The Long Wait Worth It
by Ross Finlay (02 May 03)

It doesn't go on sale till June, there are no confirmed prices yet, and the range at launch won't include all the variants due to appear in the catalogue this year, but Mercedes-Benz is already inundated with orders for the estate version of the current E-Class saloon, the best-selling luxury car in the world.

In years gone by, styling didn't seem to be among the priorities for the design teams given the job of turning the Stuttgart saloons into estates. They tended to be more closely focused on stern practicality.

That era is long gone, and the new E-Class is one of the best looking big estates around, with an exterior appearance which doesn't hide the sheer size of the vehicle, but doesn't make it look clumsy either. The extended rear bodywork maintains the stylish approach of the front end, and it's quite graceful, odd though that word may seem in this context.

Another advantage of the new model is that it uses the same design of instruments and switchgear as the saloon. This is an area where the E-Class leaves the direct opposition well behind. It has moved away from the traditional instrument design Mercedes persevered with for too long. There are no dials here quite as stylish as DaimlerChrysler's best - fitted to the top models in the Chrysler Voyager range - but the arrangement and operation of the various banks of push buttons is almost a work of art, with nothing random or haphazard about it.

Brake Fixation Again

My strictly personal gripe about the parking brake (although I'm happy to find that a number of stalwart characters agree with me) remains as strong as ever. The new estate perseveres with the laborious and noisy business of a ratchety foot pedal to apply the parking brake, and a thudding pull-out fascia lever to release it. There simply has to be something more sophisticated than this, without going as far as one of those electronic brakes I regard with some suspicion. A conventional pull-up handbrake, maybe?

Adapting the saloon into an estate is something which hasn't been approached casually. The E-Class has very good seat-folding and headrest tucking-away arrangments, and a generously proportioned flat load floor with underneath compartments, one of which can accommodate a folded-away rear-facing children's seat (one of the many extra-cost options) without taking up space needed elsewhere. The tailgate has adjustable opening positions above the horizontal, there are 12v power sockets, and the car is well supplied with the now almost obligatory smaller in-cabin stowage spaces.

Mercedes will be marketing the estate in the familiar Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde trim and equipment levels. As the prices rise so, obviously, does the specification, but the standard car is well kitted out, with everything from ESP and brake assist to full airbag provision. When fitted, luxury items like full leather upholstery are of high quality.

There's a lot of burr walnut about, as a contrast to the rather sparing use of wood trim which used to be the Mercedes habit, although I wasn't sure, in an Elegance, if having chrome finishing strips above the walnut might not be a mixed-metaphor case of slightly over-egging the pudding.

Six Launch Engines, More To Come

There's a fine mix of petrol and turbo diesel engines in the new range. Among the diesels, Mercedes is expecting that the 220 CDI will be the favourite with fleet and company users. This is an impressive entry-level diesel, producing 150bhp, and 250lb/ft of torque at 2000rpm. It does the 0-62mph sprint in 11.1 seconds, tops out at 129mph, manages 39.8mpg on the combined cycle and keeps its CO2 figure down to 188g/km.

As well as that version, the diesel range includes a five-cylinder 270 CDI and a six-cylinder 320 CDI which will probably be the most popular diesel choice, in Avantage form, for the strictly private buyer.

At launch, the petrol engines will include a supercharged 200 Kompressor, a 240 V6 and a 320 V6. A 500 V8 is due to follow in September, and the top of the range, arriving at much the same time, will be a fire-breathing 55 AMG, with a supercharged 5.5-litre engine.

A six-speed manual gearbox is standard on the estate, but I'd find it hard, if placing an order for any E-Class, not to go for the five-speed Tiptronic option. The little sideways nudge which is all that's required to make manual changes with this transmission is an unusually delicate movement, while the left-and-right alignment somehow seems more obvious than the fore-and-aft other manufacturers favour.

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