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Crazy Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain 4x4 Squared Has Portal Axles

Last year, Mercedes released the E-Class All-Terrain into the world, a rival to Audi's A6 allroad and the Volvo V90 Cross Country. However, it also built a crazy prototype, the E-Class All-Terrain 4x4 Squared.
Crazy E-Class All-Terrain 4x4 Squared Has Portal Axles 4 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Crazy E-Class All-Terrain 4x4 Squared Has Portal AxlesCrazy E-Class All-Terrain 4x4 Squared Has Portal AxlesCrazy E-Class All-Terrain 4x4 Squared Has Portal Axles
As the name suggests, this wagon has the same spirit as the G500 4x4 Squared, meaning a much higher ground clearance to tackle the most severe off-road conditions.

This is a one-off to check what they can do, and German magazine Auto Bild was lucky enough to sample the product. The feature that stands out the most is that the E-Class All-Terrain now has portal axles, a piece of technology where the axle tube is above the center of the wheel hub.

But this isn't the same setup as in the G500 Squared or the G63 6x6. No, this configuration is specific to this car for obvious reasons, such as different tracks and wheelbase, not to mention the positioning of the engine.

It's a monster!

The radical All-Terrain boasts 420mm of ground clearance, which is more than double the 160mm of the regular model and even outclasses the G500 4x4 Squared at 370mm. Both approach and departure angles are superior too. Why do we need the G-Class again? But I think the coolest party trick is the 500mm fording depth.

Instead of the regular road tires, Mercedes' skunk works managed to install 285/50 R20, the same configuration as on the raised G-Class. Of course, the stock arches didn't fit, so they made new ones, together with fender flares and skid plates. The upgraded brakes this car has appeared to come from an AMG model, complete with cross-drilled rotors.

It's also got a new engine. While the road cars are offered with the 2.0-liter or 3.0-liter diesel, this bad boy has a 333 horsepower V6 from the E400 T-Modell.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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