Reader Spy: Best look yet at forthcoming Mercedes E-Class wagon arrives from Namibia
by Jonathon Ramsey on Jun 6th 2009 at 6:03PM 
2010 E Class wagon testing in Namibia - Click above for a high-res gallery
We find it cool that carmakers cart their rides all over the globe to carry out the most brutal testing in the most out of the way places. They must find it a little frustrating, however, that car mavens with cameras and internet connections lurk in even in the most remote locations .
According to AB reader Tom, he spotted a pair of lightly-camoed Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagons and a sedan "on the desert gravel roads between Walvis Bay and Solitaire in Namibia." The wagons are getting ready for their debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in a few months, and if the tailpipe application is accurate then the black one is likely a V8 – and yes, this does mean we want a blacked-out wagon E550 wagon. You can check out high-res pics of the trio below. Thanks for the images, Tom!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Aprime 6:26PM (6/06/2009)
lol@Volkswagen bumper sticker.
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paul 6:33PM (6/06/2009)
it's actually Werkswagen which means working car? as in prototype?
somemone correct my deutsch.
Suddhodana 7:14PM (6/06/2009)
Werkswagen means company car not necessarily a prototype.
Aprime 9:02PM (6/06/2009)
Aw D:
Font got me off, also the resolution.
Nick 2:05PM (6/07/2009)
I think Werkswagen = Factory car, not work car.
Dienstauto = Work car
Werkswagen = Factory car (whatever it means, I suppose it's supposed to mean the car belongs to the factory).
Anyway, I hope the C-Class wagon won't loos as feminine as the last gen Mercedes.
Mr Sofa King 7:45PM (6/06/2009)
Thats one evil looking station wagon.....something the devil would use for soccer practice
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Tony 8:17PM (6/06/2009)
I can't correct your German as you didn't write any. I can correct your English though.
somemone = someone
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Tom 8:39PM (6/06/2009)
As the one who took the pictures: I know absolutely nothing about new and upcoming cars. If Mercedes hadn't plastered the cars with black tape, I would never have known that I was looking at unreleased cars...
The cars initially passed me at pretty high speed while I was stopped to take some pics of the scenery. Too much dust behind them to get any usable, so I decided to follow them for a better shot. Impossible with a heavy Nissan 4x4... So I was very surprised to see the guys roughly 1 hour later, stopped to take some scenic pictures themselves. :-)
I still wanted some moving pictures as well, so while they were still doing their thing, I moved on until there was an intersection, some 40 miles further down the road. I suspected they would turn left there to drive back to Windhoek and they did.
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Unknown 8:47PM (6/06/2009)
That's crazy. I feel like the last thing one expects to see while on vacation in Namibia is a convoy of Mercedes prototypes.
EU_reader 8:53PM (6/06/2009)
Cool story! +1
It's a different kind of safari :p
Good point though, these cars sometimes attract much more attention by being taped like that, than if they were just driving along. Especially there :)
Good job though!
Protzenegger 10:02PM (6/06/2009)
I like how they put black tape on the already black D-pillar. What's that supposed to conceal??
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VW GTi 10:37PM (6/06/2009)
You can't be too careful these days.
Mr.Marshall 11:01AM (6/07/2009)
Yeah, really cool story!
You'd like to see some Rhinos and then there are some new Mercedes E-Class T-Models emerging =)
@Werkswagen:
Suddhodana is right. It means just "company car". My uncle had the new e-class coupé as a Werkswagen some weeks before it was released for some testdriving.
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P.V. 10:56PM (6/06/2009)
Not your typical safari.
Very cool.
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Art 11:20PM (6/06/2009)
Those, my friends, are rims. Mercedes, why have you only shown your aggressive side now?
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Other Man 12:13AM (6/07/2009)
See, an E550 4Matic Wagon is so much better than an SUV (too bad so many people, especially in North America, don't get that).
It's also too bad the prospects for a USDM V-8 E-Class Wagon are unlikely.
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jay tee 2:20AM (6/07/2009)
I'd normally agree. Except that the current E550 4matic gets 13 city, 19 highway (sedan, no wagon), and the E350 4matic gets 16 city, 21 highway, which is terrible fuel mileage. Seeing as they hover around the same mileage as the average Tahoe, Sequoia, or Explorer, you might as well get the SUV. Sure, you sacrifice a better driving vehicle and the svelte nature of a nicely lines sedan or wagon, but for the same fuel economy, you get more seating, more space, more power, etc.
jay tee 2:22AM (6/07/2009)
^^ svelte lines of a sedan or wagon (proofreading, duh!)
TigerMil 9:29AM (6/07/2009)
If you're complaining about fuel mileage you can't afford the car.
Personally, I want an E63 AMG wagon....
If fuel mileage were the real deal they'd drop a V8 diesel on the US.
Or maybe Government Motors will step up to the plate. As if.
Other Man 12:18PM (6/07/2009)
Well if you're looking for a hearty-sized three-row SUV and are also considering the E Wagon, you're probably thinking luxury.
Q7- 14/20 3.6L and 13/18 with the 4.2L
GL450- 13/18
So even with a V-6, comparable luxury SUVs are less efficient. As someone said, mileage is probably not a big concern anyways.
And most people don't even need the room of the SUVs you mentioned. The E-Class has more room than most comparably sized SUVs, and more as well than its competitors from German, Sweden, and soon, America (CTS).