I know this is an SL forum but I know a few of you have E Class Wagons. Our X5 will be coming off lease in a few months and I really am enamored with the E Class wagon but my better half says she really does NOT want a "station wagon". I plan to insist we look at one and take it on a test drive so I can try and convince her that it is an excellent combination of the utility of an SUV with the comfort of a luxury sedan.

Does anyone have any other suggestions as to how to try and sway her toward an "Estate Car"? Thanks.

 

We like ours very much, though not as much as the 5 series V8 that it replaced. I don't think of it so much as a station wagon as a sedan which is square in the back and much more practical. It certainly doesn’t feel like a wagon from the driver’s seat. So go on multiple test drives and see how it goes. One note, last I checked you had to specify luxury styling to get premium leather interior. If you have that in your SL you’ll definitely notice the difference. If not no matter. Good luck!

 

Don't my 2 cents

 

Happy wife, happy life.

 

Well, I’ve told my story about how I pretty much stumbled upon what was close to my “dream” E450 Wagon, at the BMW dealer which is walking distance from my home, so I won’t tell it again.

My wife said the EXACT same thing: “I don’t want a station wagon!” Like so many women of a certain age, she had a Chevy wagon decades ago and the memory conjures up thoughts of baby strollers, taking kids to school, the dog to the vet, NOTHING even remotely glamorous. The wagons are to older folks, what the mini-vans are to the Gen X folks who are now in their 40’s & 50’s: A diaper bag on wheels!

Anyway, I bought my 2019 Wagon while my wife still had her 2016 E350 Sedan, but, as it turned out, once she drove the wagon a few times, she FELL IN LOVE WITH IT and has claimed it as her own! We sold her sedan and she won’t part with the wagon!

I must admit that our wagon drives like a dream! With the Air Body Control, 18” wheels, non-run flat tires, the Acoustic Comfort Pkg. and the Exclusive Nappa Leather interior, the wagon drives and rides almost as good as my S Class sedan. It is an absolute joy to drive, it is relatively rare to see another one and with the Luxury Trim which has the traditional MB grill & little star on the hood (where it belongs), it just has that “Country Club” look to it. The fact that MBUSA found it necessary to pretty much do away with this gorgeous model, in favor of only offering the ugly, IMHO, “All Terrain” Wagon, is yet another example of the craziness that prevails there. I am actually looking to find another 2019 or 2020 Wagon for myself now.

 

From a practical point of view my wagon does everything I need from hauling people, yard supplies and even 12 foot 2x4s out the passenger window. All wheel drive makes it a year round driver and although most wagon owners don’t opt for the E63S variant, it also provides the performance my SL lacks. In a world full of SUVs the wagon stands out and drives more like an automobile. Just my .02

 

I currently have an SL, a CLS and a GLA. Previously I've had a GLK, GLC. Based on my experiences, the only reservation I would have with the "station wagon" is lack of visibility ahead in among all the other SUVs on the road today. Also, I'd be less likely to want to thrash the beautiful "wagon" through slush and snow as much as I would an SUV. This is an issue with my current SL and CLS. But otherwise, I would consider the hauler an excellent choice if you don't want an SUV. And, yes, I've considered the "wagon" but eventually I'll go with an AMG version of a GLC when MB decides to upgrade the GLC dash with the new wide digital displays. The GLE is classy and comfortable but is too large for our needs and for maneuvering in tight parking lots.

 

Thanks folks. All good info. When the weather improves I'll start my search to find a wagon to test drive with my better half. We have grown to like our X5 and if the numbers make sense at the end of the lease we might end up buying it. If we don't it will be an interesting search to replace it with something that we both like. Whatever we choose will become our primary road trip vehicle when we travel with another couple. Thanks again for the input.

 

In a similar situation. My wife has made it clear that she doesn't want a station wagon as much as I would like that option. Not going to fight city hall on this one. She deserves what she wants.

 

By the way, I forgot to mention that it is the kiss of death to call it a "station wagon." It's a SPORT wagon. Sounds SOOOOO much sexier!

 

It's very simple: station wagons, shooting brakes, sport wagons, or whatever one chooses to call them all handle, ride, and drive pretty much just like the cars that they're based on...while SUVs all handle, ride, and drive pretty much just like the trucks that they're based on.

Back in the early "aughts", my wife treated herself to a brand new '02 Audi A4 Avant ("sportwagon") 1.8 with a manual tranny. She loved that car, and pretty much drove the wheels off it. She replaced it with an '07 Jeep GC with the 3.0L M-B diesel/5-speed auto because all her friends were in SUVs at the time. She likes to get her money's worth out of a vehicle, so we kept it long after it had worn out its welcome, which unfortunately didn't take all that long. It was the nicest of the SUV options at that time, but a truck in all aspects...no way around it. Her Audi had all of an SUV's pluses and none of the drawbacks. At the time she bought that Jeep, I couldn't figure out the logic, but as Streamliner says, HW, HL. It took her a bit longer to admit the mistake than it did for me, but she definitely got there. Back then, the A4 was a fairly small car, yet it had almost as much "carrying-stuff" room inside as the Jeep while being about half the size on the outside, and it even used a lot less fuel...the Jeep's diesel notwithstanding. I'll be kind to Jeep and not dwell on the ride/handling comparison.

I had bought a new senior Cherokee myself in the late '70s, and eventually had three different examples of Jeep's pickup truck, which I used for plowing snow. When I sold the last of them, I swore that I would never again have a truck unless it was a rental for hauling an otherwise unmanageable load. I've driven, and occasionally continue to test drive, modern SUVs, including M-B examples, just in case the industry has somehow advanced the segment enough to negate the unavoidable drawbacks and prove my opinion obsolete. So far, I remain underwhelmed, and we would both love to have another wagon in the family.

 

Me too!

 

True for the SUVs that are based on trucks (the larger SUVs), but so many (most?) are based on car chassis these days (small and mid size SUVs), and they ride like cars.

 

It wouldn't happen to be a diesel would it?

 

Negative. It is the venerable I6 3.0 L petrol engine with 335 HP. The diesel is no longer available in the US.

 

I have to disagree. If we are talking “crossovers” here, such as the MB GLE or GLS, they ride nothing like sedans. They may ride better than a body-on-frame SUV, such as a Chevy Suburban, but not nearly as decent as an E or S Class sedan, IMO.

 

Interesting that you are considering the E class estate, shooting brake, wagon, as our household are back in the mode of exploring that same option. We test drove a CPO E400 wagon this week; spectacular vehicle IMO. Our first 'E' class wagon was a used 1979 300 TD; which we drove for several years and really enjoyed, and then we moved to a new E320 wagon in 1999, which we kept for just over ten years. Both vehicles provided the capability to load up the kids and head to the beach for a week in comfort, as well as haul a load of sod for the yard, or have valet parked at the restaurant. In 2011 we moved to an SUV platform for our 'utility' car, now we are considering moving back into the E class wagon via the CPO route. IMO the lines of the wagon are simply beautiful, representing the best iteration of the E class. We will look for the right car, and when it comes along, will put an E class wagon back in the driveway. Our only point of discord is which variant to purchase; I prefer the sport front end while my bride prefers the luxury version with the Star on the hood and the traditional grille. We will definitely be going the CPO route, but I am finding that these CPO E class wagons move at a brisk pace. You and your wife should drive one, and then decide which route would be best for your lifestyle / comfort. For us, the E class wagon has great appeal on a number of levels. Stay tuned.

 

I understand your point, and I won't disagree that they are not identical in performance to those very high end sedans. I can't speak to the GLE or GLS, as I haven't owned or even driven them. But I will speak to small - midsize SUVs I have driven or owned.

When I'm not driving my SL, I am in my Volvo XC60, built on the SPA platform. Pretty much every Volvo, sedans included is based on that now. My XC is way way closer to driving like a car than like a truck - no comparison. Same chassis. Obviously the higher center of gravity results in more body roll, but with my air suspension, it's damn close to a sedan.

My previous Audi Q5 - based on the VAG MLB platform (shared with A4 all the way up to the A8, and the Porsche Macan). Same thing - more body roll, but very car like.

 

Your bride has excellent taste! That said, pickings for Luxury Trim wagons are VERY slim. I would say that the ratio of Sport models to Lux models is at least 20 to 1, if not much higher. Get really picky about options and the search becomes just about impossible. I believe that many folks who are the types to order loaded, traditional, Luxury models, tend to be the types who keep their vehicles for more than two or three years. And now, even if they would be thinking of getting a new one, the brilliant minds at MBUSA have pulled the rug out from under them, by no longer importing the Luxury models. What a shame! What will the country club set do?

 

Other than the grille, hood ornament and wheels are there any mechanical/suspension/interior differences between the luxury and AMG E Class wagons?

Also, any difference in 2019 vs 2020?

 

Streamliner does indeed have good taste, but I shall not inform my bride of the preference cited! In the end however the HW/HL card comes into play. Attached is a link to an article of long term use by Car & Driver which provides some information on the various options available on the E class wagon for 2019. Don't see much difference in the '19 to the '20; but the usual E class options are available; i.e. HUD, enhanced light package, interior packages, etc. Look on the CPO website, and you can compare some cars there and see just how the option sheet plays out. I am really more concerned with the color combo and the front end asthetics. The E400 we drove was a Lunar Blue with the tan interior; just beautiful, but the Selenite Gray, which I believe is Streamliners color, is most agreeable; as is brown. I do enjoy the hunt! Here's the link to the article: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...n-reliability/

Also a link to MB list of standard and optional equipment for 2019 models: https://media.mbusa.com/releases/201...shedDescending

 

This thread is way too long to wade through to see if anyone else mentioned, but I read that the MB wagon is a favorite of folks with real money. So if I was promoting the idea you should get one, I would certainly point out that this is a most prestigious model, unlike MB's SUVs. which appeal to average buyers. Also, they appear to hold their value very well and apparently drive very well. I do not think it would convince my wife we should get one, however. She sees station wagons as vehicles for people with a lot of kids, which is why her dad drove a Buick wagon when she was young.

 

Thanks to Uber, Home Depot, fedex and other short term rentals and services having any type of utility vehicle except for help driving family around and the farm makes no sense.

Of course some want low profile then a Nissan versa is perfect.