It worked for Audi, Subaru and Volvo. How bad can it be?
These must have been the two sentences uttered by personnel on Mercedes-Benz's global product planning team. That's because the company has revealed an all-new E-Class. Unlike anything we've previously seen from the three-pointed star, this Benz is different.
Called the All-Terrain, it is an E-Class estate that's been jacked up and is clad with plastic fenders.
Looking quite a bit like what we've seen from Audi with the Allroad, Subaru with the Forester and Volvo with the XC70 Cross Country, this is an all-new twist we didn't see coming. That's because Mercedes already has a slew of sport-utility vehicles on offer.
It seems that the folks in market research found an interesting niche and is chasing it, however. Set to debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, the E-Class All-Terrain is expected to hit showrooms come 2017.
Stuttgart. From unpaved tracks to rock climbing or steep serpentine roads to a snow-bound ski lodge – the new E-Class All-T errain takes routes where conventional estates often have to give up effortlessly in its stride thanks to greater ground clearance with large wheels and 4MATIC all-wheel drive as a standard feature. And it also cuts a fine figure thanks to its striking look with powerful flared wheel arches and SUV radiator grille. The E-Class All-Terrain will celebrate its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show 2016. The market launch will follow in the spring of 2017.
"No E-Class has ever been as versatile as the All-Terrain. The new model combines a striking look in SUV style with the intelligent space concept of the estate. This is coupled with lots of innovative safety features and the multi-award-winning E-Class interior", says Ola Källenius, Member of the Daimler management board responsible for Sales and Marketing of Mercedes Benz Cars. "With 4MATIC all-wheel drive as a standard feature and increased ground clearance thanks to the AIR BODY CONTROL multi-chamber air suspension the All-Terrain is a flexible all-r ounder – for unpaved roads, family and leisure time."
Thanks to styling elements with an off-road look the All-Terrain has a powerful and robust appearance which also distinguishes it from the classic estate. Dynamism and modern luxury unite with superiority that leaves no doubt as to the status of this model and follow the current design idiom. The All-Terrain is a further ambassador of the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy of the sensuous clarity that defines modern luxury.
The most eye-catching feature of the striking front is the SUV-style two-fin grille with a star integrated in the centre. The fins come in iridium silver. The distinctive front bumper and the panelling in underride guard-look, electroplated in silver-chrome, also contribute to the robust appearance. The top part of the three-part front bumper is painted in the body colour and the lower part comes in grained black plastic.
In the side view the black wheel arch covers are a distinctive feature that emphasise the all-terrain character. This also applies to the side skirt that comes in the same colour and features a chrome trip strip. Three exclusive light-alloy wheel sets in 19- and 20-inch format with higher sidewalls give the vehicle a confident look, more ground clearance and enhanced comfort on rough roads.
The All-Terrain also features a model-specific three-part bumper at the rear with the top part painted in the body colour and the lower part in grained black plastic. Further features typical of an SUV include robust outer load sill protection and a visual underride guard electroplated in silver-chrome.
The special features of the interior include a trim part in aluminium-carbon look exclusive to the All-Terrain, stainless steel sports pedals with rubber studs and floor mats with All-Terrain lettering. The equipment of the All-Terrain is based on the AVANTGARDE interior line, EXCLUSIVE and designo appointments are optionally available. The new model boasts all the intelligent load compartment solutions of the E-Class estate such as the rear seat cargo position and folding with a 40:20:40 split as a standard feature. All E-Class innovations relating to safety, comfort and convenience are available.
The All-Terrain will be launched as an E 220 d 4MATIC (143 kW/194 hp) with the newly developed four-cylinder diesel engine. A short time later a variant with a six-cylinder diesel engine will follow. Both models come with the new 9G-TRONIC nine-speed automatic transmission as standard.
Technical data at a glance:
| | E 220 d 4MATIC |
Number of cylinders/arrangement | 4/in-line |
Displacement (cc) | 1950 |
Rated output (kW/hp at rpm) | 143/194 at 3800 |
Rated torque (Nm at rpm) | 400 at 1600-2800 |
Combined NEDC fuel consumption (l/100 km) | 5.1 |
Combined CO2 emissions (g/km) | 137 |
Efficiency class | A |
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s) | 8.0 |
Top speed (km/h) | 232 |
Figures for version with 9G-TRONIC
The All-Terrain has DYNAMIC SELECT as a standard feature. This enables five driving programmes to be selected with different engine, transmission, ESP® and steering characteristics. A special model-specific feature is the All-Terrain driving programme, which offers settings for off-road driving and was derived from the GLE. The even more comfortable suspension configuration and the large wheels with higher sidewalls noticeably further increase ride comfort on rough roads compared with the E-C lass.
Selecting the All-Terrain driving programme with the driving programme switch raises the chassis in conjunction with the standard AIR BODY CONTROL by +20 mm up to a speed of 35 km/h. The thresholds for ESP®, active yaw control and acceleration skid control (ASR) are adjusted accordingly. The All-Terrain driving programme has a special indicator in the vehicle display. Information displayed there includes the steering angle, the vehicle level (position of the air suspension), the angle of slope and the angle of inclination, the accelerator/brake position and a compass.
Thanks to air suspension three levels from 0 to +35 mm are possible. Independent of the driving programme the highest level can also be selected manually with the level button on the centre console. The E-Class All-Terrain is 29 millimetres higher than the E-Class Estate – 14 mm are ascribed to the tyres with a larger height/width ratio and 15 mm to the normal driving level of the air suspension. The ground clearance is 121 to 156 mm.