Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain 2017 Review

In an automotive world where niches proliferate, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain bucks the trend by trying to be all-thing to all people.

Well, all people who have a budget of $109,900 plus on-road costs.

If you want an E-Class wagon then this jacked-up all-wheel drive is now your only choice.

If you’re interested in the Audi A6 Allroad, but happy to entertain alternatives, then this car is a logical consideration. And if you want something just a tad SUV-ish with a Benz badge then the All-Terrain ticks that badge too.

The All-Terrain is based on the latest S213 E-Class Estate, the car developed from the W213 sedan that has been on sale in Australia since last July.

In the past, it would have been an orthodox wagon to follow the sedan on sale, in fact motoring.com.au even published this review by Michael Taylor from the international launch last September.

But even before then the confirmation of the All-Terrain and Australia’s all-consuming SUV obsession was casting doubts on the Estate’s passage Down Under.

And so it has come to pass. The All-Terrain has been launched here in one highly-specced model, replacing a three-model previous generation Estate line-up that disappeared from showrooms months ago, while also filling one of the few holes in the Benz range that arch-rival Audi has long-filled.

Taylor also tested the All-Terrain at its global launch late last year and liked it, before Benz announced the local pricing and fundamental equipment levels in April.

The fundamentals are these. The E 220d All-Terrain is powered by Benz’s new-generation OM654 1.95-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine that makes 143kW and a meaty 400Nm. It drives via Benz’s 9G-TRONIC nine-speed automatic transmission, 4MATIC all-wheel drive and the 4ETS electronic traction system.

Self-levelling multi-mode air suspension can be adjusted through three ride heights, including off-roading, and the All-Terrain pumps ground clearance by up to 35mm to 156mm below 35km/h on rough ground. That’s not exactly hard-core off-road height, but it will be enough to navigate the snow road to the chalet, the sandy track to the beach house or the track Benz sent us down on the drive loop.

‘All-Terrain’ is one of five modes through which a variety of driving parameters can be adjusted. Comfort is the default, but there’s also performance-stunting Eco, more aggressive Sport and Individual, which allows you to mix and match engine, transmission, suspension, steering behaviour and so on.

But it is none of these factors that have the most impact on the driving. It’s the tyres. Our test All-Terrain was fitted with standard 20-inch Pirelli PZero run-flat rubber. So a car that is nominally a soft-roader rolls on performance rubber.

It all works OK on the smooth stuff. The All-Terrain motors on impressively; the cabin is hushed, the engine strong, economy impressive (8.0L/100km during our test), shift quality clean and the ride quality supreme. In Comfort there’s some signature air spring sogginess, but that gets tightened up in Sport.

The problem comes when the road roughens up and the stiff-walled low-profile rubber starts encountering potholes. Then its bang, thump, bang as the car jars and winces its way forward makes it hard to believe it has about 30mm more suspension travel than the standard E-Class.

The good news – at least in theory -- is that taller sidewall 19-inch rubber is a no-cost option. You’ll need to tick that box if you want to put chains for snow driving on as they don’t fit the 20s.

There’s another tyre issue and that’s the total absence of a spare as standard. In an off-roader – even one as light-duty as this – that’s unforgivable. At least Mercedes-Benz’s local office recognises the wrong and is trying to right it -- at least partially -- with an accessory emergency spare.

Head on to the dirt and there’s another issue exposed; overly-nannying electronic stability control tune. Acceleration on gravel is severely impeded any time there is even a skerrick of wheel slip detected. Switch it off and 4MATIC proves itself entirely capable of coping with throttle inputs without being twitchy.

This is a classic example of where local tuning for Australian roads helps enormously. The ESC tune of the original 2004 Ford Territory is better than the All-Terrain’s coarse settings.

Those black marks are just about all there is to dislike about the drive experience in the All-Terrain. The five-seat interior, which includes the wonderful wide-screen display cockpit, the same upmarket presentation as the E-Class sedan, supportive front seats, plentiful storage, plenty of rear-seat room for adults and up to 1820 litres of luggage space is a modern work of automotive quantity and perceived quality.

The plethora of stalks on the left side of the steering column caused by the need to keep the column shifter unencumbered on the right creates the only ergonomic clumsiness.

Nine airbags, a 360-degree camera, a suite of semi-autonomous drive assist features, leather trim, heated front seats, and dual-zone climate-control and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration are equipment highlights.

But there’s another question mark and that’s the money being asked. If you want a Benz off-roader there’s the similarly sized GLE 250d for about $20,000 less, although it rolls on an old platform, has a previous-generation engine and no air springs. But it will dramatically outsell the All-Terrain because of its price advantage and its SUV looks.

Lift your eyesight a bit further and you’ll find plenty more SUVs that can make the All-Terrain look iffy value. Stuff like the purposeful Jaguar F-PACE and BMW’s top-selling X5 come to mind.

But Benz has modest ambitions for the All-Terrain, maybe 150 sales per year in a good year. Given the allure of the three-pointed star, the prestige of the E-Class badge, the mesmerizing hold SUVs have over buyers and the fact this niche filler will spend its life in leafy suburbs rather than forests, there’s no reason to believe it won’t hit that target.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain pricing and specifications:
Price: $109,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel

Outputs: 143kW/400Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 147g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: TBC