Mercedes E-Class Estate long-term test: report 4
The Mercedes E-Class makes for an exceptionally comfortable cruiser, but can those credentials be boosted with its unconventional diesel-hybrid set up? We're running one to find out...
The car Mercedes E300de Urban Edition Estate Run by Stuart Milne, digital editor
Why it’s here Diesel plug-in hybrids are few and far between, so we’re seeing whether the combination of long-legged diesel economy and PHEV smoothness delivers
Needs to provide a comfortable, upmarket experience for a family in need of space – with stellar fuel economy
Miles covered 6201 Price £69,970 Target price £69,970 Price as tested £69,970 Official economy 166.2mpg Test economy 91.2mpg
19 September 2025 – Game for a laugh
I enjoy a game, although I’ve learned the hard way that middle age and Twister aren’t really compatible. That’s why these days, I’m more of a Trivial Pursuit, pool or Xbox kinda guy
So flicking through the mightily impressive MBUX infotainment system in my Mercedes E-Class Estate, I was instantly drawn to the game apps within. It’s proved to be the perfect antidote to waiting in shopping centre car parks, or while the kids finish their never-ending calendar of clubs.
There’s the memory-training game of Pairs, where you match pictures of various Mercedes models together, Sudoku – a game of which I can rarely resist, even if I’m not much good at it – and Shuffle Puck, which is a cross between pool and table football.
It’s not just games that alleviate the boredom, because there’s an internet browser, and the YouTube app is just the place to catch up on my colleagues’ latest What Car? videos. None of this can be viewed on the move, for obvious reasons, but when parked up, it’s been a real boon.
I find Mercedes’ own integration of Amazon Music far better than using Apple CarPlay, too.
It all hinges on a decent mobile data connection, of course, but the touchscreen is incredibly clear and exceptionally responsive. There are a couple of flies in the ointment, though. Firstly the screen is raked back a little too much, so has a higher propensity to reflect sunlight, making it tricky to see if the sun is at the wrong angle.
Secondly, it attracts far more grubby fingerprints than the screen in my previous Audi Q6 e-tron, so I’ve taken to carrying a microfibre cloth in the door pocket to give it an occasional wipe.
It’s not just those games that give me a pang of nostalgia, though. There’s a great deal of ambient lighting around the interior, which bathes the car in a huge range of colours. Egged on by my daughter, the current chosen hue is a vivid pink, which brings to mind nightclubs of my youth.
It’s a shame, then, that the audio system doesn’t quite deliver the dance floor thump that I still enjoy on occasion. It’s more than good enough for podcasts, Radio 4 or the odd bit of background pop, but I am longing for the excellent Burmeister audio upgrade that comes with the higher-spec AMG Line Premium – even if that version costs a cool £5125 more.
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