Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate (2010 – 2016) Review

When it comes to cavernous estates, few do it better than Mercedes. This generation of Mercedes E-Class Estate put build quality right back at the top of the agenda as it sought to take on rivals including the Audi A6 Avant and the BMW 5 Series Touring, plus Britain’s Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Read on for our full Mercedes E-Class Estate review.

The Mercedes E-Class Estate is a large and luxurious family car that majors on limo-like refinement with van-rivalling carrying capacity.

Admittedly, it is is not the most fun estate to drive, but its handling shortcomings are far outweighed by its affordable running costs, outstanding comfort and day-to-day practicality. 

The Mercedes E-Class Estate is one of the largest cars in its class, surpassing both the Audi A6 Avant and BMW 5 Series Touring for boot space.

Most models will provide a maximum of 1950 litres of capacity with the rear seats down, and almost 700 litres with them in place. Access is easy, too, thanks to the powered tailgate and load-retaining nets, both of which are fitted as standard. 

All models get leather trim and interior build quality feels reassuringly solid, although the dashboard layout does feel a little dated compared with its key German challengers.

There is lots of space for four adults though, with plenty of headroom and legroom. However, as a five-seater, the cabin struggles, with the raised transmission tunnel limiting space for those in the middle rear seat.

There’s a good choice of engines, spanning frugal diesels to potent AMG petrols. The E350 BlueTEC is the pick of the bunch, with its 3.0-litre V6 covering 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds and returning an official 51.4mpg and 143g/km of CO2.

The 2.1-litre E220 BlueTec is cheaper to buy and slightly more cost effective to run over the long term – with a claimed 60.1mpg – but lacks the refinement and mid-gear acceleration of the V6. 

A rewarding driving experience is not the highpoint of Mercedes E-Class Estate ownership, with most models prioritising comfort and refinement over dynamism and fun.

As a result, the lower-powered models feel a little sluggish and slow compared to the Audi A6 Avant and BMW 5 Series Touring. That said, the ride is almost always smooth and comfortable. The rear self-levelling air-suspension also ensures heavy loads don’t affect the handling. 

Owing to its high levels of refinement and comfort, the Mercedes E-Class Estate feels more like a limo than a family load-lugger. It’s comfortable, practical, easy to live with and a great long-distance cruiser. Some might be put off by the slightly dated interior and mundane drive, but if you prioritise comfort and practicality over cutting-edge infotainment and handling, then it will be the perfect used buy for you.

Fancy a new Mercedes E-Class Estate? Read our review here.

The Mercedes E-Class Estate majors on comfort and refinement over driving dynamics, which means it can feel a little cumbersome.

That said, all models provide a wonderfully smooth ride and cars fitted with full air-suspension are more akin to the Mercedes S-Class than a family estate.

It never too hefty, it’s just that you are always aware that it’s a big car when driving down leafy lanes. However, it comes into its own on long drives, where the refinement makes it an ideal way to whisk the family to far-flung holiday destinations.

The Mercedes E-Class Estate will also happily toddle to the shops, dismiss potholes as mere pimples and keep you insulated from the hubbub outside at all times.

The engine range is broad, with the choice of four or six-cylinder diesels powering the rear wheels.

Quite a lot of Mercedes E-Class Estates were snapped up by fleets, and this means many are fitted with the BlueTEC-badged 2.1-litre four-cylinder diesel.

Offered with 136PS (badged 200) or 170PS (220), the four-cylinder unit is efficient. However, the seven-speed automatic gearbox isn’t the best, with indecisive gear changes. Engine refinement is also disappointing, and the 2.1-litre unit can become quite vocal under hard acceleration. 

The Mercedes E-Class Estates works best with the V6 diesels that use the nine-speed auto box. It strikes a brilliant balance between performance and fuel economy. The highlight is the E350 BlueTEC, which boasts a colossal 620Nm of torque from just 1200rpm.

A diesel hybrid – the E300 – was offered for a limited time, too, with an electric motor linked to the 2.1-litre four-cylinder diesel, but sales were slow due to its huge price tag. The hybrid also has a minuscule towing capacity.

The petrol options are limited to a 211PS 2.0-litre or the fire breathing 5.5-litre AMG V8 with 557PS.

The E250 unit is quick enough, but provides disappointing fuel economy. The AMG V8 offers breathtaking performance, with 0-62mph taking a Porsche 911-rivalling 4.3 seconds. If the AMG is your thing, then you probably won’t care about economy. 

Euro NCAP awarded the Mercedes E-Class a full five-star rating in 2010, and it remains a very safe car thanks to standard equipment such as nine airbags, ABS brakes, ESP traction and stability control, and a pop-up bonnet to cushion any pedestrian in a collision.

You also get front and rear parking sensors on all models, and Isofix child seat mounts in the two outer back chairs.

With the exception of the hybrid model that has a tiny towing capacity, the Mercedes E-Class Estate is a very good choice for hauling.

With an unbraked trailer, it will happily tow up to 750kg, while the maximum extends to 2100kg with a braked trailer.

All Mercedes E-Class Estates are huge inside, with a large flat load space that provides up to 700 litres with the seats in place, and as much as 1950 litres with the rear bench lowered.

Boot space will depend on which model you choose though, with both the hybrid and some diesels losing 100 litres due to the proximity of the battery pack or AdBlue tank.

That said, neither the Audi A6 Avant or BMW 5 Series Touring can come close to matching the Mercedes for storage. It’s that big. 

All get a powered tailgate as standard, and the large boot opening and tiny lip makes it easy to load bulky items. The rear seats can be folded down with a simple push – and there’s a useful 112 litres of load space under the boot floor. 

The cabin is stylish and elegant, but lacks the modern feel of the Audi A6 Avant and BMW 5 Series Touring, with lots of dark plastics and a confusing set of buttons that adorn the centre console. 

The cabin is extremely comfortable and refined, with deep leather seats that provide good support across the lower back. There’s also plenty of headroom and legroom for four large adults, although the middle seat in the back has limited legroom owing to the transmission tunnel. 

Both the front passenger and driver’s seat are electronically operated and heated, which makes it easy to find a comfortable fit. The driver also gets a good view of the road, while parking sensors make it easy to park.

However, the thick corner pillars can obstruct visibility occasionally and the Mercedes E-Class Estate still deploys a foot-operated parking brake, which is awkward to use. 

The interior of the Mercedes E-Class Estate has a very modern appearance, especially Sport models with their brushed aluminium trim and sports steering wheel, which is great to hold.

The sports seats offer decent side support too, but while the cabin has some nice details, such as the metal switches for the climate control, it’s a little soulless.

Neat touches include the ambient lighting (on Avantgarde and Sport models). Thanks to optical fibres behind certain parts of the trim on the dashboard and doors, they create a band of soft light, which is particularly soothing at night.

However, some of the plastics feel a little hard too and there are switches shared with the much cheaper Mercedes A-Class. You expect better at this price point.

There is no denying the build quality, though, and this is an area Mercedes clearly focused on after criticism of some previous models. It feels very hard-wearing and the finish is top notch.

Mercedes’ COMAND infotainment set-up was among the best when this car was launched and it still does the job today for most things. The display does look rather dated, though.

The screen is worked via a rotary controller on the transmission tunnel, which is just as well as the display is set quite far into the upper centre of the dash. Still, the graphics are clear and the menus easy to follow.

The system can easily confuse due to the sheer number of option screens. However, everything has a solid and premium feel, with a high attention to detail to the fit and finish.

We’d ignore the high-mileage Mercedes E-Class Estate models that have likely been hard-worked company cars or private hire cabs.

Instead, find a well cared for example with less than 80,000 miles and you’ll spend around £8000 for an E220 CDI model that’s 12 years old.

Look for our preferred E350 BlueTEC diesel and you’ll pay from £9000 for a car of the same age and mileage. A newer example that’s eight years old will cost £18,000 for one with 40,000 miles under its wheels.

The great majority of Mercedes E-Class Estates on sale on the used market have a diesel engine, unless you look to the extremely rapid Mercedes E63 AMG performance model.

Stick with an E220 CDI version and it promises 60.1mpg officially, which equates to 46mpg according to our Real MPG data. With the E350 diesel, the claimed economy is up to 51.4mpg and Real MPG figures show this to be around 36mpg in normal driving.

Another alternative is the E300 hybrid model, which returns a claimed 64.2mpg and gives a real-world 49mpg. It also has carbon dioxide emissions of 114g/km, meaning road tax is paid at just £25 per annum, including a £10 discount for hybrids.

The E220 CDI required road tax of £160 per year, while the E350 diesel comes in at £210, so neither is extortionate.

Insurance for the Mercedes E-Class Estate begins in group 32 (out of 50), but most versions sit a bit higher, at around group 37. The faster, more exotic Mercedes E63 AMG models go as high as group 47.

Maintaining a Mercedes E-Class Estate will cost no more than the saloon, so a good independent garage is your best bet here for lower labour rates.

The Mercedes E-Class Estate SE is the entry-level model (available only with four-cylinder models). It comes well equipped as standard with seven airbags, 16-inch alloy wheels, Artico upholstery, heated front seats, Advanced Parking Guide, aluminium interior trim, leather steering wheel, electric windows and door mirrors, plus climate control.

The Mercedes E-Class Estate Avantgarde adds 17-inch alloy wheels, full leather upholstery, xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, ambient cabin lighting, black ash wood trim, 15mm lower suspension, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a bespoke lower front grille.

The Mercedes E-Class Estate Sport is the top-of-the-range trim and gets full AMG bodystyling, AMG floor mats and pedals, a sports steering wheel, sports seats, brushed aluminium interior trim and variable ratio direct steering.

It also has paddle shifters for the 7G-TRONIC automatic gearbox, sports suspension, uprated brakes and 18-inch AMG alloy wheels.