South Africans are generally not known as station wagon buying people. We seem to mimic the Americans in that aspect, although they weren’t always this way. I guess the advent of the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) really changed the dynamics for the station wagon/ estate/ tourer market.
Consider that of the roughly 180 E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 combined units sold every month, only about 1 or 2 are station wagons. Internationally about 240 000 E-Class Estates have been sold since it was launched last year. Thus it seems Mercedes-Benz SA is taking a hell of a chance launching the E-Class Estate, especially in this currently depressed market.
Company logic is that the car will be niche yes, but very soon customers will grow to appreciate the type of value/ utility proposition offered by premium wagons. The other reason stated is the relative success enjoyed by the C-Class Estate in its segment, the trend towards smaller SUVs and the demand for space. Mercedes-Benz SA has no plans to launch the GLK compact SUV which competes against the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60.
One cannot accuse this car of being compact though, not by any means. It weighs in at about 1.7 tonnes (E 200 CGI) and measures 4.9 metres long, 1.85m wide, 1.5m high and has a wheelbase of 2.9m. Maximum boot capacity is 1950 litres, which means it can swallow well over 300 6-pack boxes of long-life milk. Or a space shuttle. Good news if you’re a farmer off to the moon. For the rest of us it means you can take all your buddies’ golf clubs plus their caddies and still make it in time for tee off.
That’s because the engines are powerful as well. At the bottom is a 1.8-litre 200 CGI with direct injection (fuel goes straight into the combustion chamber for improved efficiency all around), and a turbocharger. It produces 135kW at 5250 rpm and 270Nm at 1800rpm, has a claimed 0 – 100km/h sprint time of 8.8 seconds and runs out of breath at 222km/h. Average fuel consumption is between 7.9 and 8.1 litres per 100km and C02 emissions range from 183 to 189g/km.
The rest mirror the E-Class sedan; the E300 with a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre V6 worth 170kW and 300Nm, the E350 making 200kW and 350Nm, and the E500 with its 5.5-litre V8 of 285kW and 530Nm. MBSA says customers who are interested in the E 63 AMG Estate can certainly order one and get it delivered, though we weren’t given any indicative pricing on it. However, these cars are generally R25 000 more than their sedan equivalents, so you are looking at northwards of R1 194 000 for the fast mama wagon.
Speaking of which, gone are those days when the Estate looked like a bloated whale. This one is very streamlined, quite sleek on the sides and has an almost coupe-like rear profile. In the metal, and I saw one standing in front of me, it looks much smaller than in pictures.
As far as luxuries are concerned, this is an E-Class after all, so this is not in question at all. Being in South Africa also means a lot of the gadgets and fittings are already standard, things like 9 air bags, adaptive brake lights, ambient lighting, Bluetooth connectivity, ESP, Hill Start Assist and the Easy-Pack tailgate system which opens and closes the boot electronically through the touch of a button. You can even set the thing to rise as far as you want, which is useful for low-roof parking bays. Standard wheels are 17-inch types but there is an optional 18-incher which unfortunately because of its depth, does not come with a full-sized spare wheel.
Some sweet options are available however, including the Distronic Plus, bi-xenon headlights, leather seats, child seat recognition, keyless go and rear seat entertainment in the form of DVD players. Only the Elegance and Avantgarde options are being sold here, which is good for resale values and more understandable customer options.
I didn’t get a chance to drive the new E-Class Estate but will do so in the next couple of weeks, by which time you’ll know exactly what I think of it. In the meantime check out the pictures and pricing.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate Pricing
E200 CGI BlueEfficiency (R507 000)
E300 (597 000)
E350 (672 000)
E500 (833 000)
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