Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain The Jacked-Up Forbidden Fruit

Let’s face it: lifted, all-wheel drive estates have always been cool, right? Go-anywhere machines that are usually designed to get you up mountains in comfort almost always sounds appealing – particularly if you live in the very climes that fit it best. It’s an aspirational sort of car – the kind a skier or mountain biker would have.
 

Think Audi Allroad or Volvo Cross Country. But other car makers dabbled, too – there were a couple of short-lived Skoda Scout models, and even a Seat Leon Xperience once.
 
Mercedes, though, has arguably been at it longer than even Audi has, offering all-wheel drive estates for decades. More recently, those models have been labelled as All-Terrain versions to set them aside from the conventional E-Class estate. So, what’s it like on a road trip from Stuttgart to Innsbruck?
 
At a glance
Pros: Space and grace; just enough off-road ability; balanced ride and handling
Cons: Lethargic four-cylinder diesel; Superscreen is still excessive; can’t get it in the UK
 
What’s new?
This generation of Mercedes E-Class has been on sale for a couple of years now, first launching in 2024 and bringing a load of new tech and cleaner engines with it.
 
As well as a saloon and estate models as well as AMG versions, some markets (mainly in Europe and North America) benefit from an All-Terrain version, too. All-Terrain models are slightly higher off the ground (by 17mm) and come with some tougher trimmings around the bottom edges of the bodywork.
 
They also come with some off-road-ready technology including a terrain mode that may of Merc’s SUVs also benefit from, as well as a 360-degree camera system that includes a ‘transparent bonnet’ function so you can see over obstacles better.
 

What are the specs?
Three variants of E-Class All-Terrain are available: E220d, E450 and E300de. All usea a nine-speed and all are, of course, equipped with 4Matic all-wheel drive. All versions also come standard with Airmatic air suspension that provides up to 46mm extra ride height depending on what drive mode you’re in.
 
The base version uses a 2.0-litre diesel engine with a little bit of mild hybrid assistance, developing a total of 217bhp and 324lb ft. This model sprints to 62mph in 8.1 seconds, tops out at 136mph and claims fuel economy between 47.1 and 53.2mpg. This is the version we’ve tested, driving across southern Germany and into Austria.
 
The E450 uses a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol developing 375bhp and 368lb ft, allowing a sprint time of a slightly silly 4.7sec and a top speed of 155mph.
 
There’s also a diesel plug-in hybrid option – a bit of a Mercedes specialty – that uses the same diesel engine as the 220d, but adds a 25.4kWh battery and a 127bhp electric motor. All combined, that means 308bhp and 516lb ft, allowing a 6.9sec 0-62mph time and a top speed of 132mph. Mercedes claims an electric range potential north of 60 miles if treated right.
 
What’s it like to drive?
Graceful and wafty like a big, high-riding estate car should be, frankly. The ride and handling strikes a good balance – we wouldn’t mind if the suspension was a smidge softer, but it’s a perfectly good long-distance cruiser. Even running on large wheels and wearing winter tyres, jolts were few and far between and road noise was well damped. That’s particularly impressive when you’re doing north of 100mph on an Autobahn.
 
The steering is fluid and accurate, with a sweetly balanced weight to it. Not too light where it’s numb or distant, but not to heavy where it’s a chore.
 
Our 220d version does feel a little underpowered, mind. The engine itself sounds a little gravelly and coarse at any revs and, while that nine-speed auto shifts gears with impeccable smoothness, it sometimes needs a second to think what gear to kick down to if you need more power. Definitely a powertrain for those who much prefer to make smooth progress rather than get somewhere in a hurry.
 

What’s the interior like?
All-Terrain models come standard with Mercedes’ Superscreen infotainment setup – a panel that stretches across the full width of the dashboard and incorporates a set of digital instruments, central infotainment display and one for your passenger.
 
No matter what (now ex-)design head Gorden Wagener will tell you, cramming in enormous screens doesn’t always mean a better car – the setup effectively allows a huge amount of the dashboard to be susceptible to endless greasy fingerprints and risks reflecting a lot of sunlight. I’m also still very much in the camp of passenger displays being largely pointless and excessive.
 
I’ll be honest, I also blow hot and cold on Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system, too. In some ways, it’s smooth and slick – with this latest version introducing some useful shortcuts and fewer menus. But Mercedes mantra of more = better always means a baffling number of potential apps and functions – many of which we’d argue simply won’t get used. The flipside is that the voice assistant is one of the best on the market, coming ready with the ability to change many of the car’s functions (others from different car makers can vary on how much they can do) to the point that it’s an encouraging and easy one to work with.
 
Material quality is perfectly good, but not exactly a knockout – to the point we actually thought the latest CLA felt slightly better appointed. The seats could be softer, too – but they fight back with a good massage program.
 
Before you buy
Er, well… as we’ve already mentioned, you can’t – at least if you’re reading this in the UK, anyway. The last E-Class All-Terrain didn’t sell all that well here (despite it being quite lovely), so Mercedes has decided not to bother with this generation.
 
Even so, we’d suggest avoiding the base diesel if you’re lucky enough to order one. A big barge like this deserves an equally big barge-like power, so the 6-cylinder petrol or diesel plug-in hybrid feel like a better fit.
 
Verdict: Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain
So, is the grass greener on the other side? Well, the E-Class All-Terrain is smooth, spacious and feels hugely capable in pretty much any scenario… so that’s a yes. But, then again, a well-trimmed E-Class Estate will almost certainly do much the same job… unless you happen to live up an Alp.