E-Class estate of the art

These spy photos of the upcoming W212 Mercedes-Benz E-Class estate show that development is proceeding apace before the new wagon's first unveiling to the public at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show in September.

It will join the new E-Class sedan just revealed in Detroit and on sale in Germany now, while the range will be supplemented further with the E-Class coupe currently under development for a public presentation at the Geneva motor show in March before it goes on sale in mid-year.

The new wagon does a good job of retaining the sweeping shapes of the new E-Class with its rising waistline and wedge-shape glasshouse. The accentuated wheel arches, prominent grille and angular headlight arrangements replicate those of the new sedan.

The result is a decidedly slinky wagon with more than a touch of the four-door coupe look being widely adopted across the Benz range.

A W212 fact getting major press attention is that Mercedes-Benz will drop its controversial SBC braking system -- which incorporated all sorts of intervention regimes to assist the driver in  emergencies -- although elements such as auto disc-drying in wet weather and wheel-selective cornering control, both much the same as BMW's, will remain.

The word is that driver assistance technology will loom large in the new E-Class. Lane departure warning, eye-movement monitor, traffic sign identification, road condition sensors and next-generation stability control that factors in variables such as wind direction, camber changes and tyre wear, are expected to make it into the new Benz.

The W212 wagon's engine lineup is expected to generally reflect the current range, spanning from various V6s -- petrol and turbodiesel -- to a 6.3-litre AMG V8.