The big, swanky estate car thread

....that's my body.....

;-)

Back to estate cars. Running out of time before my return to work, I managed to drive this one today:
www.sandown-group.co.uk/used-car-details/used-mercedes-benz-cls-cls-220d-amg-line-5dr-7g-troni-estate-obsidian-black-metallic-semi-auto-diesel-id_524515527.aspx

Nice car. Not intending to buy this one, as it's (1) black and (2) probably too nearly-new to make financial sense, but it was instructive in two ways.

1. It has a proper roof without a hole in it. This transforms the interior into one where I can put the driver's seat exactly where I like - higher for better support under my thighs, but also releasing space underneath for the feet of the person behind me. I put myself in there and it felt pretty good. More legroom than in our E220 and headroom not compromised by the sunroof housing.
2. It's a 220d. I wanted to know how it feels and sounds with the four-cylinder engine and, for the most part, the answer is 'pretty good'. There's a hint of diesel-clatter at parking speed - less than in our E220, which is already quiet - but none on the move. It has the same 'fast enough for most things' quality I sense in ours, and the seven-speed gearbox certainly makes it easier to help the car round a tight corner with a gentle squeeze of the right boot.

I'm hugely encouraged. In terms of space where we need it, I actually think this would be a better car for us than a new E estate (the base version of which that we looked at last week had a deeply disappointing interior) and it would be a significant step forward from our eight-year-old E. If we could get a silver one, some of our less car-conscious friends and relations might not even notice the change.

Would I have a 220? In honesty, probably not. Our annual mileage is likely to drop below 10,000 now I'm not going to be driving to (or for) work, so the saving on fuel would be slight. And used prices seem remarkably similar between four- and six-cylinder cars. And the 350 turns a nice, comfortable but occasionally flat-footed car into something that feels genuinely special - and something that would keep me from missing the 325 if that has to go in the name of sensible shoes. And a 220s would be 2015 or later, which prevents it from being a money-saving option, especially when 350s are on offer for such similar prices.

A 250 is a possibility, though, if it's as well installed as the engine in the 220 (which it ought to be) and has the power to overcome the 220's occasional hesitancy. It would have to be significantly cheaper than a 350, though.

My salesman in Slough is keen to offer me a killer deal on a new 220. But I'd really need to do the full cost-of-ownership model on that to convince myself it made sense. I think a 350 from 2014-16 is probably a better bet.

The 250 engine is noticeably more responsive than the 220. You can of course drive round that, but that sort of misses the point doesn't it?

I'd put that exactly the other way round, Humph. Dark colours mask the contrast of creases and curved surfaces that define the shape. White does too, but what you might call 'true metallics' really bring them out. I could live with a black interior on a silver car - as I have for the last five years, and four with the Verso before that - but the mid-grey and 'crystal' combination of the Stoke 350 is the most appealing I've come across yet; looks sharp outside and welcoming within. May have to make a phone call tomorrow.

Precisely. If I want to drive around the limitations of a 220, I can do it in the one I already have.

I've not made the call to Stoke. I have no time now to follow it up, unless their unexpanded-on promise of 'free UK delivery' means they'd bring the car to me for a demo, which seems unlikely even if I was waving ready cash. (Which I sort of am.)

Probably better to make my wishes known to the various dealer chains within reach and let them decide who's keenest to find me what I want.  There seems to be an internal bidding process for cars newly acquired by the centre, and I imagine dealers bid hardest for the ones they reckon they might have a ready customer for.

I didn't get to the local MB dealer for you earlier in the week - it was continually raining and this car will be outside. So I wouldn't get a good look. Today I got there and couldn't park. I'll try next week if you are still interested in the Stockport CLS Shootingbrake.

Never spotted it our front when driving past so it must have been in the parking area behind. At that age it was not going to be inside.