Mercedes-Benz have revealed the new E-Class All-Terrain which as its name suggests it can tackle routes conventional estates have to stay away from.
Following the success of the Audi allroad quattro and the newly introduced Volvo V90 Cross Country comes the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain that has greater ground clearance and 4MATIC all-wheel drive. It will debut at the Paris Motor Show 2016 with pricing and specification to be announced early 2017.
“No E-Class has ever been as versatile as the All-Terrain. The new model combines a striking look in SUV style with the intelligent space concept of the estate. This is coupled with lots of innovative safety features and the multi-award-winning E-Class interior,” said Ola Källenius, Member of the Daimler management board responsible for Sales and Marketing of Mercedes Benz Cars. “With 4MATIC all-wheel drive as a standard feature and increased ground clearance thanks to the AIR BODY CONTROL multi-chamber air suspension the All-Terrain is a flexible all-rounder – for unpaved roads, family and leisure time.”
Thanks to off-road styling elements the All-Terrain has a more powerful and robust appearance which distinguishes it from the classic estate. The All-Terrain has many styling feature as seen on other Mercedes-Benz SUV such as the two-fin grille with the star in the centre, load sill protection and an underbody guard.
The interior includes an aluminium-carbon look trim that is exclusive to the All-Terrain, stainless steel pedal and floor-mats with All-Terrain lettering. The All-Terrain boasts all the compartment flexibility of the E-Class estate, such as the rear seat cargo position and a standard 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats. The All-Terrain will be equipped with all the safety, comfort and convenience features fitted on the E-Class.
The All-Terrain will be launched as an E 220 d 4MATIC with a newly developed four-cylinder engine which produces 194 PS and 400 Nm of torque, which will be paired with Mercedes-Benz new 9G-TRONIC nine-speed automatic transmission. A variant with a six-cylinder diesel engine will also be available.
The All-Terrain will have DYNAMIC SELECT which enables five driving programmes to be selected with different engine, transmission and steering characteristics. A special model-specific feature is the All-Terrain driving programme, which offers settings for off-road driving which was derived from the GLE. Selecting the All-Terrain driving programme it raises the chassis via AIR BODY CONTROL by 20+ mm. Thanks to the air suspension three levels from 0 to +35 mm are selectable. Independent to the driving program the highest level can be selected manually. The E-Class All-Terrain is 29 mm higher than the E-Class Estate, with a ground clearance of 121-156 mm.
With Audi having no plans to bring the allroad to India and Volvo definitely bringing in the V90 Cross Country next year, we hope to see the E-Class All-Terrain arrive as well.
Story: Sahej Patheja
