BMW’s current F10 generation 5 Series is getting quite close to the end of its life. With BMW working on a new versions of the 5er to replace the current model early next year, it’s not surprising that this F10 generation 5 Series is starting to get a bit stale. The competition isn’t helping, as the new Jaguar XF, Cadillac CTS and Mercedes-Benz E Class are all much newer and much fresher looking, especially on the inside.
Well, the folks at Mercedes-Benz have twisted the knife a bit deeper into BMW’s 5 Series by releasing its E Class Estate variant. For those of you who don’t speak ‘Mercedes’, Estate means wagon, which means Stuttgart now has a new answer to the BMW 5 Series Touring.
The BMW 5 Series Touring is actually one of the better looking wagons on sale today, despite its age. If you ask me, the Touring model is better looking than the sedan, for some reason. It’s still a great looking car. Mercedes-Benz’s new E Class is also very good looking, if a bit staid, and the Estate variant is no different. I wasn’t a big fan of the previous E Class Estate, there was just something weird about the rear end of it that I couldn’t come to grips with. However, this new E Class design language works much better in wagon form than the previous car’s.
The new E Class Estate’s rear end looks a bit dumpy, how it seems fatter at the bottom and the rear bumper juts out so much further than the roof as if the rear end has an under bite. Aside from that, it’s a handsome car, but it’s still a bit boring. We’d like to see an AMG variant to see if it can get a bit more interesting. In total, the 5er Touring is still the better looking car, but not by much anymore.
On the inside, the E Class Estate is still a stunning place to be, much like its sedan brother. While we’ve heard some complaints about some of the materials inside, it’s still a great interior from a design point of view and looks far newer than the 5 Series’. It also has the 5er beat in terms of technology, but that’s mainly due to its age. While the 5 Series still sports a comfortable and very premium cabin, with superior build quality, the E Class is probably the place most people would like to spend time in. Although, the odd color scheme Mercedes showed in these pictures isn’t very good at all. Someone should have their eyes checked in Stuttgart.
One thing that Mercedes-Benz does have BMW beat on, in terms of wagons, is selling them in North America. While it didn’t sell many, Mercedes still brought its E Class Wagon over here, something BMW hasn’t done with the 5 Series since the E39 generation.
The Mercedes-Benz E Class is already a very tough competitor for BMW, but it just got even more so. While it might not be the most exciting E Class ever made, it’s going to sell like crazy. BMW better get its 5 Series and 5 Series Touring ready to go as soon as possible.
[Photo Source: Bimmertoday]
