By Oliver Marriage

February 2003

Watch out Volvo - the V70's reign as the supreme estate car is under threat. The new Mercedes E-Class can claim to have the world's biggest boot and innovative design features which will take it to the top of the class.

The E-Class saloon is acknowledged as a very handsome car, and the estate is equally elegant. Where its predecessor placed function over form, blighted by a bulky rear end, the newcomer is far more svelte.

There's no boxy back end and instead the D-pillar curves gently downwards, creating an almost coupί¿½-like window line. Step round the back and the tailgate design is so clean, it might almost be called plain. But the glass is wide and the pillars narrow, so rear visibility is superb. Most importantly, an extra 32mm has been added aft of the rear wheels, and that means there's masses of room inside.

In fact we can't think of a car with a bigger standard boot volume when the seats are up. At 650 litres, it's vast - 50 litres bigger than its predecessor and 165 litres up on the Volvo. With seats folded, though, the news isn't so good. That sloping tailgate means volume has dropped 25 litres to 1,910 litres. But this isn't the disaster it might appear, as there's an option to swap the spare wheel for a can of foam which creates a 120-litre compartment under the floor.

And then there's the shape of the boot itself. With minimal intrusions, luggage slots in easily. In addition, there's the simple-to-fold rear seats, and extra inches can be gained by removing the flip-up seat bases altogether. However, lifting the seats back up is another matter, as they're surprisingly heavy.

Innovations are thick on the ground, and the key word is EASY-PACK - no other estate shows so much attention to detail. There are familiar items like a fold-flat front passenger seat and an electrically sliding boot floor, but other solutions are unique. A bar and belt can clip into rails in the boot to restrain items, there's a hidden box accessed by tipping the rear seats forward and the hatch can be operated electrically.

However, much of this is extra - you'll spend at least ΂£2,000 if you want all the options fitted. Elsewhere, the interior is as you would expect.The driver environment hasn't changed and rear seat space is still class-leading, with improved headroom.

Three petrol engines and three diesels are available, with the oil-burners the pick of the crop, especially the flagship E320CDI. It's not as refined as we expected, but it more than does the job. Capable of 0-60mph in around eight seconds, it's quicker than the petrol E320 and has excellent mid-range thrust. Plus it returns an average 38.7mpg, compared with the petrol's 26.6mpg. Both are great to drive with lovely steering and fine body control.

The old model was hampered by its price - and that's likely to be the case again. With the base E expected to cost ΂£28,000, the Merc is more expensive than any V70, bar the T5.

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