New Mercedes E-Class Estate: specs, prices & release date

Full prices and specifications for the new Mercedes E-Class Estate have been revealed. It’s on sale now, and with first cars arriving this month, Mercedes has added more engines to the range.

Entry-level cars will cost from £36,735, with range-topping AMG 43 models starting at £58,290. Standard diesel models will be available in SE and AMG Line trim, while the high-performance AMG versions will get their own specification levels.

Under the bonnet of the new Mercedes E-class Estate, there’s a choice of three diesel engines and one petrol. There are two four-cylinder, 2.0-litre diesels – the E200d and E220d – as well as an E350d, which is a 3.0-litre V6.

The only petrol option is the Mercedes-AMG E43, which uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 and is only available with four-wheel drive.

For the moment, this completes the engine line-up, although an even faster AMG E63 version is on the way, while a petrol-electric hybrid (likely to be called the E400e) is also under development. Expect both of these to arrive sometime in 2017.

The E-Class Estate goes up against rivals like the Audi A6 Avant, Volvo V90 and BMW 5 Series Touring, while a new Jaguar XF Sportbrake estate will also arrive next year.

Engines

Currently, the new Mercedes E-Class Estate is only available with four engines in the UK – three diesels and one high-performance AMG petrol.

Later, a full-fat, twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 will join the range in the AMG E63, which is likely to have around 600bhp and four-wheel drive. Meanwhile, a petrol-electric hybrid version is also set to join the range at a later date. All models come with a nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

The entry point to the range is the E200d, which uses a 148bhp version of the company’s latest 2.0-litre diesel engine. Until the hybrid version arrives, this will be the most economical and cheapest-to-run E-Class Estate, with fuel economy of around 72mpg. Its CO2 emissions are rated at 102g/km, which means a £20 road-tax bill if bought before April 2017, while business users will be liable for a 20% BiK contribution.

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The new 191bhp, 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel is expected to be the UK’s biggest seller. Mercedes claims that this version has a 7.7-second 0-62mph time and a 146mph top speed.

Claimed fuel economy is around 67.3mpg and CO2 emissions are rated at 109g/km. This means private buyers will be liable for a £20 tax bill every year (if bought before April 2017) and equates to a 21% Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) company-car tax rating.

The E350d is powered by a 255bhp 3.0-litre V6, capable of taking the car from 0-62mph in just 6.2 seconds and on to a 155mph limited top speed. It’ll return around 55mpg, and CO2 emissions will stand at around 140g/km, meaning private buyers will have to pay £130 a year in road tax (if registered before April 2017). Business users will be liable for 28% BiK contributions.

At the top of the E-Class estate range, at least until the E63 arrives later, is the Mercedes-AMG E43 estate. This will be the only model in the range to get four-wheel drive as standard, as other models will be rear-drive in basic trim. Its twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 engine produces 395bhp, which will be enough for a 4.7-second 0-62mph time and a 155mph top speed.

This version is the costliest to run, managing around 33mpg. CO2 emissions of around 192g/km will mean an annual road-tax bill of £270, if bought before April 2017.

Mercedes E-Class Estate equipment & trim levels

As with the saloon, the new Mercedes E-Class Estate focuses on technology, safety and generous equipment.

Most versions of the Mercedes E-Class Estate are available in SE and AMG Line trim. SE highlights include Bluetooth connectivity, sat nav, a powered tailgate, autonomous parking capability and adaptive ‘Agility Control’ suspension. This last feature scans the road to optimise the suspension settings and deliver impressive ride comfort.

These versions also provide features such as LED ambient lighting with 64 different colours, keyless entry, heated front seats, 17-inch alloy wheels and a DAB radio.

For an additional £2,500, buyers can choose the higher-specification AMG Line trim. So-equipped, the E-Class estate will feature 19-inch alloy wheels, a Napa leather-trimmed AMG steering wheel, AMG sports pedals and a dashboard covered in man-made ‘Artico’ leather.

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There’s no shortage of options, either. Highlights here include the £1,495 Comand Online infotainment system, which sees the car’s infotainment screen grow from 8.4 to 12.3 inches. It also allows you to add a second 12.3-inch screen to replace the car’s analogue instrument panel, providing a single screen that stretches most of the way across the dashboard.

The Premium package (£2,795) includes the Keyless Go Comfort Package (itself including keyless entry and hands-free boot access that lets you open the boot by waving your foot under the bumper). Also included are memory seats and a panoramic glass sunroof. Meanwhile, buyers will also be able to specify a pair of rear-facing seats in the boot for small children. This option costs £1,250. As well as this, buyers can also add the £295 Easy Pack load-securing kit. This includes loading rails in the boot and a telescopic bar that can brace objects against either the rear seats or the side of the boot.

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For an extra £1,100 over this, you can add the Premium Plus pack, which provides a 13-speaker Burmester stereo and a Multibeam Intelligent LED light system. This automatically adjusts the headlight beam to avoid dazzling other road users. If you buy the AMG E43, you’ll be able to add an AMG carbon-fibre package for £1,575. This includes carbon-fibre door mirror casings.

The £595 Lane Tracking Package incorporates blind spot monitoring and lane-keeping assistance. A more comprehensive Driving Assistance Plus package (£1,695) includes Mercedes’ Drive Pilot semi-autonomous driving system as well as braking assistance and Evasive Steering Assist (which will help you swerve around an obstacle if necessary). It also includes Pre-Safe Impulse Side, which detects an impending side-impact collision and optimises the car’s safety systems accordingly.

Design

Unsurprisingly, the new E-Class Estate looks pretty much identical to the saloon from the front. But from the second roof support back, it’s all new. The swooping roofline and steeply raked rear window combine with a long wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) and short overhangs to make the car seem longer (according to Mercedes, at least).

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There’s also a roof spoiler that extends out from the tailgate, while the chrome line that runs the width of the tailgate accentuates the car’s width. Roof rails also feature as standard on an E-Class for the first time, while the slender rear lights are comprised entirely of LEDs.

Interior

Up front, the E-Class Estate’s interior is identical to the saloon’s. It gets the same optional twin-screen layout and the same air vents in the centre console. Go for the twin-screen layout (which can display both the instruments and the infotainment screens) and you get touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel, as well as the familiar Mercedes Comand scroll wheel and touch pad next to the gear selector.

Buyers will be able to choose between three different styles for the interior: ‘Classic’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Progressive’, each of which will have a slightly different ambience thanks to the use of different materials.

Boot & interior space

Mercedes claims the E-Class Estate has class-leading boot and interior space. It measures 670 litres with the rear seats in place and 1,820 with them folded down. The power-operated rear seats can also be folded down individually in a 40:20:40 split.

The powered tailgate can be halted at any point in its opening cycle, to stop it hitting a garage roof or overhanging tree, for example. Buyers can also specify hands-free boot opening, where the boot can be opened simply by waving your foot under the rear bumper.

Mercedes also claims the new car has the most spacious rear seats in the class, with greater head and elbowroom than any other executive estate.

Price & on-sale date

Orders for the new Mercedes E-Class Estate are open now, with the entry-level E200d starting at £36,735. Upgrade to the E220d and you’ll need at least £37,935, while the V6 diesel E350d costs from £47,255 in SE trim. Topping the range is the Mercedes-AMG E43 Estate, which starts at £58,290.