USED Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate (02 - 06)

My car

Excellent car, one of the best I have ever owned.

Very good performance, fuel consumption is a very respectable 30-31mpg in daily use and 39-40mpg on long runs.

Quality, fit and finish far better than old E-class. Lots of room and extremely comfortable.

There's not a lot more to say really. Journalists may argue that the BMW 5-series is more "involving" but here in the real world, the E-class is by far the better practical proposition.

My car

This car has all the advantages the E-class estate and is very economical indeed, up to 50mpg in my case (on a long run on a single A road ). Its average of 38mpg was almost 10mpg better than the E270 estate I now own.

Underpowered particularly after 65mph, I had a lot of trouble with the turbo continually cutting out - in my view this makes the car unsafe as it becomes unresponsive.

The Mercedes dealer couldn't fix this (electrical) fault and bought car back from me, hence my E270, which is a much superior match of engine and chassis.

We own another E220, which has had some similar annoying problems.

My car

It's a superb combination - and all the car we'll every need. It has versatile luggage space and a great drivetrain.

The rear seats are a bit awkward to fold up or down and the seatbelt continually gets snagged in the catches.

The tailgate is a bit awkward to close due to its arc, the remote close is an interesting option I don't have. Options generally are overpriced for what seems standard on rival cars. It tows beautifully and the Mercedes folding towbar is the best I've ever seen.

I had a new model E220 Estate for six mnths prior to this, it was much more economical giving 38mpg average,whereas the E70 has so far averaged 28mpg over 2000 miles mixed driving. I drove a 320 estate for three days and it was noisier and thirstier still.

I had a lot of trouble with my E220, the turbo kept cutting out after a period on a trailing throttle (ie Motorway) requiring a stop, turn off to reset it - it happened most days!! The Mercedes dealer couldn't fix it and had the car back off me after a bit of a 'discussion'. They have had bother with turbos apparently.