The sixth-generation E-Class was launched in India last year. It has been wildly successful and become the benchmark luxury sedan, offering the most comfortable rear-seat experience for the price. It features even more space than its predecessor, a redesigned front fascia and a new dashboard design featuring the all-new Hyperscreen. In India, it’s currently sold in the long-wheelbase (LWB) avatar. The Estate version of the E-Class has been spotted testing in Bengaluru, without any camouflage.
In India, the Mercedes-Benz S214 E300 T or E-Class Wagon was spotted in Bengaluru, sporting a 2.0L turbo-petrol motor with a 48V mild-hybrid system. However, this could also just be for internal testing purposes by MBRDI (Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India).
Station Wagons In India
This is one of the rare instances where station wagons have been spotted on Indian roads. Despite their practicality and spaciousness, they have consistently failed in India. Buyers simply either go for sedans, or for SUVs and not for station wagons that are neither a sedan nor an SUV. They are also more expensive than sedans, pushing people to pay a little more for an SUV instead, or save money and go for a sedan. Customers associate station wagons with hatchbacks, perceiving them as larger versions of the same contributing to their less premium appeal.
Why Did Wagons Never Take Off?
The added boot space wasn’t often needed, with sedans still providing ample boot space. The extra cabin area also put more stress on the air conditioning, reducing fuel efficiency and increasing the time it needed to cool the cabin. They were also seen as vans and therefore unfashionable.
Owing to these factors, they had poor resale value – further reducing the demand for them in the market. As of today, there is no station wagon on sale in India – which makes the sight of the E-Class Wagon intriguing to say the least.
