Mercedes-Benz’s E-Class All-Terrain can go anywhere … except the U.S.

By Ronan Glon Published September 29, 2016

Mercedes-Benz will travel to the biennial Paris Auto Show to introduce a rugged, off-road-focused station wagon named E-Class All-Terrain. The company’s first-ever wagon on stilts was designed to compete against the new Volvo V90 Cross Country and Audi’s A6 Allroad.

The All-Terrain is noticeably taller than the E-Class station wagon that it’s based on. It receives a twin-slat grille that echoes the one found on many Mercedes SUVs, silver trim on both bumpers, and black cladding over the wheel arches and the rocker panels that protects the bodywork from dings and scratches when the going gets tough. Finally, it rides on All-Terrain-specific alloy wheels wrapped by meaty tires.

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At launch, the E-Class All-Terrain will only be offered with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine that develops 194 horsepower at 3,800 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque from 1,600 to 2,800 rpm. And while the All-Terrain wasn’t developed with performance in mind, it nonetheless hits 62 mph from a stop in a respectable eight seconds and keeps accelerating until it hits 144 mph.

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Mercedes has confirmed that a more powerful model equipped with a six-cylinder turbodiesel engine will be added to the lineup a little later in the production run, but technical specifications aren’t available yet. A nine-speed automatic and Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive system come standard regardless of how many cylinders are under the hood.

A built-in All-Terrain mode lets motorists explore what the wagon is capable of. Turning it on displays key information such as the steering angle, the slope and incline angles, and the direction of travel on the high-resolution screen built into the center console. It also automatically raises the air suspension at speeds of up to 20 mph.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain is scheduled to go on sale across Europe before the end of the year. Want one? We’re afraid you’re out of luck if you live in the United States because Mercedes-Benz told Digital Trends that the All-Terrain isn’t currently planned for our market.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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