Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain: MASSIVE TALENT, REDUCED OUTLAY

Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain

MASSIVE TALENT, REDUCED OUTLAY

Editor’s Notes: Given that the average price of a new car is roughly $50K, quite a few will be perusing the used market for that just-right buy. German luxury models drop their value faster than J. Epstein dropped his drawers, so one coming off of lease represents a great opportunity if – of course – you tack on an extended warranty. Here’s a look at the Mercedes E450 All-Terrain estate, written almost four years ago. At that point it was a $75K acquisition. Today, according to the CarFax website, you can budget closer to $45K for a ’22, and about $5K more for a 2023; both numbers are with a clean CarFax (no accidents). And don’t forget the warranty! 

There are many pluses in having a Northern Virginia zip code. If into American history, its best repository – Washington, DC – is but 30 minutes east, and if into aviation the National Air and Space Museum is just up the road, near Dulles Airport. If automotive history cranks your motor, there’s an entertaining Cars and Coffee on most Saturdays in Great Falls, VA; it’s just ten minutes from my driveway to the Katie’s (coffee shop) parking lot. And if you enjoy European wagons there are plenty, including the Mercedes E450 4Matic All-Terrain on loan this week. Its combination of comfort, composure and performance is tough to beat – and were I to work for a living it would be on my shopping shortlist. 

As a kid in the ‘60s or ‘70s, the wagon – often with a rear-facing third row – was what the family typically grabbed, whether heading to the DQ or Gulf Coast. (Our own wagon ‘adventure’ was a vacation to Monterrey, Mexico in a ‘63 Dodge 440 wagon. In August. Without A/C. On vinyl seats.) Among the Impalas and Country Squires was the occasional Volvo or, even less likely, Peugeot; both were true outliers in a tranquil sea of domestic bliss. It was only as Americans moved to their minivans that the Europeans became interested in shipping us their estates, selling so well ‘on the Continent’ but without a foothold – or much of a base – here in the U.S. Given the experience Mercedes has with the cab industry in its home market, a Benz wagon would seem natural for a transatlantic crossing.

With its E450 4MATIC All-Terrain, Mercedes builds on the positives contained within its midsize sedan with a slightly elevated suspension, fender cladding to – presumably – butch it up, and its 4MATIC all-wheel drive system. If Subaru’s Outback was launched with the able assist of Paul Hogan and his offshoot, Crocodile Dundee, you could see Keith Urban behind the wheel of the All-Terrain, taking Nicole for a night in Nashville.

Finished in Polar White, our E450’s 195 inches of overall length (on a wheelbase of almost 116 inches) gives it a real presence in the grocery store parking lot, where GLCs and GLEs will outnumber the Mercedes wagon by a ratio of – I’ll guess – 100 to 1. The reasons to love it, however, are many, given its just-right footprint, the ease in which you can enter and exit, and – not to be underestimated – the beautiful functionality of its Nut Brown MB-Tex upholstery. While totally of this century, the vibe is of the ‘80s and ‘90s, when Mercedes-Benz products were truly vault-like in their build, and few OEMs could match them.

Behind the wheel, you find the power seat adjustment mounted on the door(s), the transmission selector where the wiper control – to the right of the steering wheel – typically sits, and wipers activated by a twist of the turn signal lever. All of that’s easy enough, while the infotainment screen is less so. As I’ve noted repeatedly, anyone owning this technology will – at the very least – adapt; hell, some might even thrive. But I would rather drive, and have the audio and ventilation controls adjustable with but one motion – and not three. And in this ideal world, limited thought would be necessary for their actuation.

Once settled, you have a chance to drive as Gott and His Autobahn intended. The E450’s 3.0 liter turbocharged inline six delivers 362 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, in combination with a mild hybrid system supplementing those numbers with an additional 21 horsepower and a significant serving of torque. The result, connected to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic, is a 0-60 time of just over five seconds, along with an EPA estimate of 20 City/26 Highway and 22 Combined. For reference, if you’re driving to a Mercedes showroom in Subaru’s Outback Wilderness, you’ll hit 60 in 6.3 seconds and net 24 miles per gallon combined. That’s at, to be sure, roughly ½ of the Benz’s $75K window sticker.

What’s harder to quantify – or, for that matter, simply describe – is the all-of-a-piece feel imparted by a sedan-derived wagon. You’re in the vehicle and not on it; you’re in traffic, not above it. While many are entrenched in the higher seating position afforded by SUVs, there’s a lot to be said – and it’s not said often enough – to returning to street level. The vehicle becomes an extension of yourself, and not that of a marketing survey.

For those pursuing an active lifestyle, and wanting that excitement to begin enroute to the trailhead, Benz has your build. And given the E450 4MATIC’S combination of safety and all-season performance, the company has your back.