Mercedes E350 CDI estate review

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Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350 CDI BlueEFF. Avantgarde Road Test

Test date 12 February 2010 Price as tested £39,605

For Cavernous and flexible space, solid construction, lots of safety equipment

Against Occasionally lazy throttle response, tyre noise, less than impressive CO2

There is a refreshingly unpretentious nature to the Mercedes E-class estate. Even the name is, and always has been, simple with no marketing-driven nomenclature designed to make it seem more sporting or lifestyle oriented. And rightly so, because the E-class estate doesn’t need to be justified.

Mercedes has sold more than one million since its earliest predecessor, the S123, was introduced in 1978. It has since earned a classless status that makes it both desirable and understated. All of which leaves a lot for this new E-class estate to live up to.

It’s fair to predict that it will benefit from the same return to Mercedes’ original brand essence that has proved such a success in the saloon. After all, they are essentially the same car. With the exception of the E200 CDI engine, which doesn’t make it into the estate, they share the same powerplants as well as the same basic architecture.

But with significant differences in suspension set-up, body and ownership costs, can the E-class estate match, or even better, the ability and appeal of the saloon?