological trauma that put them off station wagons.
As a result, station wagons faded substantially from the market in North America in the 80s and 90s, particularly in the upper price brackets. To serve pretty much the same function as all those full-boat Vista Cruisers and Country Squires and so on, people bought minivans and SUVS and crossover vehicles (think Subaru Forester) and were fairly well served by them.
Well, it looks like the popularity of these pragmatic vehicles has managed to blunt the anguish of some of those upscale boomer buyers, since Mercedes-Benz has decided to bring the wagon version of its fabulous C-class line to Canada and the United States this fall.
When the premium-packaged (maybe $50,000 and beyond) wagons arrive, a few hundred lucky Canadians will quickly see that this is the best configuration in the C-class family and perhaps the best value in the entire Mercedes-Benz lineup.
In the first place, the C-class wagon is perhaps the best looking 4-door model in the entire Mercedes-Benz line. That the designers had to put form ahead of function is perhaps understandable if it was to appeal to wealthy boomers, but the resulting package is still appealing.
The package is so appealing, in fact, that it makes me wonder why anyone would go for a comparatively equipped C-class sedan. During my time with a European version of the C-class wagon on the twisty, tight and busy roads of the Riviera, I couldn't find a moment when I would have preferred the sedan to the wagon.
Though they cast different shadows, the sedan and wagon cast essentially the same footprint.
This means the wagon will present no extra challenges in parking garages or any other cramped quarters. If it can handle the walled confines of Cap d'Antibes (where it was literally one of the three biggest cars I saw in two hours) it can handle the lower levels of MegaBuyVille with ease.
The extra space does however come in handy when you want to carry stuff. That lovely sloping roofline does not allow you to carry big and bulky items, but the open shape combined with the increased volume does significantly raise the cargo capabilities.
The rear seats fold down and away with minimal effort, and Mercedes has wisely placed a screen behind those seats that ties into the ceiling and will serve to keep many things (including a dog) from flying forward in a serious breaking event or a crash. There are also several tie-downs so you can lash things (not including a dog) into place.
That roofline also makes the C-class wagon (which is not a big car by Canadian terms) seem less cramped than the sedan, and that's also a good thing. This will be especially true for the folks in the back seat.
Historically, the downside of a wagon's openness is more din in the cabin, since it doesn't have the sedan's solid wall to block out noise from the rear axle. I didn't have a sedan to drive for a direct comparison, but it's hard to imagine it could be much quieter than my test wagon, so that doesn't seem to be an issue.
As important as the differences between the wagon and the sedan are, they aren't as critical as the similarities between the two. That is to say, the wagon is every inch the fabulous vehicle that the sedan is.
When it revised the C-class sedan for last year, the Stuttgart firm paid particular attention to improving its driving dynamics, and it succeeded admirably. While the rear-drive C-class may not be as aggressively wired as its natural enemy, the BMW 3-series, it is a considerable distance ahead of its predecessor and most of the current competition.
This delightful ability under duress makes for a wonderful daily driving experience, by the way. That rock solid chassis that is a Mercedes-Benz hallmark is there, but there's also a lithe, responsive side that's truly a joy in every situation you can imagine.
This is especially true in a wagon hooked up to the 3.2-litre V6 that is the only engine we'll get in Canada. Along with a goodly amount of the horsepower (about 215) that's necessary for high-speed autobahning in Germany, this engine also delivers lots of the torque that's necessary for the fast getaways and effortless passing of North America. We should get about 230 pound-feet as a maximum figure, and that should be on tap between 3000 and 4600 rpm.
Exact equipment levels for Canada are still to be determined, but you can count on them being significant since it will be an upscale version. This is fine for now, but it's to be hoped that strong consumer demand for this great product encourages the Canadian operation to bring a lower-priced version onto the market, as they've done with the sedan.
This kind of wagon could put that traumatic aversion to wagons behind us once and for all.
As a result, station wagons faded substantially from the market in North America in the 80s and 90s, particularly in the upper price brackets. To serve pretty much the same function as all those full-boat Vista Cruisers and Country Squires and so on, people bought minivans and SUVS and crossover vehicles (think Subaru Forester) and were fairly well served by them.
Well, it looks like the popularity of these pragmatic vehicles has managed to blunt the anguish of some of those upscale boomer buyers, since Mercedes-Benz has decided to bring the wagon version of its fabulous C-class line to Canada and the United States this fall.
When the premium-packaged (maybe $50,000 and beyond) wagons arrive, a few hundred lucky Canadians will quickly see that this is the best configuration in the C-class family and perhaps the best value in the entire Mercedes-Benz lineup.
In the first place, the C-class wagon is perhaps the best looking 4-door model in the entire Mercedes-Benz line. That the designers had to put form ahead of function is perhaps understandable if it was to appeal to wealthy boomers, but the resulting package is still appealing.
The package is so appealing, in fact, that it makes me wonder why anyone would go for a comparatively equipped C-class sedan. During my time with a European version of the C-class wagon on the twisty, tight and busy roads of the Riviera, I couldn't find a moment when I would have preferred the sedan to the wagon.
Though they cast different shadows, the sedan and wagon cast essentially the same footprint.
This means the wagon will present no extra challenges in parking garages or any other cramped quarters. If it can handle the walled confines of Cap d'Antibes (where it was literally one of the three biggest cars I saw in two hours) it can handle the lower levels of MegaBuyVille with ease.
The extra space does however come in handy when you want to carry stuff. That lovely sloping roofline does not allow you to carry big and bulky items, but the open shape combined with the increased volume does significantly raise the cargo capabilities.
The rear seats fold down and away with minimal effort, and Mercedes has wisely placed a screen behind those seats that ties into the ceiling and will serve to keep many things (including a dog) from flying forward in a serious breaking event or a crash. There are also several tie-downs so you can lash things (not including a dog) into place.
That roofline also makes the C-class wagon (which is not a big car by Canadian terms) seem less cramped than the sedan, and that's also a good thing. This will be especially true for the folks in the back seat.
Historically, the downside of a wagon's openness is more din in the cabin, since it doesn't have the sedan's solid wall to block out noise from the rear axle. I didn't have a sedan to drive for a direct comparison, but it's hard to imagine it could be much quieter than my test wagon, so that doesn't seem to be an issue.
As important as the differences between the wagon and the sedan are, they aren't as critical as the similarities between the two. That is to say, the wagon is every inch the fabulous vehicle that the sedan is.
When it revised the C-class sedan for last year, the Stuttgart firm paid particular attention to improving its driving dynamics, and it succeeded admirably. While the rear-drive C-class may not be as aggressively wired as its natural enemy, the BMW 3-series, it is a considerable distance ahead of its predecessor and most of the current competition.
This delightful ability under duress makes for a wonderful daily driving experience, by the way. That rock solid chassis that is a Mercedes-Benz hallmark is there, but there's also a lithe, responsive side that's truly a joy in every situation you can imagine.
This is especially true in a wagon hooked up to the 3.2-litre V6 that is the only engine we'll get in Canada. Along with a goodly amount of the horsepower (about 215) that's necessary for high-speed autobahning in Germany, this engine also delivers lots of the torque that's necessary for the fast getaways and effortless passing of North America. We should get about 230 pound-feet as a maximum figure, and that should be on tap between 3000 and 4600 rpm.
Exact equipment levels for Canada are still to be determined, but you can count on them being significant since it will be an upscale version. This is fine for now, but it's to be hoped that strong consumer demand for this great product encourages the Canadian operation to bring a lower-priced version onto the market, as they've done with the sedan.
This kind of wagon could put that traumatic aversion to wagons behind us once and for all.
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