The practical estate version of the Mercedes E-Class will live on, in some markets.
Although Mercedes-Benz is canning the cabriolet and coupe variants of its E-Class, the wagon model – which is not offered in Australia – will return on the all-new 2023 model. These spy pictures are our first look at the estate version and despite the camouflage they highlight plenty of key design details.
This estate test car has been given the same level of camouflage as the saloon we’ve already seen, but we can see it’s one of the more sedate variants, rather than a hot AMG model. The front looks identical to previous saloon spy shots, apart from a second horizontal strake appearing in the grille.
Aside from the roof rails and the extra bodywork at the back, the profile also looks similar to the saloon’s. The rear hatch does look more shallow than on previous E-Class Estate cars. At the rear, the lights look similar to the saloon’s, something that wasn’t a design trait until the previous generation.
The biggest hint this isn’t a hot AMG model is the lack of a quad-exhaust system – something we’ve seen on an E-Class test car recently. The hot E 53 could arrive as early as next year. It could also borrow plug-in hybrid technology from the 300kW C 43 AMG model.
An AMG E-Class Estate has been available since the W124 (S124) E 36 from 1993, so we expect the E 53 and E 63 badges to find themselves on the E-Class Estate before long. However, the estate could be launched after the saloon, given we’ve only just started seeing it undergo testing.
As with the rest of the lineup, the E 53 AMG will sport new horizontal tail-lights, smoother surfacing, a more upright nose and styling touches such as flush, pop-out door handles.
The E 53 model we spotted rides on larger, wider wheels and at the rear we can see the quad-tip exhaust set-up that has become a staple of Mercedes AMG cars. Behind the camouflage at the front, a bespoke grille design and more aggressive air intakes are almost a certainty.
Our spy images give a preview of what’s to come from the two-model line-up, consisting of a sedan and an estate. The E-Class Coupe and Convertible models won’t be continued, with the arrival of a brand-new CLE set to cover those bases.
The new E-Class should hit Australian roads in the second half of 2023, beating the next-generation BMW 5 Series to market. However, while its longstanding rival will come with an all-electric option alongside its combustion and hybrid drivetrains, the E-Class will stick with 48-volt mild-hybrid petrol and diesel engines, plus plug-in hybrid power. Mercedes wil instead add the electric EQE sedan to its line up as the E-Class’s EV stablemate.
Our spies haven’t seen inside the new E-Class’s cabin yet, but, as with the exterior makeover, the interior will receive an overhaul that will centre around a new portrait-orientated touchscreen system rising out of the centre console, again similar to the C-Class and S-Class. The style will become uniform across the brand’s three sedans, but the technology powering the screens will not.
Alastair Crooks