Skip to main content

Just try to bottom out Mercedes’ high riding E-Class All-Terrain

Over the past year, Mercedes-Benz has gifted us with several off-road creations best described as completely, utterly wild. The company’s latest family-car-turned-monster-truck is based on the E-Class All-Terrain, and it doesn’t disappoint.

British magazine Auto Express reports the project started as the brain child of Jurgen Eberle, an engineer in vehicle development for the E-Class. He liked the E-Class All-Terrain, which is Mercedes’ first-ever wagon on stilts, but he thought it was a little bit too tame. He wanted to build a long-roof that could truly conquer any terrain on the planet.

Recommended Videos

At first, the project was supposed to be quick and easy. Eberle planned to merely add about an inch and a half of ground clearance to the station wagon in order to help it clear obstacles routinely encountered on the trail without hitting the hard part of the ground. Then, his creativity got the best of him.

He set out to install the portal axles from the G-Class 4×4-2 in the unassuming body of the E-Class All-Terrain, a job that requires making extensive modifications to the body. He enlisted the help of fellow engineers, and asked Mercedes to fund part of the project. Company officials decided the idea was on the awesome side of crazy, and they gladly agreed to help out.

The finished product is unlike any wagon we’ve ever seen. The portal axles help triple the All-Terrain’s ground clearance to 15 inches, and give it a much wider track that required fitting purpose-designed carbon fiber fender flares on all four corners. Mercedes’ electronically-controlled 4Matic all-wheel drive system augments its off-road prowess to a level usually out of reach for mere station wagons. However, it’s not equipped with a low-range gearbox.

So, what’s next? Right now, the E-Class All-Terrain is a one-of-a-kind prototype. However, Auto Express reports members of Mercedes’ top brass were so impressed with Eberle’s creation that they’re considering turning it into a limited-edition model. It’s built with off-the-shelf parts so such a project would be relatively straightforward.

The E-Class All-Terrain 4×4-2 could debut as early as next year. Production would be strictly limited, and each one would come with a six-digit price tag. Still, it’s certain to sell out almost immediately — just look at the thing.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Mercedes to trial humanoid robots for ‘low-skill, repetitive, demanding’ jobs
Apptronik's Apollo robot at work in an auto plant.

Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that the auto giant could deploy. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes' human workers on the factory floor.

Read more
Mercedes’ electric eSprinter isn’t just greener, it’s better
Front three quarter view of a 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter electric van.

While best known for luxury cars, Mercedes-Benz is also a prolific maker of commercial vans. Since it first arrived in the U.S. in 2001, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has become a favorite of both delivery fleets and camping enthusiasts. And with Mercedes kicking its electrification plans into high gear, we’re finally getting an all-electric Sprinter van.

The 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is an updated version of a model Mercedes was already selling in Europe but was considered unsuitable for the U.S. because of its limited driving range. The updated eSprinter addresses that with a bigger battery pack and features a reengineered electric motor and other components that allow it to be built more easily alongside conventional vans. That’s happening at Mercedes’ factory in North Charleston, South Carolina, which will begin supplying electric vans to customers in the U.S. later this year.

Read more
Part plug-in, part dragster, the Mercedes-AMG GLC63 is an SUV of many faces
Front three quarter view of the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S E Performance.

When it comes to electrifying performance cars, Mercedes-Benz believes there’s no silver bullet.

The automaker’s Mercedes-AMG performance division has already engineered EVs like the AMG EQE SUV and the S63 AMG E Performance sedan, a plug-in hybrid that pairs electric assist with one of the brand’s traditional V8 engines. AMG’s latest electrified model — a hot-rodded version of the GLC-Class compact crossover SUV and a rival to performance SUVs like the BMW X3 M and Porsche Macan — sits somewhere in between those extremes.

Read more