Triple test: Mercedes E-Class Estate vs Volvo V90 vs Audi A6 Avant

Traditional estates have had to up their game in recent years to counter the attack from the ubiquitous family-friendly SUV. Load-lugging offerings from the likes of Mercedes, Volvo and Audi are more luxurious and practical than ever, so we’ve lined up a trio of the biggest and best in 2.0-litre diesel form to find out whether the genre is set to make a comeback.

The Mercedes-Benz E 220 d is represented in range-topping AMG Line trim costing £40,430. Its sporty styling belies its economical new oil-burning engine. Next is the Volvo V90 D4 Inscription, which is a far cry from the brand’s old boxy wagons. Comfort and luxury take priority over sportiness, and we’ve chosen the more sensible of a brace of diesels to keep the price down, at £37,555. The oldest car is the Audi A6 Avant, driven in £41,600 2.0 TDI Ultra 190 Black Edition S tronic form. Again, its sleek design hides a frugal diesel, generous load space and large, luxurious cabin.

Estates tend to lug a lot of extra passenger and baggage weight, so a punchy engine helps immensely – and all three units here are strong. The E-Class’s is the most potent, helped by its mainly smooth nine-speed transmission. Performance is marginally followed by the V90’s, whose eight-ratio box has quick changes but can be jerky. The engine sounds a little gruff, too. The A6’s seven-speeder suits the smoothest, quietest engine of our trio.

The Merc’s ride is comfortable and consistent, if the firmest here, while the much softer A6 Avant and V90 are impressive but can thump over potholes. The latter leans more in bends, while even with its £2000 air-suspension set to Dynamic mode the Audi can’t match the E-Class’s eager agility, or safe and secure feel through fast corners. The A6’s steering is far too light in all but Dynamic mode, though.

Inside, the boot is arguably the most important aspect of an estate’s cabin. Seats up or down, the Volvo’s is the smallest here, while the Audi’s is much larger with them folded. The Mercedes-Benz beats both in all configurations, and has the widest and biggest opening plus the most practical-shaped space.

All cars have low floors, electric tailgates and remote folding seats that can be operated from the rear. Their floors are flat, and all have optional luggage separators, dog guards and other storage solutions.

The Audi’s very well built dash is starting to show its age with too many buttons and a less classy ambience than those of the newer A4 or Q7. It’s comfortable, however, with plenty of stowage. The Volvo’s clear digital dials, huge touchscreen and classy metal trim make its cabin much nicer, especially with our test car’s no-extra-cost cream trim. It’s less well built than the A6 Avant’s, though. A £1495 12.3in screen dominated our test E-Class’s dash, and a digital cluster is £495. But the poshest cabin here features some surprisingly flimsy bits of trim. There is plenty of space front and rear in all three contenders.

When it comes to infotainment, the A6 Avant gets the basics right. As with the others here it has DAB, sat-nav and Bluetooth as standard, and we like its central control dial, but its small, lower-resolution screen feels dated. The E-Class’s optional ‘one-screen’ display looks great, and again is controlled via a central dial. The V90’s 9.0in touchscreen incorporates the heater controls, but small icons make for fiddly proceedings. Use of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with your smartphone costs extra on all three contenders.

Premium cars are never a bargain, but the Volvo is cheapest to buy both before and after discounts, and costs the least over three years despite being marginally the least economical model in real-world tests. Company car drivers will appreciate its lower benefit-in-kind tax, too.

The A6 Avant is the most expensive to buy outright before discounts, but cheaper than the E-Class after them. Both cars come with a large deposit contribution on a £5,000 deposit, 36-month PCP; the Audi costs £438 a month, the Mercedes £479. Volvo currently gives no deposit contribution, with V90 costing £532 a month.

Leasing costs £459 a month for the Volvo, with the E-Class £13 more and the A6 £17 more than that. These high-ranking models all come with heated seats, climate and cruise control as standard, and the Mercedes also has self-levelling rear air suspension.

Auto emergency braking is standard on the E-Class and V90, but unavailable on the A6. The Volvo adds lane keep assist as standard; it’s an option on its rivals here. The A6 and E-Class saloons both have five-star Euro NCAP crash test ratings but the V90/S90 have yet to be tested.