With the removal of that cener aluminum plate there’s enough space for a space saver spare jack and tools and other things. I thought all this space was taken up by the third row seat. Good to know. Plus there is a cool lock on the hatch door that is locked by the key on the Fob that slides out. Very James Bondish lol.

I wonder if that aluminum plate is to help support the seats when occupied - or if it's similar to the metal insert used in the Bugatti Veyron frunk (to prevent a person from being able to fit inside and thus avoiding having to provision an emergency release)?

I just discovered that space last week. I too was amazed at how much empty space there was. I found the unfinished metal a bit unseemly, even in such an unseen location, but would love to see if we could safely remove that piece to open up access for storage of larger items like a spare.

Sorry to disappoint. This has been extensively discussed here, and for US spec models you cannot fit a spare of any size in the well, even after removing the crossmember, the structural impact of which is unknown except to MB. Its one of those bizarre, annoying design decisions all about meeting CAFE standards, at the expense of offering what many owners actually want.

I think I’m gonna try to remove that center aluminum piece. I don’t really see any reason for it. It gets in the way. It has bolts on either end of it and looks like it should be a fairly easy job. That way when I pack up my car full of stuff I’ll be able to get larger things in that area. I’ll put anything back there that needs extra security in my travels.

It keeps the rear of the car following the front.

So maybe I should not remove that crossmember then if it is something relating to structural integrity of the car? It is fairly beefy thick looking aluminum, I guess it must have some purpose. Wow, really did look like enough space for a space saver spare in that well, I guess not then if others have tried it. I guess maybe I just better leave well enough alone and just use that area for smaller things I can fit in there. It just kinda surprised me though that all that space was there as I thought the third row seat took up most of that area, there is even some space above the panel that pulls out and the door that opens with the lock on it to load some thinner things. This is the perfect car I do with travels between Florida and up North.

It HAS to do with the structural integrity of the car and I certainly wouldn't remove it.

I have a european wagon with no additional rear seat and do not have the metal bar shown in your picture.
I use the under floor storage all the time for shopping bags and various stuff such as tyre pressure guage etc etc. Keeps the load area tidy.
I would suggest therefore the metal bar is associated with the additional seat and as such is there for for a structural reason associated with the seat.
I would not think a spare even a space saver would fit in the space though.

Ya, my 2018 AMG wagon did not have this aluminum brace either, so ya, I think it does have something to do with the third row seat which will never be used in my car. Probably best I just leave it in though so when I trade in the car everything is there that is suppose to be there.

Gone. OTE=2012 merc amg;7730742]With the removal of that cener aluminum plate there’s enough space for a space saver spare jack and tools and other things. I thought all this space was taken up by the third row seat. Good to know. Plus there is a cool lock on the hatch door that is locked by the key on the Fob that slides out. Very James Bondish lol.

Gone. I like being creative. I think the only reason this brace was here is because if you were hauling little kiddies in the back jump seat and got rear ended it might save them from being amputees. I don’t haul kids around in this seat so I don’t need this brace I need the extra storage space.


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Cool. What was the level of effort to remove it?

2 minutes 4 bolts on top. It would be easy enough to put back in when the car is sold.

Has anyone actually fit a space saver spare tire in the well, and does it interfere with the floor lid or rear jump seat ?

I don’t think it would fit. Some people have tried it. There’s a little less room than I thought due to the way the floor folds down and cuts into the space.

This is very cool. I don't haul kids in the way back either. And that bar does occupy some solid storage space. I wonder if it is just thereto lock the panel and also to support kids standing on it.

Good point. The floor does latch to it. But not having a latch there does not bother me.

We’re those “seats” an option? They seem fairly useless for anyone with legs.

They work very well for all my double amputee friends. Lol. I know. Sick joke. I guess they are just meant for little kids. I got no kids so never had it open. I just like that storage space. With my 2018 amg wagon it was real sloppy imo that there was all kinds of wires and hoses under that area and a big air pressure tank for the air suspension. I was afraid to pack anything back there for fear it would hit against something and mess up the air ride.

We’re they an option, or standard in the station wagon?

Standard Equipment on all USA E 450s. Not available on the amgs.

And for the USA E450 there is no option to delete them either. I tried. I’ve not read the manual for this one yet, but in my 2018 E400 wagon manual it listed height recommendations/limits for passengers in those seats. My 5 year old fits perfectly, but she will exceed the maximum height recommendation fairly soon at the rate she’s growing.

There is another bolt-in frame piece (21) that sits across the foward side of the cavity that would have to come out to even get close to enough room for even a space-saver spare. But this one looks more structural than the bare aluminum piece (20).

Has anyone tried to get rid of the third row of seats and replace with easypack? My 2nd-hand S211 (Canada) came like that from the factory. I'm looking at getting an S213 but that third row of seats is such a waste. I saw the S213 easypack option on the MB german website...

The E Class wagon is such a beautiful car. A nice, new one would be sitting in my garage right now, IF it came equipped with a proper jack & spare. At least in my S560, I can carry a compact spare hidden in the trunk, but in the wagon, a spare would be sitting right there, in the passenger compartment, which would be unacceptable. Imagine, in a vehicle that many folks might like to take on a long journey, no spare. And, with all that space shown here, surely the brilliant engineers at MB could have moved things around a bit to accommodate a jack, spare, tool kit, etc. UNDER the floor, but they didn’t do it because they don’t WANT us to have a spare. Ridiculous.

This is the spare I carry in my S: