Surviving The Estate: 2010 E-Class
New horse. Old hitch.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Daimler AG
NUMBERED are the station wagon’s days.
Sadly, trends are showing that the world’s breadboxes are being sidelined for SUVs (Stateside), Crossovers (ibid), and hatchbacks (Fair Europa). I note this decline with some regret, for I credit generations of Volvo wagons for transporting yours safely.
Lords knows what the demise of the wagon will do to the I-roll company.
That said, thanks to Mercedes-Benz’s seat-for-every-ass product-line philosophy, the station wagon isn’t going anywhere soon – at least not in this product life cycle.
The 2010 E-Class wagon whose handsome images leaked earlier in the week is a testament to Stuttgart’s commitment to an older utilitarian form of vehicular transport.
What’s more, it seems that finally (and not since the W124 generation of the mid 80s to early 90s) Mercedes has produced an estate as thoughtfully executed and comprehensively engineered as the new W212 series.
Mercedes-Benz says the new station wagon’s stuffed with more safety goodies than you can [insert whitty safety-themed metaphor here]. There’s the mnemonically titled “NECK-PRO” whiplash protection system, a lane departure system, PRE-SAFE with Attention assist, and Night View Assist Plus (Plus = pedestrian detection system) all packed tightly into a five-door wedge.
It’s more commodious than the predecesor and the exterior features actual surface tension, high shoulder lines, and a lofty rear departure angle. So better of both fuction and form worlds, then.
Perhaps it’s my fondness for traditional modes of transport, but somehow, BMW’S 5er Gran Turismo SAV seems suddenly less appealing.
About the Author: Gunnar Heinrich is publisher of Automobiles De Luxe online and is executive producer of the Automobiles De Luxe Television series on PBS member station CPTV.
Paul | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
I have to say — I have never found the MB station wagons even remotely appealing on a aesthetic level.
gunnar | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
For the most part, I’d agree. That said, I think this latest iteration has moved the styling language for wagons forward a bit.
Jim | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Wagons fall into a category of either you love them or hate them. I tend to like them as long as they try to maximize cargo space. Spent too much time in Plymouth Suburbans and Ford Country Squires as a child I guess.
Question I have is, does the E wagon really have the towing capacity to haul a 2 horse trailer? Isn’t that what the Range Rover is for?