TO many, owning a car with the iconic three-pointed star is a sign you have arrived.

Unless of course, you are driving a battered 15-year-old taxi, with a dodgy diesel engine and bodywork that has seen better days, but even these veteran wagons offer comfort and refinement.

Owning one is still a sign of being pretty well-heeled, but the German prestige car maker is now in a tough battle for supremacy within the executive/luxury sector, so their cars have to offer something special.

The new E-Class estate offers plenty. It is big. Big on size, big on quality and big on practicality.

Capable of accommodating five adults with comfort, the already cavernous load space of  695 litres is supplemented by folding split rear seats, increasing this to 1,950 litres.

Van like proportions, but certainly not van-like refinement. The Merc, for an estate, is quite a looker.

For added practicality, there is a net and bag hooks in the boot, drink holders and side pockets galore for storage oddments.

The interior too is of the highest quality. Unlike some competitors it is not lit up like a Christmas tree with bright lights and snazzy dials, instead taking a minimalist approach.

This means instrumentation is simple, concise and precise. After all these years, I still get confused by the multi-function stalk that operates both the lights and wipers, but otherwise instrumentation and controls are excellent and are are constructed from the highest quality materials, which is the least you should expect from a car costing more than £30,000.

For that layout of cash it comes with a comprehensive array of comforts, luxuries and safety equipment which includes climate control, cruise control and parking sensors, hand-made leather seats and excellent sound system.

Pretty much standard stuff on expensive cars, but it adds neat stuff like an automatic, powered tailgate, rain sensing wipers, folding load compartment floor with a collapsible crate, quick release buttons for the fold-down seats on the pillars, rear, self leveling air suspension and roof rails, to name just a few.

Safety features include anti-lock brakes, stability control programme, front, side and curtain airbags, front head restraints, tyre pressure warning system, again to name just a few.

The 220 BlueEFFICIENY SEdiesel estate is the second cheapest in a range of estates that costs up to 70 grand and is powered by a small, for a 2.5 tonne car, 2.1-litre engine that is both powerful and economical. This is mated to either a slick-shifting six-speed gearbox or a five-speed automatic.

The 2.1-litre engine develops a healthy 170bhp, which hauls the car from 0-60mph in just 8.8 seconds, while pumping out CO emissions of only 150g/km.

As a result the car has a claimed average fuel consumption of 49.6mpg, excellent for such a heavy vehicle, while for business users the low emissions attract a benefit in kind tax levy of 22 per cent and a road tax rating of Band F, which is £125 per annum.

Not that cheap to buy, but it won't cost an arm and a leg to run either.

On the road the car is smooth and refined, with only a hint of wind noise, while road and engine noise is subdued. It is a superb motorway cruiser and is barely unsettled on poor roads, remaining composed.

The engine has plenty of torque and never feels laboured even on steep inclines.