This may just be the sexiest station wagon ever.
Technically, with just two doors instead of four, Mercedes-Benz’s Paris auto show design study is a shooting brake and not a wagon, but it is a looker nonetheless. The angular, businesslike nose isn’t too dissimilar to current Mercedes-Benz models, while a sharply sloped roof and chunky rear haunches make for an aggressive stance. All the side windows are frameless, à la CLS-class, and can be lowered all the way.
Things look just as good on the inside. The cabin is decked out in walnut wood trim, aluminum, and leather. The cargo bay is exquisitely finished but poorly adapted for hauling. It has a wooden floor with aluminum rails to prevent scratching, and there’s 11 square feet or so of floor space for hauling stuff.
Compartments in the cargo area conceal two pairs of binoculars and a high-end digital camera. Mercedes says these are “the perfect equipment for a day at the races, for example.” The bay also houses a smoked-glass table that hides a humidor and refrigerator. The table slides to the rear of the car for picnicking, presumably with cigars and champagne.
No concept is complete without a panoramic glass roof, and the typical Mercedes two-bulb headlight design has been squared off into rhomboid shapes now employing LED bulbs with fiber-optic running lights.
The ConceptFASCINATION is powered by a 2.2-liter diesel four-cylinder. The engine boasts Mercedes’s BlueTec and AdBlue planet-saving technology and produces 204 horsepower.
Mercedes says the underpinnings of this concept will be the basis for the next-generation E-class. It’s doubtful that toys like the humidor and LED headlights will make production, but we’re crossing our fingers in hopes that the sleek lines will one day sit in Benz dealerships, and we’re confident that the front-end styling provides more than a hint at the look of the new E-class.
We don’t expect an official look at the new E-class until next year’s Geneva auto show, with sales beginning in fall 2009.
Technically, with just two doors instead of four, Mercedes-Benz’s Paris auto show design study is a shooting brake and not a wagon, but it is a looker nonetheless. The angular, businesslike nose isn’t too dissimilar to current Mercedes-Benz models, while a sharply sloped roof and chunky rear haunches make for an aggressive stance. All the side windows are frameless, à la CLS-class, and can be lowered all the way.
Things look just as good on the inside. The cabin is decked out in walnut wood trim, aluminum, and leather. The cargo bay is exquisitely finished but poorly adapted for hauling. It has a wooden floor with aluminum rails to prevent scratching, and there’s 11 square feet or so of floor space for hauling stuff.
Compartments in the cargo area conceal two pairs of binoculars and a high-end digital camera. Mercedes says these are “the perfect equipment for a day at the races, for example.” The bay also houses a smoked-glass table that hides a humidor and refrigerator. The table slides to the rear of the car for picnicking, presumably with cigars and champagne.
No concept is complete without a panoramic glass roof, and the typical Mercedes two-bulb headlight design has been squared off into rhomboid shapes now employing LED bulbs with fiber-optic running lights.
The ConceptFASCINATION is powered by a 2.2-liter diesel four-cylinder. The engine boasts Mercedes’s BlueTec and AdBlue planet-saving technology and produces 204 horsepower.
Mercedes says the underpinnings of this concept will be the basis for the next-generation E-class. It’s doubtful that toys like the humidor and LED headlights will make production, but we’re crossing our fingers in hopes that the sleek lines will one day sit in Benz dealerships, and we’re confident that the front-end styling provides more than a hint at the look of the new E-class.
We don’t expect an official look at the new E-class until next year’s Geneva auto show, with sales beginning in fall 2009.
