2021 Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain review: The sweet spot

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain is the automotive equal of a cronut. This cleverly engineered pastry brings together the tender flakiness of a croissant with the deep-fried goodness of a doughnut. In the baked-merchandise universe, cronuts really are the most effective of equally worlds. And just like this delicious deal with, the E450 All-Terrain provides together disparate characteristics into one particular delightful bundle — chiefly, the flexibility and refinement of a station wagon with the improved functionality and additional-rugged styling of an SUV. This distinctive blend of features results in a delightful automobile that is arguably additional than the sum of its areas, just like a cronut.

Of study course, the people in Stuttgart usually are not the only ones going this route. Audi and Volvo have been performing it for decades with the A6 Allroad and V90 Cross State, respectively, and Subaru’s mass-sector Outback cleared the trail decades prior. These products have tested this a feasible system, one particular Mercedes-Benz has only now adopted here.

The E450 All-Terrain will come standard with 4Matic all-wheel push and an adjustable air-suspension technique. With two driver-selectable off-street modes in addition downhill speed control, you ought to be able to choose this family-hauler to some moderately distant locales. That claimed, you can find one particular huge caveat — or additional properly, a relatively little one particular: this model’s ground clearance is only 5.7 inches with a most load, so tread very carefully if you do venture off the overwhelmed route. This Mercedes seems the portion, many thanks to new entrance and rear lamp layouts, an current grille and design-specific cladding. Regretably, all those black plastic appliques, which intensify the wheel openings and reduced human body section make me think of a Pontiac Aztek. Your eyeglass prescription could say usually, of study course, and at the very least they never search that bad up coming to this example’s gray paint.

2021 Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain: A Goldilocks automobile

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Cladding or not, the All-Terrain is a very seriously handsome automobile, with exquisite facts and basic traces. If you can get earlier the station-wagon stigma, it will search terrific parked at the finish of any subdivision cul-de-sac or valeted in the entrance row at your favourite extravagant cafe. And at the rear of that rather facial area is ample flexibility. With its back again seats folded, this Benz provides 35 cubic ft of cargo house. On paper, that determine would seem alternatively little, a lot less than 50 {d11068cee6a5c14bc1230e191cd2ec553067ecb641ed9b4e647acef6cc316fdd} of what you get in a Honda CR-V, but in the true globe, this E-Class’ cargo keep would seem much additional spacious, becoming equally wide and extensive. A bonus is the rear hatch, which opens extensive so even NBA-height motorists never clock their melons on it.

Settle into the All-Terrain’s passenger compartment and you’ll be impressed. As for every regular for Mercedes-Benz, this inside is extremely awesome, with a flowing, almost organic and natural-on the lookout dashboard, major-high-quality components and liberal amounts of open-pore wood furnishings. From the switches and air vents to the seat controls and door handles, everything feels major-notch. For an additional $350, my tester’s dashboard and door panels are trimmed in the automaker’s MB-Tex simulated leather-based, which seems and feels rather much like the true issue. My tester is also fitted with the $one,050 heat and comfort bundle, which provides heat to the armrests and steering wheel.

Ease and comfort is one particular of this vehicle’s powerful fits, its entrance chairs becoming remarkably adjustable and pretty supportive. The All-Terrain’s second-row seat is moderately spacious for older people, nevertheless a a little bit greater bottom cushion and a contact additional legroom would be appreciated. Presenting an additional dash of SUV-like flexibility, this Mercedes-Benz also will come with an outdated-school, rear-going through 3rd-row bench seat that folds into the floor when not needed. It provides a couple additional seats, which could be useful in a pinch, but I never propose subjecting adult travellers to this for any duration of time.

A popular portion of the All-Terrain’s inside is a duet of 12.three-inch screens, the canvas its electronic instrument cluster and infotainment technique are shown on. Mounted in one particular elongated housing under a single pane of glass, these panels someway handle to search futuristic and tacked-on at the very same time. As for the MBUX multimedia array, it is really beautiful, clean and snappy, but it is really also elaborate, with pointless functionality and way much too numerous customization solutions. While it performs perfectly, I favor systems that never have these steep discovering curves.

For extra adaptability, you can interact with MBUX in a range of techniques. There is certainly the touchscreen alone, a laptop-like control pad on the middle console, you can use voice instructions or the controls on the steering-wheel spokes. For 2021, Mercedes-Benz improved this very last product, but not for the much better. Former products experienced a smattering of bodily buttons and contact-delicate nubbins that have been intuitive and responsive. Now, it is really switched totally to contact controls and the results are a lot less than ideal. Not only is this arrangement unintuitive, it is really hard to use. I won’t be able to inform you how numerous times I tried to alter the audio volume only to inadvertently mute it as a substitute, or how hard it is to use the little in addition (+) pad to navigate Apple CarPlay, which, alongside with Android Auto, is standard tools.

Luckily, some of the E450 All-Terrain’s other tech is much friendlier. Functions like keyless entry with thrust-button start off, blind-location monitoring and crosswind support are all included at no additional demand. My properly optioned tester, however, is graced with much additional tools. The $one,950 driver-support bundle incorporates a bevy of goodies like active brake support with a cross-website traffic function, which can support protect against collisions with other autos passing by way of intersections, and adaptive cruise control, which is responsive and attentive. Augmented movie for navigation — which overlays navigation prompts in excess of a movie feed from the forward-going through digital camera so you know particularly where to flip ($350) — and a wireless charging pad ($200) are a couple modestly priced extras. Curiously, adaptive significant beams are included in the $900 exterior lighting bundle, nevertheless they ought to in all probability be standard in a automobile of this caliber.

Provided this car’s peaceful demeanor, it ought to be no surprise the All-Terrain is additional of a comfortable cruiser than a corner carver. Especially in Ease and comfort manner, its air suspension provides a magic-carpet ride, one particular that is absolutely free of gritty vibration or harshness, even when tackling extreme bumps and potholes. Of study course, relatively little 19-inch AMG wheels wrapped in Pirelli wintertime tires with alternatively generous sidewalls support digest numerous of all those roadway imperfections. Additional strengthening this vehicle’s refinement, the illustration viewed here characteristics the $one,100 acoustic comfort bundle, which incorporates additional cabin insulation and laminated glass, which helps make it remarkably silent inside of.

This car’s powertrain is largely clean, much too, largely. Enthusiasm is presented by a turbocharged three.-liter inline-six that is silkier than buttercream frosting. It provides a stout 362 horsepower and 369 pound-ft of torque, but that is not all. Mercedes-Benz’s EQ Increase moderate-hybrid technique assists increase performance and overall performance, feathering in an supplemental 21 hp and 184 lb-ft as essential. In operation, it is really seamless to the issue you problem if it does something at all, a little something I wish could be claimed about the All-Terrain’s gearbox.

No, it is really not that bad, but the one particular Debbie Downer of this vehicle’s powertrain is its 9-speed transmission. It can change imperceptibly when it feels like it, but other times, equipment alterations are lumpy, notably when slowing down to a halt. Refinement aside, at the very least this transmission assists deliver solid overall performance. Go whole-bore and the All-Terrain can hit sixty mph in as minimal as 5.one seconds, a legitimately rapid time. Steer clear of burying the accelerator pedal when getting off from each and every halt and this ersatz SUV will return fantastic gas economy. Close to town, this Benz is rated at 22 miles for every gallon, so on freeway drives you can assume 28 mpg and put together it ought to return 24. In the course of my week of testing, I averaged a solid twenty five.three mpg.

Thanks to its handsome styling, versatile cabin and amazing refinement, the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain is a terrific family hauler and, for numerous motorists, an excellent substitute to an SUV. About the only significant deterrent is this vehicle’s selling price. An selection-absolutely free illustration can be experienced for a minimal a lot less than $69,000, which includes $one,050 in destination costs, but the design reviewed here checks out for $eighty two,760, which is much from affordable. If you’re in the sector for a luxurious utility automobile and have a handful of bucks to commit, give this lifted wagon a try out. I assure you, it will never disappoint.