Where the $38,950 C300 sits at 184.5 inches, and the $96,600 S600 stretches the overall length to 206.5 inches, the $54,650 E-Class occupies the Goldilocks positioning of “just right” in the middle, at 193.8 inches long.
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Most notable visual feature of the auto is the two-fin grille, in the style of Mercedes SUVs, with the brand’s three-pointed star badge integrated into it. A six-cylinder diesel engine will join the All-Terrain family a bit later than the first car’s launch in the second quarter of next year. There is a three-part front bumper with the top section in body colour and the lower formed from grained black plastic, while the silver chrome colour also incorporated is repeated in extra lower panels.
Inside, the All-Terrain gets the best of the E-Class range, as it has a mix of aluminum and carbon fiber ornaments.
Like its rivals, which also include the Audi A6 Allroad (not sold in SA), the E-Class All-Terrain is a station wagon with SUV ambitions, dressed up for the bush with rugged looking bumpers and wheel arch cladding. Both 19- and 20-inch wheels feature unique designs for this model and come with more sidewall than regular E-Class wheels to aid ground clearance and comfort – could this in fact be the most refined new E-Class of them all? The equipment level is based on the Avantgarde line, and customers can order additional elements from the Designo and Exclusive ranges.
The only model available initially will be the E 220d 4MATIC, which has a 2.0-litre diesel engine with 194bhp and 400Nm of torque. In its default format, the highest point of the E-Class All-Terrain’s roofline is 29mm higher than the standard E-Class wagon.
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It upgrades the standard Dynamic Select switchgear of the E-Class Estate with an All-Terrain driving mode, which will bump out the choice of driving modes to five. That’s no bad thing, though, because we’ve praised the latest E-Class’s interior for its comfort, technology and space. Standard is nine-speed automatic transmission. The GLE inspired the settings for the All-Terrain driving setup. Revisions are also made to the traction and stability control systems, with active yaw control and skid control tweaked for optimum off-road traction. Three levels from 0 to 35mm higher can be selected manually using a button on the centre console. It also engages a special display which shows the driver the current steering angle, current ride height, slope angle, angle of inclination, a compass and how much braking or acceleration is being done. The ground clearance is 121 to 156 mm.
