E-asy elegance

ATURE, majestic and most importantly for many a MercedesBenz, the all-new E-Class estate is out to please the masses – literally.

This king-sized estate is as luxurious as they come, yet loaded to the limit, it can carry as much as the average van.

Now in its sixth generation the stretched version of the E-Class saloon has been at the top of the pile for many a year, but the latest iteration faces stiff competition from Volvo with its big V90 estate.

With the rear seats up there’s a backpack of space between them in favour of the Swedish offering, but in terms of maximum capacity the Mercedes can muster a full supermini boot more than its new found rival.

The new E-Class estate also has the edge when it comes to feel and on the road proves its abilities in true Mercedes’ fashion.

The kick off point for most will be the E 2220 d fitted with a new four cylinder 2.0-litre diesel rated at 67.3mpg with a CO2 figure of 109g/km.

The estate is a fraction longer than the saloon and like all versions of the latest E-Class has a nine-speed auto box as standard. Paddle shifters allow for manual gear selection if required and the drive mode is variable giving plenty of scope. There’s also an adaptive suspension set up which can lower ride height by more than half an inch and the all round demeanour is little short of being smack on.

The new diesel is a top class engine producing 194bhp which gives the estate a 0 to 60 time of 7.7 seconds, topping out at a claimed 146mph.

In base SE trim the E-Class estate is priced from £38,230 and even with the Drive Pilot plus a Mercedes Comand online and nav system and a surround view camera fitted, the car we sampled came in at under £44,000 – and in the executive league that’s competitive.

What Mercedes has got just right is the feel to the interior which blends high tech kit such as a 12.3-inch display screen in the centre of the dash with traditional instrumentation in front of the driver.

The cabin on this car was also delightfully finished with leather upholstery contrasting with an aluminium trim.

And for the record, luggage capacity in this executive class estate ranges from 540 litres with all seats in use to 1,820 litres with the rear seats folded.

In anyone’s book the latest E-Class is very much a car at the cutting edge yet pure and proper – the estate adds practicality which at the moment can’t be matched by any other car maker.