Before you splash your cash on that luxury SUV, pause, I pray you, to consider the worth of a good old-fashioned estate car based on a premium luxury saloon.
Of these, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate is one of the longest-lived and most impressive. As with all the previous incarnations, this 2016-onwards pantechnicon blends a capacious and high-quality interior and a boot the size of Belgium with elegant styling and a comfortable ride. It’s great value when used, too.
There were initially three diesel options: two different versions of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (the short-lived E200d and impressive E220d) and a V6 in the E350d.
Post-2018 cars added the diesel-electric plug-in hybrid E 300 de for terrific potential fuel economy and the punchy E400d straight-six diesel.
The petrols included the four-pot E200 and the very lively E43 and Mercedes-AMG E 63 models from AMG, which both had four-wheel drive and were powered by dynamite and spitting shrapnel. The E43 was later superseded by the mild-hybrid E53.
The ordinary, everyday E-Class Estate rides well, even better on its optional air suspension, and its handling is tidy. There is a little shake and shimmy from the standard steel-sprung cars over rougher roads at lower speeds, but it’s not enough to distract from the general comfort of the car.
Where the E-Class Estate really scores highly is in its high-speed refinement. Having nine ratios in the automatic gearbox means the engine ticks away quietly at 70mph, while wind noise is well suppressed. Only a bit of rumble from the tyres stops it beating the peace and quiet served up by the rival BMW 5 Series Touring at cruising speeds.
The spacious interior is one of rare class, with a distinctive dashboard. There’s a neat rotary controller for the comprehensive infotainment system, too, so no touchscreen trouble, and all of the materials and plastics look and feel of a good quality. The raison d’être of this car is the boot, though, which has masses of room with the rear seats up and a phenomenal amount with them folded down. There was even the option of pull-up seats in the boot, turning the E-Class Estate into a seven-seater.
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I have 2 of these, a 2016 facelift and a 2018.
Firstly, the 2016 is far better built than the later model. I've done over 180,000 miles in it and nothing, literally nothing, has gone wrong. I've only spent money on consumables lke brakes and tyres.
The 2018 has had replacement NOx sensors, bottom arms, GPS anntenna and tailgate close button, all under warranty I might add.
Secondly, I disagree with the comment that it is not as refined as the equivalent BMW. I tried both before buying the 2018 and the 5 series, while more fun to drive, wasn't anything like as refined as the Merc. This was especially noticeable on that horrid part of the M25 around the A3 where the BMW was intolerable.
I reckon a well-specced late model 2016 is a perfect used family car. That means insisting on one with the Intelligent LED headlights which are absolutely astonishing.
Note, I tried to use the internal Merc model numbers to reference these cars;
2016 = W 2 1 2
2018 = W 2 1 3
But the archaic and insane Autocar forum software recognised them as embedded links, so I couldn't!
In the UK at least, the 7 seat option is a myth. You will never, ever find a used one.
I immediately jumped onto Auto-trader to prove you wrong. You're right...