New Mercedes All-Terrain is a class act.

The E All-Terrain is Mercedes-Benz’s attempt at an off-road-ish version of its very popular and successful new E-Class, which has grabbed a major chunk of the German saloon market this year but you may wonder why would you want a slightly higher four-wheel-drive version of the already very accomplished E-Class estate.

I had the pleasure of spending a week trying to answer this question.

From the moment I collected the Merc, it exuded an air of quality, from the beautifully machined metal switch gear which functioned with a real feel of solidity to the way the door closed with a solid thud.

However, it took a while to figure out how to get the E-Class moving – there is absolutely nothing resembling a gear stick. Movement is started using an extra stalk off the steering column, not dissimilar to a shuttle many of us are used to on a tractor, but much more refined. Once on the move, the E-Class acts exactly how you would expect a Mercedes to act on the road.

On the motorway run towards home it went about its business and wafted me along with all the comfort and poise you would expect from an executive estate in this class. The fact that this car claims to have some off-road capability doesn’t seem to affect its motorway manners.

Once off the motorway and on to more twisty stuff, the Merc is good but not brilliant. The steering is direct but lacks a little in feel for it to inspire confidence at pace cross-country. Body roll is less of an issue than you might expect from the slightly raised position of the All-Terrain. With the 4-matic system, grip is never going to be an issue.

From a practical point of view, the estate is cavernous inside and there is plenty of room for family, pets and lots more. The boot is big enough for at least three Labradors or two good-sized calves, whichever you prefer.

The test car came with cream leather interior which I personally don’t like the look of but during the recent warm spell id did remove a massive amount of heat from the cabin when I first got in.

If Mercedes insists on calling this the All-Terrain, I had to bring it off-road to see if it was in any way capable of dragging its sizeable frame across anything rougher than a gravel driveway.

In order to give it a decent test I brought it to Millbrook off-road centre and tried it on some of the more gentle terrain that they have available.

Much to my surprise, the Mercedes had sufficient clearance once the air suspension was raised from its standard 120mm height to 150mm to straddle a high middle lane. The 150mm ride height in conjunction with the 20in wheels make it an imposing vehicle.

Once the E-Class was pointed up a hill and asked to climb it, it went about it fuss-free and got up all but the steepest hill where there weren’t any clearance issues.

The Mercedes is by no means a Land Cruiser beater, but it still will get a lot further off the beaten track than a standard rear-wheel drive E-Class estate.

Verdict

The All-Terrain is an interesting crossover from the luxury to the off-road, with its plastic wheel arches and increased ride height the only noticeable difference between it and the class leading standard E-Class. On the road the difference is negligible but on the rough stuff the All-terrain is very accomplished. The engine is perfectly powerful enough to make it an enjoyable drive. The E-Class is a class act and a very good and practical addition to the range.

Mercedes Benz E220d 4Matic All-Terrain.

Engine size:1950cc.

Power:194 BHP.

0-100km/h: 8 seconds.

Top speed:231km/h.

Fuel consumption (claimed):5.3l/100km

Co2: 137g/km

Road Tax: €280.

Price as tested: €61,124.