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The end of the Mercedes-Benz family wagon? 2022 Mercedes-Benz C-Class to launch with sedan in Australia as new Estate and All-Terrain get denied entry

The just-reveal All-Terrain won’t form part of Australia’s new C-Class range.

Mercedes-Benz Australia appears to have put the nail in the coffin of its wagon range, confirming that the new-generation C-Class won’t be offered with the load-lugging body-style when it launches in the fourth quarter of this year.

Following the overnight reveal of the C-Class mid-sizer’s new higher-riding All-Terrain wagon, a Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson broke the news, which also affects the regular Estate wagon.

“Though the C-Class All-Terrain is an exciting addition to our global portfolio, this new variant will not be part of the Mercedes-Benz product range in Australia, nor will the C-Class Estate from the introduction of the W206 generation,” they said.

“In the Australian market, demand for our growing family of Mercedes-Benz SUV models continues to increase, while demand for Estate models is steadily decreasing.”

Indeed, buyer preferences continue to shift towards SUVs, including the comparable GLC, with Mercedes-Benz Australia having also pulled the plug on the larger E-Class All-Terrain upon the release of its facelift last year.

As a result, once the previous-generation C-Class Estate is removed from sale in the coming months, Mercedes-Benz Australia won’t have a wagon in its model line-up, but that’s not to say the more practical offering won’t return in the future, as the door has been left open for it to do so.

In terms of the C-Class wagon’s competitive set, the BMW 3 Series Touring is currently only available in regular 330i form, while the Volvo V60 was recently consolidated to a single higher-riding Cross Country variant.

That said, three versions of the Audi A4’s regular Avant (including the performance-focused S4 and RS4) and higher-riding Allroad are on offer, so at least one of the German Big Three seems to have no intention of getting out of the wagon game anytime soon.

For reference, the C-Class All-Terrain is based on its Estate sibling, which was unveiled alongside the incoming sedan in February. As such, there are plenty of similarities between the two, although the former does stand out in several ways.

These include standard 4Matic all-wheel drive, an Off-Road drive mode, 40mm of extra ground clearance, unique bumpers, plastic cladding and larger wheel and tyre packages, which look to ironically appeal to SUV fans.