When it comes to family estate cars, practicality, quality, comfort and efficiency often come before agility and overall performance.
Such is the case with the 2016 E-Class Estate, a car that Carbuyer’s James Batchelor found to be less sporty than the BMW 5-Series Touring (the F10 generation) and yet was still held in higher regard than not just the Bimmer, but also Volvo’s V90 and Audi’s A6 Avant.
In fact, he calls the E-Class Estate “the best blend of practicality and comfort,” which isn’t a far cry at all considering it has the biggest boot in its class and currently, the best safety and convenience features on-board.
Of course, there are a few slight negatives that somebody who’s nitpicking might feel obligated to point out. For starters, it looks remarkably similar to a C-Class Estate and some buyers might not take kindly to such a comparison. Batchelor also finds it less appealing visually than Volvo’s all-new V90, though let’s not forget just how handsome the Audi A6 Avant can be when spec’d with properly-sized wheels and an S-line body kit.
The version driven here was the E 220 d, which comes with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder diesel, good for 194 PS and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. In a straight line, it will hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.7 seconds and max out at around 235 km/h (146 mph).
Would you take the E-Class Estate over any of its currently rivals, or would you rather wait for BMW to unveil the new-generation 5-Series Touring before making a decision?