Mercedes-Benz E400 Estate 2014 Review

Prestige Benz's turbo wagon is ferally fast yet will fit seven for the school run.

Wagons are meant to be boring. They're about capacity not credibility; comfort over composure. Unless you're driving a Mercedes-Benz E400, in which case preconceived notions of big family wagons are overwhelmed in a rush of turbo torque.

The Benz wagon is the ultimate wolf in sheep's clothing. It is ferally fast when the occasion demands yet is docile on the school run to pick up six kids (provided you have a pair of primary schoolers in the rear-facing seats that flip up from the cargo floor). The only thing that lets the package down is the relatively small infotainment screen.

The E-Class range had a major mid-life overhaul last year but the updates didn't extend to the screen. It was impressive when the car launched in 2009 but customer expectations, much like TV screens, have since expanded.
Get over that relatively trifling disappointment and the rest of the package is premium.

A bird's-eye view reversing camera takes the pain out of parking the 4.9m wagon. Owners can opt to use the automated "Active Park Assist" for reverse and parallel manoeuvres. Both work brilliantly.

There are blind spot monitoring and active lane departure warning and the E400 is also fitted with adaptive cruise control and steering assist. In tandem, these features provide short bursts of hands-free autonomous driving, with the electronics keeping the big wagon between the lines and a safe distance from the vehicles ahead.

Then there's the engine. The twin-turbo V6 drives through a seven-speed auto to the rear wheels and it sets a pace nothing this side of a $225,000 Audi RS6 wagon can match.

The response to any throttle input is smooth and, combined with the noise suppression, there is little sensation of speed until the driver glances down at the instrument panel.

That panel is typically Mercedes, with a central speedo flanked by a tacho on the right and fuel gauge/warning lights on the left. The numerals are black on a white background and are instantly visible at night or in full sun, even under the glare via the standard sunroof.

There are few things it can't do, from moving house to hustling along the back roads.

For load-lugging, the E400 has a pair of levers mounted inside the cargo area to flip the back seats down and extend the cargo area to 1950L. With the seats up, the 695L cargo space is still class-leading and will comfortably ingest a dozen cases of one's domestic tipple.

The ride is a paradox. It forgives the sins of road repairers with the composure of a saint then deals with corners with virtually no body roll.

It isn't as razor-sharp on the limit as a BMW 5 Series Touring but is a more comfortable cruiser in everyday use - and you can stow more junk in the trunk.