Frankfurt 2009: Mercedes E-Class Estate

• Up to 1950 litres of space
• Clever tailgate
• On sale early 2010

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What is it?
The latest version of Mercedes’ posh load lugger, the E-Class Estate.

What’s new?
Mercedes makes no apologies for the size of the E-Class Estate, which is being shown for the first time at the Frankfurt motor show.

The Germans say it is the biggest estate of its kind, with a maximum 1950 litres of cargo space. That’s more than its key rivals, the BMW 5 Series Touring and Audi A6 Avant.

The car's design is meant to convey this. Blacked-out central roof pillars create the look of a long arch running from front to rear, while the horizontal rear lamps emphasise the car's width.

The E Estate is not only big, but it's also clever. There's an automatic-opening tailgate, which pulls the luggage cover out of the way as it lifts, quick-fold rear seats that can be lowered from the boot or the inside of the car, and a folding load compartment floor that allows taller cargo to be carried.

There's self-levelling rear suspension with air springs at each corner and adaptive damping. Mercedes claims this guarantees a smooth ride and level handling regardless of the amount of weight in the boot.

The car arrives in the UK early next year and has all the safety and fuel-saving advances already seen on the E-Class saloon and Coupé.

A drowsiness-detection monitor, automatic emergency braking when a shunt is unavoidable, a pop-up bonnet to protect pedestrians in a collision and headlights that automatically switch between full and dipped beam will be available, and nine airbags are standard.

At launch there'll be a choice of two 2.1-litre diesels, a couple of petrol 1.8 turbos, a 3.5-litre V6 and a 5.5-litre V8. A V6 diesel and the high-performance AMG model will follow soon afterwards.

How much will it cost?
There'll be the same three trim packages adopted for the saloon, with a likely premium for the Estate of at least £1000, which should mean a starting point of around £29,250.