Mercedes-Benz E-Class All Terrain is one seriously posh Subaru Outback
The Audi Allroad finally has some competition.
Do you have the money for three Subaru Outbacks, but would prefer to spend it on just one car?
If you want a tall station wagon that isn't a crossover, your options are limited. Audi builds the Allroad, Subaru builds the Outback, and...well, that's about it, really. But with just two very different cars in this strange sub-sub-segment, there's room for another, and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class All Terrain fits the bill nicely.
We finally got to see the All-Terrain in person at the Paris Auto Show, and it did not disappoint.
At first glance, not much is different from the E-Class Estate (that's European for "station wagon"). It rides taller on its air suspension, which can be set to three different ride heights, and there is some additional body cladding to give it a little bit of that off-road flavor. The tires have taller sidewalls, as well, to bolster dirt-driving cred.
It's also got a specific All-Terrain driving mode, taken from the larger GLE. This gives the car a 1" lift and keeps the computer nannies from kicking in quite as much. You can keep track of your inclination, steering angle, throttle and brake all from the special display inside.
The interior packs several features unique to the All Terrain, including aluminum-carbon trim finishers, stainless steel sport pedals with rubber studs and fancy floor mats with "All-Terrain" badging. You can always opt for fancier interior materials if you don't mind throwing down additional scratch.
At launch, the E-Class All Terrain will come with a 194-horsepower I4 diesel engine. 295 pound-feet of torque kicks in at a low 1600 rpm, which should give the All-Terrain good slow-speed dirt traction. A six-cylinder variant will follow and a nine-speed automatic is standard equipment, as is all-wheel drive.
Sadly, if you haven't realized by the all-diesel lineup, the E-Class All Terrain is not currently slated to come to the US, which is a major bummer. We are all big fans of wagons here at Roadshow, and it's a pity we don't have as many options as our European pals.
