S213 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate officially unveiled

Six months after the unveiling of the W213 E-Class sedan, the wraps have been pulled off the wagon version, the S213 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate. For this generation, Stuttgart claims that the car offers class-leading space, despite a sleeker roofline.

That sleeker roofline is draped over a rear end that looks a lot like the one on the C-Class Estate, with large horizontal two-piece LED tail lights. The only difference is that the chrome bar on the tailgate has grown into a full-width unit that stretches across the lamps.

The W213’s S-Class-esque interior has been retained – circular air vents, swathes of leather and wood, touchpads on the steering wheel and the option of twin massive 12.3-inch screens for the instrument cluster and COMAND infotainment system are all present and correct. There’s also the availability of iPad Rear Seat Integration Plug & Play which will make children at the back very happy campers indeed.

More importantly on this wagon variant, the boot measures 670 litres with the 40:20:40-split rear seats up, and 1,820 litres with them down. These figures are actually down on the previous generation by 25 and 130 litres respectively, although the rear backrests can now be positioned around 10 degrees steeper to provide 30 litres more cargo capacity while still retaining the use of five seats.

An Easy-Pack powered tailgate is fitted as standard, while the optional Keyless-Go with Hands-Free Access enables you to open the tailgate using a kicking motion under the rear bumper – with the S213, you can now do this even with the optional trailer coupling. Speaking of which, the latter now has a world-first holding device for cycle racks, capable of supporting up to 100 kg and four bikes.

Other options include a third-row rear-facing jump seat for children as offered on previous generations, as well as an Easy-Pack load securing kit. A self-levelling rear air suspension is standard as before, while Air Body Control all-round air suspension is available as an option.

Under the skin, the Estate benefits from a number of measures done to reduce noise, to offset the large resonating body. For starters, the main floor and front end receive struts to increase body rigidity and reduce the transference of noise, while special insulation on the bodywork and sound absorbers under the rear seats an on the wheel arches have been applied.

Elsewhere, the chassis, axles and steering have been given revised kinematics to reduce disturbances caused by road surfaces, out-of-balance wheels and through braking, and the engine and transmission mounts have been optimised in terms of noise, with some models gaining switchable engine mounts. Sealing has also been applied to the door handles and door joints, and the geometry of side window sealing and the formed parts of the inside sealing rails have also been improved to further suppress noise.

There’s more – the roof structure and the sunroof have been aeroacoustically improved, while the panoramic sliding sunroof gains multiple wind deflecting measures (a wind deflector, plus better covers and seals) to ensure the S213 remains as quiet as its predecessor, despite a larger opening aperture. Still not quiet enough? There’s an Acoustics Comfort package that adds an acoustic windscreen, infrared absorbing windows and added soundproofing in the rear footwell and centre tunnel.

As the car is based on the W213, the S213 carries the full suite of advanced driver assistance features, including the standard-fit Active Brake Assist with optional cross-traffic detection, Evasive Steering Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Lane Change Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist and Pre-Safe Plus.

Variants available at launch include an E 200 with a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine delivering 184 hp at 5,500 rpm and 300 Nm between 1,200 and 4,000 rpm, as well as an E 250 which bumps those figures up to 211 hp and 350 Nm. On the diesel side, the E 220 d – with a new 2.0 litre turbodiesel that churns out 194 hp at 3,800 rpm and 400 Nm from 1,600 to 2,800 rpm – is the sole option.

The range will be bolstered in the fourth quarter with a 150 hp/360 Nm E 200 d, an E 350 d with a 3.0 litre V6 turbodiesel making 258 hp at 3,400 rpm and 620 Nm from 1,600 to 2,400 rpm, and an E 400 which uses a 3.0 litre biturbo petrol V6 that kicks out 333 hp and 480 Nm. All models are fitted with a nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic transmission as standard.

Those who like their longroof with a sportier slant will want the Mercedes-AMG E 43 – this one packs an uprated version of the E 400’s V6, delivering a stout 401 hp at 6,100 rpm and 520 Nm between 2,500 and 5,500 rpm. All this power is sent through a quicker 9G-Tronic gearbox to all four wheels via the 4Matic all-wheel drive system, enabling the car to sprint to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds before hitting the 250 km/h limiter.

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