The estate version of the new E-Class is out and the German carmaker insists that “it the most intelligent estate that Mercedes-Benz has ever built”. For starters, the E-Class Estate’s load compartment has a capacity of 670 to 1820 litres, making it one of the biggest in the segment. The estate’s sloping roof line is distinctively sporty, yet headroom and elbowroom in the rear are claimed to the best in this class. For added practicality, the E-Class Estate is also available with a third, folding bench seat for children, apart from a rear seat backrest that folds down in a 40:20:40 split at the touch of a button or two.
The new E-Class Estate looks like the Saloon model through to the B-pillar, while the roof rail lines are aluminium-silver in colour. The rear end has broad shoulders over the rear wheel arches, a roof spoiler with a third brake light (LED) and horizontally aligned, two-piece LED tail lights with integral chrome trim. The base version features the classic Mercedes radiator grille with the star on the bonnet, as does the EXCLUSIVE line with a slightly different design. The AVANTGARDE and AMG Lines can be recognised by the central star on the sports radiator grille.
Inside, the Estate utilises the Saloon’s design, and are laced with high-quality materials like open-pore woods, wood in a “yachting look with flowing lines” and leather. Interior colour combinations include macchiato beige/espresso brown or macchiato beige/saddle brown, while ambience lighting featuring 64 colours also lounge up the Estate’s cabin. Like the saloon, the instrument panel can be adorned with two high-resolution 12.3-inch displays which merge to form a widescreen cockpit. Other features like touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel, a touchpad with controller in the centre console, a voice control system, heated seats and armrests, along with plug and play rear seat entertainment systems are also on the offing.
As for safety, the E-Class Estate offers Active Brake Assist, the DRIVE PILOT mild autonomous driving system and Remote Parking Pilot which allows the vehicle to be moved into and out of garages and parking spaces remotely using a smartphone app. For the UK market launch, the new estate will be available as an E 220 d (194 hp) featuring an entirely newly developed four-cylinder diesel engine. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the E 350 d will follow, which has a six-cylinder diesel engine. At market launch, all models are equipped as standard with the new 9G-TRONIC nine-speed automatic transmission.
However, our pick of the lot has to be the first performance stage of this station wagon, which comes in the form of the Mercedes-AMG E 43 4MATIC Estate, to be available from the fourth quarter. With a 401 hp 3.0-litre V6 biturbo engine, 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission with shortened shift times, AMG Performance 4MATIC all-wheel drive and model-specific sports suspension, the E 43 Estate sprints from 0-100 kph in just 4.7 seconds before hitting an electronically limited top speed of 250 kph.
“The new Estate is as dynamic as the Mercedes-Benz brand and as spacious as our customers expect. Intelligent features such as the cargo position for the rear seat backrest with its 40:20:40 split as standard allow even better use to be made of the generous load-carrying capacity,” says Ola Källenius, member of the Board of Management at Daimler AG and responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales. “And what is more, the Estate obviously has all the innovations of the new E-Class – the most intelligent executive saloon in the world.”
The model line-up at a glance:
| E 220 d | E 350 d | |
| Number of cylinders/arrangement | 4/in-line | 6/V |
| Displacement (cc) | 1950 | 2987 |
| Rated output (kW/hp at rpm) | 143/194 at 3800 | 190/258 at 3400 |
| Rated torque (Nm at rpm) | 400 at 1600-2800 | 620 at 1600-2400 |
| Combined NEDC fuel consumption (l/100 km) | 4.2 | 5.4 |
| Combined CO2 emissions (g/km) | 109 | 140 |
| Efficiency class | A+ | n/a |
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s) | 7.7 | 6.2* |
| Top speed (km/h) | 235 | 250 |
Figures for version with 9G-TRONIC, *provisional figure
| E 43 4MATIC | |
| Number of cylinders/arrangement | 6/V |
| Displacement (cc) | 2996 |
| Rated output (kW/hp at rpm) | 295/401 at 6100 |
| Rated torque (Nm at rpm) | 520 at 2500-5000 |
| Combined NEDC fuel consumption (l/100 km) | 8.4 |
| Combined CO2 emissions (g/km) | 192 |
| Efficiency class | D |
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s) | 4.7 |
| Top speed (km/h) | 250* |
Figures for version with 9G-TRONIC,*electronically limited
