Mercedes E Class Estate review

For more than half a century now, Mercedes has been skilfully blending luxury and space in a large estate model that proudly wears that prestigious three-pointed star. In fact, there have been five generations so far, of which four have been dubbed, in one way or another, the Mercedes-Benz E Class Estate.

And in so doing, it set a trend – one that left other premium producers floundering for years until Audi finally evened up the score with its estates, such as today’s A6 Avant, and BMW with its 5 Series Touring. The premium estate market isn't an exclusive German domain, though – the Swedish Volvo V90 is another formidable rival.

Aside from mentioning the facelift that upped equipment levels and tweaked the styling of the latest model in 2020, that’s the history lesson done and dusted. Now let’s focus on how good the current E Class Estate is; after all, tradition is all well and dandy, but here at What Car? it’s overridden, as always, by sound objectivity.

The E Class Estate is available with an impressive lineup of engines – ranging from frugal diesels and a tax-busting plug-in hybrid, all the way up to fire-breathing, hardcore performance-focused AMG models, which we’ve reviewed separately.

It promises plenty of space for passengers and their luggage, a luxurious, tech-laden interior and, if you pick the right engine, reasonable running costs. But is it the best luxury wagon you can buy, and which engines and trims make the most sense? Read on and we’ll tell you all you need to know.

And if you've got your eye on an E Class, don't forget to check out the best deals in our New Car Buying pages.