Mercedes-Benz E220 vs Mazda 3

What's the difference?

Aside from gull-winged supercars, stunning sports cars and coupes, plus saloons of all sizes that define status around the globe, Mercedes-Benz is also famous for its elegant yet very practical station wagons. Or Estates in Merc-speak.

Long before SUVs really existed (and two years before the industrial G-Class first appeared), the three-pointed star was offering wagon-bodied versions of its core sedan models that allowed owners to mix pleasure with business, or simply pleasure while carrying vast cargo in the back.

Merc Estates have never simply been an extended roof tacked onto the back, with a depth of design that integrates cargo restraints like the characteristic retractable net, but also generally including an extra two seats that fold neatly into the floor. No, your giant Mazda CX-9 wasn’t the first to do this.

Fast forward to 2017, and the popularity of the ever-expanding array of Merc SUVs and SUV-coupe spin-offs is threatening to render the Estate obsolete, outside Europe at least.

We’re still big fans of the wagon bodystyle, and Mercedes says there are enough loyal Merc wagonists to keep them on the radar for Australia. The latest C-Class Estate is actually proving more popular than the version it replaced, but the bigger E-Class is more of a niche offering.

Which is where the new E 220 d All-Terrain comes in. For the first time, Mercedes has added a bit of off-road SUV flavour and ability to the E-Class Estate, and with this extra sparkle it makes sense for it to be the sole long-roof version of the W213-generation E-Class to be brought down under.

But does this extra sparkle retain the elegance that keeps E-Class Estate buyers coming back for more?

Half a decade on, the current-generation Mazda 3 has weathered a world of change.

Cheap cars have vanished. Electric vehicles are commonplace and the small car class it belongs to has been decimated by SUVs. Big names like the Ford Focus, Holden Astra and Mitsubishi Lancer are history.

But while it looks identical to the car unveiled at the 2018 LA Auto Show, today’s Mazda 3 has also evolved, albeit gently.

Let’s see how competitive the latest and improved (as well as more expensive) version is.