For the moment buyers will have a single engine choice, the proven supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder wearing the C200 Kompressor badge.

A five-speed automatic is standard fare for the Estate all the way to the C63, which gets the star seven-speed auto.

Estates, or station wagons, are not big sellers in the Australian market but Mercedes believes there is incremental growth available with 300 sales predicted this year and 500 a year after all the engine choices come on line.

Load capacity in the Estate has been increased, at least in volumetric measures, with between 485 and 1500 litres depending on the rear seat position.