TRADITIONAL FAMILY MOVERS
BMW and Volvo are preparing to take the estate battle straight to Mercedes-Benz later this year
AREN’T ESTATES OUT OF VOGUE?
That could probably be true, especially in the presence of the ever-popular SUV. But estates are still much liked by the Europeans, hence the renewal of the BMW 5-series Touring and Volvo V90 (replacing the outgoing V70).
Although estates sell in small numbers in Thailand due to their imported status, the leading premium brands from Europe want to offer buyers with a wide choice of lifestyle vehicles to choose from.
While the V90 is slated to be launched at next month’s Bangkok motor show, the 5-series Touring is due to arrive in the third quarter of this year. Both load-lugging family cars will take the fight straight to the Mercedes-Benz E-class Estate, which has been introduced in its latest generation last year.
A highlight estates boast over SUVs is the more car-like driving characteristics, which is why they are vastly based on their saloon siblings. So, let’s have a look at how these new estates, aka station wagons, fare on paper.
WHICH ONE OFFERS BEST CARGO SPACE?
According to figures provided by their respective makers, the 5-series Touring has marginally more space than the V90.
In default mode, the BMW has 570 litres of cargo space and 1,700 litres of it when the rear seat fold down; the Volvo has 560 and 1,526 litres respectively. The Mercedes, meanwhile, wins the volumetric race with ratings of 640 and 1,820 litres accordingly.
AND WHICH HAS THE BEST DIESEL?
Diesel engines are perfect companions for estates because their low-end grunt help for real-world tractability. Plus, their relatively low fuel consumption rates aid for long touring ranges — quite essential for family-movers going on a holiday.
Like in its predecessor, the 520d Touring is most likely to be the version of choice. The same goes for the V90 D4 which boasts a similar 2.0-litre diesel-turbo and eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The more interesting bit are the identical power and torque outputs of 190hp and 400Nm, the latter being achieved exactly the same between 1,750-2,500rpm.
In spite of this equality, the 520d Touring outperforms the V90 D4 on all counts.
The 520d Touring is 0.7sec quicker from 0-100kph, at 7.8sec, and is 1.3kpl more frugal on fuel, at 23.3kpl.
Keen drivers will also note that the BMW is rear-wheel-drive, unlike the Volvo that’s a front-driver, to help give it an edge in driving dynamics.
Once again, the E220d Touring wins the race with numbers. The 2.0-litre diesel-turbo generates a higher 194hp and the same 400Nm but achieved at a more useful 1,600-2,800rpm engine speed range.
The rear-drive Merc is also the most accelerative with a winning 7.7sec time. As well, it beats both its rivals at the pumps with a 23.8kpl record, with partial thanks going to the nine-speed automatic transmission.
SO THE MERC WINS ON EVERYTHING!
Yes, if you take those on-paper stats into consideration. What’s only left to measure is how they drive in the real-world and how intuitive their interiors are to use.
But judging from their saloon counterparts, it appears that the race in the four million baht estate market is more neck-to-neck between the two Germans.