Mercedes gets the boot into E-Class

MERCEDES-BENZ has confirmed that its proliferating AMG-light '43' V6 engine will be offered under the bonnet of the freshly revealed E-Class Estate, slotting into the Mercedes-AMG range alongside the GLC43 mid-sized SUV, C43 and E43 sedans.

The new large luxury wagon range will make its public debut at the MercedesCup tennis tournament in Stuttgart this week following the release of official images today, and will be initially offered as the E43 4Matic performance halo and two diesel variants.

A the top of the pack the new E43 Estate effectively replaces the outgoing E400 which had the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 layout, but bumps the power and torque stakes from 245kW/480Nm to 295kW/520Nm.

Unlike the previous E-Class wagon and the new-generation sedan, an E200 will not be offered as an Estate, with the range instead kicking off with the E220d, which sees the second outing of Mercedes' new 2.0-litre 143kW/400Nm diesel after appearing in the Estate's sedan sibling.

The range is rounded out with the E350d , which serves as the high-performance diesel in the absence of the previous E250d, with 190kW and 620Nm developed by its 3.0-litre V6 diesel donk.

Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific public relations, product and corporate communications senior manager David McCarthy said the new Estate was most likely to touch down locally in the second quarter of 2017, but it was too early to be talking about specification.

“Bit early yet,” he said. “The Estate doesn't sell in huge volumes so we are still working on which ones we are going to take. We will have at a least one.” A new performance flagship is likely to join the range in the form of the E63 at a later date, but for now the E43's zero to 100km/h acceleration time of 4.7 seconds will have to suffice, while returning fuel economy of 8.4L/100km.

Diesels go further for the same amount of fuel with a rating of 4.2L/100km for the E220d and 5.4L/100km for the 3.0-litre, while 0-100km acceleration times are officially 7.7s and 6.2s respectively.

In all cases, power is managed by the nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic transmission, which diverts torque to the rear wheels for diesel variants, and all four corners in the E43.

Equipment levels largely align with the E-Class sedan which arrives in Australia next month, but the Estate's most obvious difference is in its wagon boot, which offers up to 1820 litres of load space and some innovative storage features.

With the 40/20/40 split rear seats in place, the E-Class Estate boot offers 670 litres of capacity. Second row seating folds electrically, freeing up enough space to load a standard Euro-pallet, which measures 1200mm by 800mm.

Contents of the load area are protected from prying eyes with an electrically operated cover that moves out of the way when the tailgate is opened.

Mercedes' Easy-Pack tailgate is standard fare on all E-Class wagons and is power operated with height-adjustment for shorter users and low garage roofs for example, and can be opened with a kicking action under the rear bumper area.

A load-securing kit with floor rails and fasteners is available as an option and the standard self-levelling rear suspension maintains a constant ride height even when loaded up to the maximum 745kg payload limit.

Like the sedan, the Estate interior offers a range of luxury and comfort features starting with an optional pair of 12.3-inch screens that join to form a continuous instrument cluster and central information console.

The various systems can be accessed through the touch-sensitive steering wheel, central controller or Linguatronic voice control system.

A wide range of interior style and customisation options are offered for the Estate range depending on the variant, including a range of leather upholstery, wood and metallic trims, to complement the 64 colours of ambient interior lighting.

Second-row occupants are looked after with a specially developed Mercedes child seat for children weighing less than 36kg, while an iPad Rear Seat Integration Plug and Play will keep the back seat passengers happy when they are a bit older.

Mercedes reports that general vibration and noise levels have been reduced and minimised despite the inherent cavernous space of a wagon, that can amplify undesirable road noise.

A range of driver assistance and safety systems also carry over from the sedan to the E-Class Estate, including autonomous braking and active cruise control, but the Remote Parking Pilot which allows the car to be parked using a smartphone may not make it through Australia's tough ADR rules.