Mercedes' spacious new E-Class estate will win market share, believes Michael McAleer.
The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class estate will arrive here in July, with a price tag for the base model in the region of €57,000 to €58,000, though this has yet to be confirmed.
Following on from the launch last spring of the saloon version, Mercedes hopes the new more stylish estate will expand the estate share of the Irish E-Class market, previously averaging about 5 per cent of sales.
The new car is far more stylish than its predecessor, and can now compete with the likes of the BMW 5 Series Touring and other more sharply designed estates.
Sales targets will depend on delivery but estimates are for 75 units for the last six months of this year and 125 units a year thereafter.
Mercedes deserves credit, if for no other reason than they have singularly avoided the embarrassing name-game that evolves around estate cars these days. The terms seems to be regarded as a curse by car sales directors, incurring the wrath of the marketplace as potential owners rush to avoid any connotations with small delivery vans or plumbers.
In fairness, with the new E-Class Estate, it has little to fear. This spacious hybrid comes to the market with the underpinnings of the highly competitive saloon version, saddled with a spacious and well-designed rump. And building on the success of the previous model which sold over 255,000 units during its seven-year reign, making it one of the best-selling cars in the estate class, why would they bother to play around with the name?
In terms of design, the new estate has more "coupé" lines, curving to the rear, rather than opting for the flat back approach. According to Daimler-Chrysler's design studio director Stephen Mattin the aim was to go for more sweeping lines and the creation of rear shoulders for the car rather than the simple cut-off boot. The price for this design - a mere 25 litres of internal space when comparing maximum load with its predecessor. Not much when you consider the figures are 1,925 litres in the old version and 1,900 litres in the new.
Not only have the Germans been busy in the body design workshops, but they've kept their ergonomic engineers on their toes as well, coming up with ingenious ways to ease loading and storage in the estate. The result is a package of well-thought out but simple gadgets. Among them is a smart adjustable strapping system - known as Easy Pack - which can prevent items falling around the luggage area. There is also a full-width storage box accessible behind the rear seats, and - what impressed us most - the electronic rear door that shuts down at the touch of a button. Yet another gadget to aid muscle wastage on motorists.
The handling characteristics of the Estate were on a par with the saloon and, on the windy mountainous climbs at the European launch the car never felt unsteady or bulky. Both diesel and petrol versions performed well and we were particularly taken on motorway and long-haul travel by the agility of the 3.2-litre 320 CDI diesel version.
Like the saloon, it is the type of car that can easily conquer long cross-continent trips without much complaint from either driver or passenger. It may win back some 4x4 buyers who realise its space rather than off-road ability that they require.