Plenty of luxury buyers say they want to stand out from the crowd. But when it comes down to it, they usually buy the same SUVs that their friends and neighbors already drive. For luxe mavericks, Mercedes-Benz offers a new alternative, the 2021 E450 All-Terrain wagon.
The Mercedes E450 All-Terrain really does separate itself from the herd: It’s a classic station wagon, of the type whose popularity has nosedived in the wake of SUV domination. Yet the Mercedes proves, in ever-tasteful fashion, that a roomy wagon can do nearly anything an SUV can do—and some things, even better.
Wagons may be a niche item in 2021, but for people with a soft spot for longroofs, the E450 All-Terrain should melt hearts, with its sophisticated lines and stately bearing. It’s low-key conservative, but that’s part of the enduring appeal for luxury buyers who prefer to avoid flashy statements.
Stately it may be, but the All-Terrain works extra hard to win over SUV fans, and meet them halfway. A new, adjustable air suspension raises the body by nearly two inches from the outgoing 2020 E450 wagon for the (slightly) taller driving position and ground clearance that consumers favor. For buyers who still want a more low-slung Mercedes wagon, there’s also the AMG E63 S Wagon, but that 603-horsepower monster plays to a different crowd.
4Matic all-wheel-drive is standard, naturally, including off-road settings that further lift the suspension. Black-plastic body cladding, including on the wheel arches, aims to impart an air of ruggedness—just like the rival Audi A6 Allroad or Volvo V90 Cross Country. The newly bulging hood, gleaming aluminum-finish trim and standard 19-inch wheels don’t hurt, either.
Rich impressions continue inside, where prospective buyers might think they stepped into a flagship S-Class by mistake. Fine wood veneers curl along the sumptuous dashboard, including open-pore black ash in our test car. A nightclub’s worth of ambient lighting pours from dashboard recesses, with selectable blends of color and intensity. Front occupants lounge in thickly supportive, leather-wrapped multi-contour seats, with optional massage functions.
The tech star is the MBUX system, with a pair of 12.3-inch high-resolution screens that look like one long display. This latest MBUX adopts a slim, butter-smooth trackpad on the center console, and two banks of flush-mounted switches on the steering wheel, along with Siri-style voice controls and touch functions for the center screen. It’s a remarkably cinematic, comprehensive system, though the learning curve is steep and, as on certain Lexus models, the trackpad isn’t always easy to operate while driving.
Every imaginable Mercedes feature is either standard or available, and luxury options sent our tester’s price soaring to $87,360, from a $68,650 base. Extras included those robust massaging seats; LED intelligent lighting that adjusts to speed and driving situations; augmented-reality navigation that overlays animated directions over camera views of the road; a sparkling Burmester audio system; a panoramic roof, onboard fragrance disperser, additional sound insulation, soft-closing doors and a heads-up display.
This wagon is just a half-inch longer than an E-Class sedan, but its cargo space dwarfs that of its sedan cousin, or a compact Mercedes GLC-Class SUV. There’s a vast 35 cubic feet behind the second row, and 64 cubes overall, versus a respective 19.5/56.5 cubic feet in the GLC-Class.
While a midsize GLE-Class might seem to easily top this wagon’s ultimate cargo space, with a maximum 80.3 cubic feet, that number can be deceptive: That demands stuffing the taller SUV nearly to its roof with gear, something most owners rarely do. In practical use, this cavernous wagon will go toe-to-toe with the GLE, and the wagon brings the advantage of a much-lower cargo load floor, that’s easier on balky backs.
Like previous generations of long-roof Mercedes wagons, the All-Terrain gets a pair of stowable rear-facing jump seats in the cargo area. Those super-cool seats are sized for children or very small adults, yet they do deliver seven-passenger capability that no two-row SUV can claim.
The Mercedes also drives beautifully. The ride can be a bit harsh on the most brutal pavement, but that two-inch lift has virtually no ill effect on its serene handling and all-day cruising comfort. Steering is near-perfect for a luxury car in this class, with surprisingly athletic responses. Drivers can choose between Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus settings that tangibly change the car’s driving personality.
At the E450 All-Terrain’s heart is a wonderful, turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. That includes a boost of 21 horsepower and 184 pound-feet from an onboard, electric motor-generator, integrated with the discreet nine-speed, paddle-shifted automatic transmission. With that electric boost, this big wagon will charge from 0-60 mph in just 4.4 seconds, faster than many sports sedans.
That mild-hybrid system is also the secret to a fuel-saving, pollution-trimming engine stop/start system. It restarts the powerplant at traffic lights with nearly undetectable smoothness, versus conventional stop/start systems that are notorious for their shaky, obtrusive restarts. The EPA rates the All-Terrain at 22 mpg city, 28 highway, and 24 mpg combined. That combined figure is 2-mpg better than Audi’s A6 Allroad, and 1-mpg behind the Volvo V90 Cross Country.
As one might expect, the Mercedes is loaded with the brand’s most advanced safety and semi-autonomous driving technology. Its latest Distronic system ably managed the E450’s steering, throttle and brakes even in stop-and-go Manhattan traffic, and on winding nighttime parkways. A short list of features includes active assists for lane departure, lane changes, evasive steering, rear cross-traffic protection, braking, navigation-based speed control, and more. A few special goodies: Pre-Safe Impulse Side detects an impending side collision, and quickly inflates a front occupant’s seat bolsters to shift them farther from the door, and better position them for impact.
The Mercedes will even automatically emit a sound during a collision that triggers a muscle in human eardrums to protect them from high-decibel damage. Consider it the sound of a very special wagon—and a sweet alternative to omnipresent luxury SUVs.
