With class-leading load capacity, enhanced practicality, greater fuel efficiency and low emissions, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate, is expected to be a hit for the busy airport chauffeur.

New innovations are designed to make life easy – even from across a busy car park. The Easy-Pack electronic tailgate can be activated at the press of a button on the key, opening the tailgate and automatically raising the load compartment cover making up to 695 litres available [with the rear seats in place]. The rear seats can be folded down using just one finger thanks to the innovative Easy-Pack Quickfold system opening the cavernous load capacity up to a maximum of 1,950 litres. In addition to this a further 112 litres of load space can be found in the Easy-Pack folding load compartment under the load space floor.

Easy-Pack Quickfold offers maximum convenience when loading large items as it enables the rear seats to be folded down from the load compartment, using operating levers on the D-Pillar, without the need to adjust headrest or move the driver or front passenger seat.

The largest cuboid that can fit in the car is now an impressive 172.5 cm x 100 cm x 62 cm and items up to 320 cm long can be accommodated as well. These class-leading dimensions mean that a customer could easily load an office desk, a large gas barbecue, a fridge freezer, a 50” plasma television or a 5ft sideboard in with out any need to dismantle.

With the potential for large items of significant weight being loaded into the rear of the car the E-Class Estate is fitted with rear self levelling air suspension as standard to ensure that ride and handling are not compromised.

From launch there will be a choice of seven engines: three diesel and four petrol; and as with the E-Class Saloon, 98 per cent of the E-Class Estate range will boast BlueEFFICIENCY measures. Weight reduction, efficient energy management systems as well as improved aerodynamics are standard – all of which have a positive effect on the fuel economy and emissions of the new car.

The E 220 CDI Estate returns 49.6 mpg, an improvement of 9.8 mpg and emits just 150 g/km, 38 g/km less than the previous generation. These improvements also have a positive impact for company car users. The P11D value for a company car driver using an E 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde is £30,935. With the car now in the 21 per cent tax band for 2009/10, a seven band fall from 28 per cent, the benefit in kind would be £6,496.35. Therefore those paying 40 per cent tax would be charged £2,598.54 a year, £216.55 a month, equating to an impressive 33 per cent reduction over the previous E-Class Estate. The E 250 CDI and the V6 E 350 CDI Estate complete the diesel line-up.

June 2010 sees the arrival of a fourth diesel engine, the E 350 BlueTEC – the world’s cleanest diesel engine, which already meets EU-6 standards that come in to effect in 2014. BlueTEC technology has been developed by Mercedes-Benz to improve diesel emissions, especially nitrogen oxides, the only exhaust gas constituent that is inherently higher in diesel engines than petrol engines. Water based urea solution, AdBlueâ, is injected into the exhaust flow reducing 80 per cent of nitrogen oxides to harmless nitrogen and water.

The petrol line-up starts with the E 200 CGI which returns 35.8 mpg and emits 184 g/km. The E 250 CGI, E 350 CGI and E 500 complete the range at launch and in March the E 63 AMG Estate will arrive as well to complete the petrol line-up.

Model lines for the E-Class Estate will be SE, Avantgarde and Sport and all feature much higher levels of standard equipment than the out going model. The SE model line is understated yet elegant and features Aluminium trim, Artico upholstery along with 16” alloy wheels, with low rolling resistant tyres, Advanced Parking Guidance and Parktronic. The eye-catching Avantgarde is a £2,495 premium over the SE and includes leather upholstery, black ash wood trim, ambient lighting, Bi-Xenon headlamps with Adaptive Highbeam assist and the Intelligent Light System, as well as lower suspension, LED daytime running lights and 17” alloy wheels.

For those want a more dynamic look and feel the Sport model line offers AMG body styling, sports tuned suspension, sports seats in Artico/Microfibre, an AMG 3-spoke steering wheel, AMG floormats, brushed aluminium trim and 18” AMG alloy wheels for £1,500 over the Avantgarde trim.

The E-Class Estate features all the standard safety features that we have already seen on the E-Class Saloon, including: Attention Assist, the drowsiness detection system; the Active Bonnet pedestrian protection system; nine airbags; PRE-SAFEâ anticipatory protection system and, for Avantgarde and Sport models; Adaptive Highbeam Assist, which always selects the optimum headlamp range, unlike other systems which merely switch between low beam and high beam. This allows better visibility of the road ahead, pedestrians on the road and danger spots.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate is just a £1,750 premium over the competitively priced E-Class Saloon and features enhanced levels of standard equipment over the previous Estate. The introduction of the Easy-Pack tailgate, Easy-Pack Quickfold and the Easy-Pack folding floor also enhance practicality and ease of use for the customer. Pricing for the new E-Class Estate is four per cent lower than the outgoing model resulting in the range starting from £29,785 OTR for the E 200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY SE through to £73,855 OTR for the range topping E 63 AMG Estate. As with every Mercedes-Benz, all E-Class Estates come with Mercedes-Benz’s three year unlimited mileage warranty.