Right now, you can buy the brand new E-Class All Terrain in one diesel configuration, the 220d, likely to be followed up by a 200d and a 350d. But Mercedes being Mercedes, it's decided to one-up Audi by creating an E43 performance version too.
The combination is a little weird but appealing. The slightly raised ground clearance of the All Terrain is a hindrance to performance, but not to the same degree as putting the same engine in the GLE-Class SUV.
Even though the spy video Walko was able to capture is pretty short, this is still definitive proof of the E43 All Terrain's existence. Not only is the exhaust beefed up, but so is are the wheel arches.
The engine powering this chimera of cars will probably be the 3.0-liter V6, not the newer inline-6 unit. Under the hood of that T-Model, it produces a respectable 401 PS and 520 Nm of torque for the 4Matic to use in its 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint of 4.7 seconds.
Sure, the jacked up version might be a little slower, but it should still keep up with a Golf R Variant while being able to tackle much rougher terrain.
We believe that once the inline-six engines come out, the "43" AMG models will gradually be replaced by "50" ones, with the E-Class range going from 401 to 476 PS. The number could be a little lower for the C and GLC models, but that's not the point here.
You guys might want to know that we have spy photos of what we now think is a Mercedes-AMG E63 All Terrain. It was spotted last summer and had the same slight squat at the back. Pretty soon, V8 monsters will be tearing up and down the countryside. Just give me one of these and a grassy field, and I will be a happy boy.
Finally, there's another video from earlier this month that we feel obliged to mention. Walko dubbed it the "S-Klasse W222 4x4²" prototype, and while it does fit this description, we could just be looking at the air suspension in its lifted setting. Check it out (it's the second video) and tell us what you think!
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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