Mercedes-Benz C-Class Wagon

STUTTGART, Germany

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its third-generation C-Class wagon ahead of a public debut in several days at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. The new luxury load hauler goes on sale in Germany in December and is not planned for the United States.

The C-Class wagon will have the same lineup of gasoline and diesel engines as its sedan sibling. The new model is not planned to be sold in North America despite continuing calls for its introduction from loyal U.S. C-Class sedan owners seeking added space and versatility — and despite increasing sales of wagons in the U.S. market.

As with its predecessors, the new C-Class wagon retains the same styling as the C-Class sedan all the way to the trailing edge of its front doors. Lower-end versions have a traditional chrome grille and three-pointed star on the hood, and more upmarket versions get a coupelike treatment to reflect their added sportiness. In line with the edgy appearance of recent Mercedes-Benz models, the new wagon also has a more upright rear end than the model it replaces.

Nominal luggage capacity is put at 17.1 cubic feet, an increase of just 0.5 cubic foot over the old model. As with each generation of the C-Class wagon, however, Mercedes-Benz has managed a significant increase in luggage capacity with the seats folded down, bumping it up from an already impressive 48.9 cubic feet to a copious 53.0 cubic feet. That's enough, it claims, for four golf bags. At the same time, interior length from the passenger footwell to the tailgate has increased by 6.7 inches, to 111.0 inches.

German versions of the C-Class wagon will come with a choice of five gasoline engines. They include the supercharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder in the 156-horsepower C180 and the 184-hp C200. Also available is a trio of V6 models: the 204-hp 2.5-liter C230, the 231-hp 3.0-liter C280 and the 272-hp 3.5-liter C350. Diesel models include the 136-hp C200 CDI and the 170-hp C220 CDI, both with a 2.2-liter four-cylinder common-rail diesel, as well as the 224-hp 3.0-liter V6 C320 CDI.