It wasn’t only the space that had me sold; it was the drive. Just like it’s smaller brother the C43 sedan, the vehicle was just a pleasure to drive. The snapping and crackling exhaust notes found in the Sport+, mode could always put a smile on my face. With AMG tuning the 3.0-litre V6 bi-turbo engine to have a whopping 385hp, the wagon can shoot down the road with almost criminal ease.  While the 69% rear axle torque bias, and low center of gravity, kept that classic racecar feel. Keep in mind depending on the era, the muscle available in the 2019 Mercedes-AMG C 43 could easily have been in an actual race car. As for the first time in 1986, AMG implanted the 5.0-liter V8 into an E-class coupe, which received worldwide fame under the nickname “The Hammer.” As per this 1986 Car and Driver review,

“The Hammer we tested leaped from 0 to 60 mph in five seconds flat. It hurtled through the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 107 mph. And it pounded down a long, flat straightaway to a top speed of 178 mph. Like the Corvette, the 911 Turbo, the Testarossa, and the Countach, the Hammer covers ground so quickly that you swear you can feel the earth’s curvature racing to meet you.”

Boy, it sure is crazy to see how far things have come… With a starting MSRP of $59,990 CND, this wagon available exclusively in Canada, while still expensive, when you compare it to the rest of Mercedes lineup or a luxury SUV it is actually quite reasonable.

• (+) – Really fun and responsive to drive, but still has room for the whole family
• (-) – In Sport/Sport+ mode, sometimes when accelerating hard from a stop and then easing off of the gas can cause the computer to shift like a 16-year-old learning a manual transmission for the first time