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The current entry-level price for the practical station wagon is just under € 50.000. Tourism and transport were once the namesake for the “T-Model”. However, the E-Class has long since ceased to be the only one on the market for transporting pork halves, paint buckets and taking the extended family on vacation. And who wants to pack the fine upholstery and leather of Daimler's “upper middle class” with loads? The T-model has long been worthy of the upper class, as the entry price suggests. I packed my own suitcase for the first test drive.
I pack my suitcase and take it with me ...
First test of the new E-Class station wagon
The facts are quickly enumerated: Neungang automatic is the start always series, with the engines you can choose between two gasoline with 184 (E 200) or 211 PS (E 250) or the new diesel engine in E220d with 194 PS. The E200d with 150 PS, the E350d and the E 400 petrol engine 4MATIC with 333 PS will be added soon. And a first AMG model will soon be available from the Mercedes dealer. The E43 AMG 4MATIC starts with a 401 PS strong V6 turbo. A separate driving report can be found here shortly.
The biggest difference to the sedan? The trunk with up to 1.820 liters of cargo space.
Intelligence packed in sheet metal
It is not a unique selling point of the station wagon. Already the premiere of the limousine brought us two huge 12,3 TFT screens, graphics that one would not have expected of a “Daimler” and assistance systems that give us a first impression of what awaits us in the future. The fact that it is “Daimler” of all people who are advancing digitalization with such vehemence is also surprising in the T-Model. And opening the vehicle by mobile phone? Not via an app, but with a smartphone as a “digital vehicle key” thanks to NFC technology. This is so current - that you can't even implement this function with every smartphone at the moment.
Up to the B-pillar, the saloon and estate were identical, but then the character of the E-Class changed. If the limousine is predominantly business, the station wagon can score with pragmatism.
Combining it with the comforting driving dynamics of the luxury class. Unfortunately, it is also a fact that you are not allowed to rush to the basic equipment in order to refresh yourself with dynamism and intelligence. The list of surcharges holds many temptations in store and only with the right hooks does the “T-Model” become the clever business vice that it has been believed to be for generations.
That you can stay behind the vehicle in front of you in a traffic jam, in some cases automatically, that you can shortly display your own calendar in the large-area displays in the cockpit, that the current petrol station prices of the nearest petrol station are displayed in the navigation system - all of this makes you one “Practical” car a clever car. But above all, a comfortable car. But here, too, the handle for “Air Body Control”, which is subject to an additional charge, makes sense. Only with the air suspension does the T-model become the glider you want in this price range. Mercedes also offers a wide range of options. For example, the air suspension on the rear axle is part of the standard equipment and then you have to decide whether you want the dampers to be variable and adjustable in their effect, or whether you want all-round air suspension.
I'm packing my suitcase, …
The supreme discipline for station wagons. No matter how good they look or how clever they may be. In the end, what is important is what “comes out of the back”, as an ex-Chancellor already knew how to report. The child's play: "I'm packing my suitcase ..." is well suited to sound out the loadmaster qualities. With the three suitcases from the photo, the E-Class is bored at first. A refrigerator would be a chore. And a big one, such a modern “side-by-side”. Thanks to a loading space width of 110 centimeters, even the unloved removal goods can be packed in the T-model. A rear seat back that can be folded down at a ratio of 40-20-40 helps with the variability between the trunk and the occupants. The incline can also be changed by 10 °. This creates more space for the trunk.
Conclusion: Others can pack up
The noise level of the T-model is phenomenal. In conjunction with the new diesel engine in the 220d and the 9 automatic stages, long motorway sections are a real break from everyday life. The fact that a self-igniter is nailing in the front cannot be denied in the first few meters, but as soon as cruising speed is at hand, the engine noise goes down completely.
The T-model combines the cleverness and the progress of digitization, which had been manifested at Mercedes-Benz with the premiere of the E-Class, with the practicality of the station wagon. A large and well-usable trunk, a tailgate that opens wide and the phenomenal long-distance comfort. The fact that the 220d was based on consumption values below 6 liters during the first test rounds, fits the image of the clever station wagon.
Large gallery of the test car: Mercedes-Benz E220d T in Hyacinth red ..