This week the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class estate made its debut at the MercedesCup tennis tournament which is being held in Stuttgart. The brand states this model will be the most intelligent estate it has ever built.
The new model will be powered by a newly developed four-cylinder diesel engine which can be found in the E220d and produces 194bhp. A six-cylinder diesel E350d will follow in the final quarter of 2016, as well as 3.0 litre V6 biturbo engine which will be slotted in the power-crazy AMG version. All models will come standard with a nine-speed 9G-TRONIC automatic gearbox.
Big on space
The E-Class estate will be able to boast one of the biggest boot in its class with 670 litres on offer. The rear seats can be folded down of course and in doing so will give an enlarged 1820 litres. This makes it a little smaller than the outgoing model but it still betters its Audi and BMW counterparts.
Thanks to a 40/20/40 split there are flexible configurations for loading but it’s people you’d rather carry then you can make use of a folding bench seat in the boot which turns the car into a seven-seater. Clever self-levelling rear suspension enables the car to be completely horizontal even when it’s fully laden.
To make loading easier there is an ‘Easy-Pack' tailgate which can be opened and closed at the touch of a button and the tailgate itself can be altered to how high it opens, meaning it will not be damaged when it’s opened in a garage. Despite its swooping, sporty roofline the E-Class estate has the best rear headroom in its class so all passengers should have a high level of comfort no matter where they are sat.
Yeah, but what about the AMG?
As mentioned, there will be a AMG version, the E43 4MATIC, which will come towards the end of year. Under the bonnet you will find a 3.0 litre biturbo V6 engine which produces 401bhp. This is able to power the premium estate to 62mph in just 4.7 seconds and to a limited top speed of 155mph. This should make for a rather exciting school run, that’s for sure!
The E220d will be available from July and is expected to cost from £38,000, the more powerful E350d and AMG E43 will come in the last quarter with prices unconfirmed at this stage.
