Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate Pre Model 180 BlueEFFICIENCY SE Auto 5dr Car Review - February 2012

The petrol engine offers 154bhp and 184lb-ft of torque, giving the car a top speed of 134mph and a 0-62mph time of 9.1 seconds. Enthusiastic drivers will undoubtedly choose a model with a larger engine but the 1.8-litre petrol is perfectly satisfactory.

The C-Class Estate is very good to drive, offering impressive handling and superb body control. The ride is spot-on as well, being soft enough to absorb bumps on the road but not too soft that the handling suffers.

The C-Class Estate 180 BlueEFFICIENCY SE looks absolutely fantastic. It is actually more attractive in estate form and the smart front end and characteristic Mercedes grille make the C-Class a very handsome vehicle.

The interior is superbly put together, if a little gloomy, and the quality of the materials is top notch. On top of that, the seats look good and are very comfortable, and with plenty of adjustment you should be able to find a comfortable position.

The C-Class comes with a choice of four trim levels. The SE is the entry level trim so kit wise you get: front and rear parking sensors, a powered tailgate, scratch-resistant paint, electric windows all round, multi-function steering wheel, automatic lights and wipers and dual-zone climate control. You also get sat-nav and MP3 and Bluetooth connectivity but artificial leather seats will cost you an extra £350 and metallic paint will set you back £645.

The C-Class Estate 180 BlueEFFICIENCY SE is cavernous, offering 485 litres in the boot with the seats up and 1500 litres with the seats down. This means it offers more space than its closest rivals: the BMW 3 Series Touring and the Audi A4 Avant.

Mercedes produce cars that are engineered to a very high standard and problems with the C-Class are few and far between. The instrumentation has caused a few issues but a 3 year warranty and the fact that Mercedes have some of the best dealships around means that any problems should be sorted with ease.

Mercedes produce some of the safest cars on the market and the C-Class is no exception, scoring the full five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests. The car is fitted with a range of airbags, brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, ESP, a brake drying function and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

At £28,735, this is one of the cheapest C-Class Estates in the range and offers very good value for money when you consider the sheer amount of car you're getting for your cash.

Running costs, on the other hand, will be relatively high. You'll only get 42.8mpg on the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 155g/km put the C-Class Estate in VED band G. You'd be well advised to opt for the 200 CDI model over the 180 - it offers similar performance and more torque but will return more than 58mpg on the combined cycle. On top of this, it is also around £300 cheaper.