The E-Class All Terrain is a badly kept secret. We know this Volvo V90 Cross Country rival will debut at the Paris Motor Show later this month, and now we also have a very good idea of what it looks like, thanks to the latest spy video.
The tougher wagon is a brand new idea for Mercedes, but it's been around in the business for quite some time. Mercedes couldn't ignore the popularity of the Audi A6 allroad quattro for much longer, and let's not forget Volvo has been offering off-road wagons for nearly 20 years as well.
A return to practicality for the E-Class is a welcomed one, even though it arrives at a time when Mercedes vehicles ar more expensive than ever. There's also a Daimler car for literally every job, as the E-Class All Terrain has/will have sedan, wagon, coupe and convertible cousins.
Getting back to the brand new spy video from Walko, we notice Mercedes' take on the rugged wagon body. The suspension is obviously lifted, but you can also make out the skid plate with perforations at the front. Not even the GLE tries to appear so butch. Around the back, we see a similarly rugged approach to looking fierce and protecting the vulnerable bits of the car.
Why make things complicated?
Mercedes could have installed a plug-in powertrain, but we bet it will never bother to. 90% of the buyers will opt for either the new 2.0-liter diesel or the 3.0-liter V6 one.
Unmistakably, there will be other engines available, maybe even a twin-turbo E400 with 333 hp. But we feel sorry for the resale value of the guy who orders that.
The All Terrain is a niche vehicle for a very specific kind of customer, one who doesn't want to buy an SUV. He will be rewarded with slightly better gas mileage and more car-like highway handling characteristics.
Another are where the E-Class AT will be superior, not only to the GLE but also the Audi A6 Allroad, is interior design, technology, and quality. We think the quattro people will need another two years to come up with an answer, so the timing is perfect.
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. Full profile
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