Mercedes E-Class gets practical with Estate

Exterior

If the current E-Class saloon looks like a slightly oversized version of its C-Class sibling, which in turn is a 70 per cent facsimile of the S-Class four-door, then be prepared for the obvious: the E-Class Estate looks like a bigger C-Class Estate. This, however, is no bad thing, as wagons always look nicer than saloons, although here in Ireland we prefer to buy the latter. Nevertheless, the E-Class Estate looks like a handsome, sculpted piece of kit, despite the fact it is clearly a rather lengthy old boat in this format.

Interior

Essentially the same magnificent cabin as the saloon E-Class, only with the added benefit of lots and lots and lots of boot space. The big Merc can swallow 1,820 litres of stuff if you fold the 40:20:40 split rear seats away, with 670 litres available with a full complement of adults on board. However, Stuttgart has added 'cargo functionality', which allows for a 10-degree steeper inclination of the rear seats - meaning the driver can still carry four passengers, with 700 litres of cargo capacity now on offer.

Mechanicals

At launch, two diesels and a solitary petrol power the E-Class Estate line-up, with the E 220 d being the one almost every man and his dog will choose over all others. Opt for this four-cylinder, 2.0-litre motor and you get 194hp, 400Nm and 4.2 litres/100km (67.3mpg) economy with 109g/km of CO₂ emissions. Expect 0-100km/h in 7.7 seconds and a 235km/h top whack. If that doesn't entice you, try the 3.0-litre V6 diesel in the E 350 d, which develops 258hp and 620Nm. That cuts the performance data to around 6.2 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint and a 250km/h maximum, without too much of an eco-penalty - you'll get up to 5.4 litres/100km (52.4mpg) and 140g/km.
There's no mental V8-powered E 63 model (yet...) but there is an AMG variant, which is the E 43 4Matic. With a biturbo V6 putting 401hp and 520Nm to all corners, this is a quick way to get the weekly grocery shop back home: 0-100km/h comes up in just 4.7 seconds and the top speed has to be electronically pegged at 250km/h. Fuel economy is of the order of 8.2 litres/100km (34.4mpg) and CO₂ emissions stand at 192g/km. All E-Class Estates are fitted with the 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox as standard.

Anything else?

Although it's a five-seater for now, at the end of 2016 Mercedes will offer a third row of seats in the E-Class Estate. Basically for children, thus making the car more of a '5+2' rather than a full-on seven-seater, it should make the car even more appealing to families.