Mercedes E-class Estate
Wagon has a bigger boot than A6 and V90, but is it better?
IN July, the Mercedes E-class took the Best Executive Car title at the Auto Express New Car Awards, thanks to its performance, equipment and refinement. Now the firm’s E-class Estate has hit the UK, you can add practicality to that list, too.
An executive estate needs to have a big boot, and Mercedes’ largest wagon duly delivers, with 640 litres of space. This is 75 litres more than an Audi A6 Avant, and 80 more than a Volvo V90. Fold down the rear seats and the Mercedes’ advantage only grows; it’s 140 and 300 litres up on the Audi and Volvo respectively. A standard power tailgate also boosts versatility.
The E-class Estate is certainly practical, then, and it backs this up with both its luxurious cabin and the way it drives.
Our £40,430 AMG Line-spec test car was laden with kit. Mercedes’ COMAND Online navigation system is standard, featuring an 8.4-inch tablet-style display. However, on this model it was replaced by a larger 12.3-inch screen as part of the £1,495 Media Interface upgrade to go with the £495 12.3-inch digital dials.
The dash looks slick and everything is easy to operate from the rotary controller on the transmission tunnel. There’s plenty to operate, too, with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, Bluetooth, DAB, in-car Internet and remote parking all fitted.
However, while the cabin is beautifully trimmed and the materials soft to touch, the car comes with man-made leather as standard. The real stuff costs £1,595, which seems strange on a car as plush as this.
At least the seats are comfortable and adjustable, because this top-spec trim level gets Mercedes’ Seat Comfort Package with electric adjustment included.
AMG Line trim also adds a sportier bodykit and 19-inch wheels, but our test car was fitted with optional 20-inch alloys that cost an extra £595. However, the bigger wheels come on low-profile tyres, and while our car’s standard steel spring set-up delivered a smooth, controlled ride over some challenging surfaces, deeper potholes did tend to send the odd shock through the chassis.
These jolts eroded the E-class’s comfort, so we would recommend sticking to the standard wheels. However, the damping is forgiving, which means on long journeys the Mercedes delivers just as much comfort and refinement as its saloon sibling.
The German brand’s new 2.0-litre fourcylinder turbodiesel works just as well here as it does in the four-door. Coupled to Mercedes’ nine-speed automatic box, the 191bhp unit offers more than adequate acceleration even with the extra 100kg the estate body adds over the saloon.
The 0-62mph sprint takes 7.7 seconds, but it’s the E 220d’s in-gear performance that’s more impressive. With nine ratios the Mercedes is almost always in the right gear to make the most of the 400Nm of torque, which is available from 1,600rpm. The transmission kicks down quickly but smoothly, imperceptibly slurring upshifts as you accelerate through the rev band.
Along with the compliant chassis, the refined powertrain means the E-class Estate
devours miles. Adaptive cruise helps here, while our car’s £1,695 Driving Assistance Plus package also added evasive steering assist that will swerve to avoid a crash, plus active blindspot and lane-keep assist, and the Drive Pilot autonomous driving system.
Unfortunately, we don’t get the clever lane-change function for the latter in the UK, but with Steering Pilot keeping you in your lane on the motorway, it’s still a nice convenience feature – albeit an expensive one – that works extremely well.
With emergency braking as standard, safety is good. The E-class also gets nine airbags, and shares the saloon’s full fivestar Euro NCAP crash test rating.
The final feather in the Estate’s cap is its impressive efficiency. Mercedes claims this AMG Line car will do an average of 67.3mpg and emit just 120g/km of CO2, although this drops to 109g/km for the entry-level SE model. And a 66-litre fuel tank should give the car a decent real-world range.