2024 Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain Review: With A Wagon This Good, Who Needs An SUV

If an SUV can also be a coupe, then why can't a wagon be an SUV? With the modern auto industry having jettisoned anything so straightforward as words having specific meanings any more, classification across segments can effectively be whatever you want them to be — or, what might actually sell cars.

And so, since American drivers still harbor problematic resentments toward wagons, the 2024 Mercedes E450 All-Terrain takes the same approach as we've seen Volvo, Audi, and others adopt with their counterparts: pretend they're actually just a different type of SUV. Targeted at the sort of luxury car drivers for whom practicality is often more an aesthetic selling point than something applied, the All-Terrain (like Volvo's Cross Country and Audi's All-Road) is lifted, just slightly, bulked out, just slightly, and generally left more burly, just slightly, in the name of straddling two categories (yes, just slightly).

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Some of those elements mix aesthetics with a little more practicality, like the chunkier bumpers, chrome side sills, and extra wheel cladding. You could, at least, make an "it's extra protection" argument, even if the thought of actually scratching or scraping the All-Terrain's sculpted bodywork is enough to bring tears to the eyes.

The All-Terrain-unique grille leaves it looking a little burlier, too, though I think I prefer the regular E-Class fascia overall. And, though the 20-inch AMG wheels on this particular example are handsome and unexpectedly affordable at $850, sticking with the standard 19-inch set is probably the sensible choice for anyone actually hoping to make genuine use of the All-Terrain's special Off-Road drive mode.

That takes full advantage of the standard single-chamber air suspension, raising the standard ride height of 6.4 inches to its maximum of 7.8 inches. Only at speeds up to 9 mph, mind, beyond which the wagon drops back down: think along the lines of careful navigation over unexpected rocks, rather than true Baja mayhem. Mercedes' "transparent hood" feature — in which camera cleverness shows you what's directly underneath the car — comes in handy, there, too. A shame that the All-Terrain lacks rear-wheel steer, then, which can tighten up the turns on the standard model.

Even without standing on its most tippy of tip-toes, though, the E450 All-Terrain is impressively compliant on the sort of unruly surfaces that you might not want to point a regular E-Class at. Transitioning from asphalt to an unpaved dirt road at 40+ mph, for example, resulted in none of the bounce, jostle, and general complaint that you'd expect: the wagon simply blustered on ahead, pretty much ignoring the roughness underfoot.

Is the All-Terrain truly a replacement for an SUV? The 2024 GLE — effectively the E-Class of SUVs — unsurprisingly has its wagon cousin beat on ground clearance, but it's also a much more capable machine for cargo and towing. All seats up, the difference is scant: the GLE can accommodate up to 33.3 cu-ft, compared to the All-Terrain's 33.1 cu-ft. Drop the back seats, though, and the SUV can stomach 10 cu-ft more than the wagon's 64.6 cu-ft maximum.

Meanwhile, Mercedes rates the GLE 450 for up to 7,700 pounds when SUV and trailer are appropriately equipped. The E450 All-Terrain tops out at 4,600 pounds.

The flip side of the usability equation are the driving dynamics. Taller and about 500 pounds heavier, the true SUV simply isn't going to feel as spritely and planted as the wagon. And, despite having the same 375 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque to play with — courtesy of a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission — the bulkier SUV takes 5.3 seconds to do 0-60 mph, versus 4.6 seconds for the All-Terrain.

That's a solid pace for that 0-60 dash — a much sleeker CLE 450 Coupe, for example, only shaves it down to 4.2 seconds with the same all-wheel-drive powertrain — though you'll need to be in Sport mode to feel the full perkiness. Comfort mode is languid off the starting line; not slow so much as requiring a slightly heavier foot on the accelerator than you might expect.

Sport mode addresses that, though does nothing to dilute the overall comfort from the air suspension system (which dips to 6.0 inches), or indeed the smooth delivery and general refinement of Mercedes' electrified engine. It's a mild hybrid — a 48v system that claws back some power when you slow, and then squirts it into the mix when you accelerate — so no external electricity required. You'll forgive me if I fantasize a little about an All-Terrain with the same plug-in drivetrain as the upcoming GLC PHEV.

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Still, you don't necessarily need it for overall economy. Mercedes and the EPA rate the E450 All-Terrain for 22 mpg in the city, 31 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg combined. Not only are they several points higher than the GLE 450 manages (rated for 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined), my own, mixed driving proved those numbers easily met. In fact, I was typically seeing around 28 mpg. 

Inside, the E-Class cabin remains a swell place to find yourself. As standard there's a 12.3-inch digital driver display and a large 14.4-inch central touchscreen that handles everything from climate control through navigation and multimedia. 

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It runs MBUX, Mercedes' reasonably-straightforward infotainment software, with decent voice control, and supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A row of buttons under the touchscreen handle things drive mode and the volume of the standard Burmester 4D surround sound audio system.

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Add the $1,500 MBUX Superscreen Package, however, and the central display is integrated into a dashboard-spanning glass panel, while the front passenger also gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen. From that they can control multimedia and their own settings, as well as watch video content (the screen is treated so as to be invisible should the driver glance across, to avoid distractions). The package also includes a dashboard-mounted camera, which can be used — with a USB drive plugged in — to capture photos and videos.

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I'm not entirely clear why you'd want that: frankly, the angle of the lens isn't particularly flattering if you have recording content for TikTok or Instagram Reels in mind, and can't be adjusted. The quality of your phone's camera is undoubtedly much better, too, and Mercedes' doesn't include a physical privacy shutter. Perhaps there's an aftermarket opportunity for knitted camera-cosy covers on Etsy.

That's not my only quibble with the All-Terrain's interior, though the list is relatively short. The touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel can be finicky to adjust, particularly when you're trying to swipe to change the audio volume or cruise control speed. Mercedes tucks the wireless charging pad to the front, ahead of the cupholders, underneath the dashboard trim: it's fiddly to get to at the best of times, and practically impossible if you actually have a cup in there too.

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A $1,620 premium for real leather — on a car that starts at $74,700 before destination — seems cheeky, even if Mercedes' optional hide feels pleasingly sturdy. Volvo and Audi's pumped-up wagons give you leather as standard. 

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Mercedes' Leather Package ($800 alone, or $350 if combined with the $2,950 Multicontour Seating Package that includes front massage seats with rapid-heating and ventilation, heated front armrests, and Mercedes' upgraded HVAC system including cabin fragrance) adds front seat ventilation and spreads faux-leather across the dash-top.

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The biggest frustration is Mercedes making much of its active safety tech part of the Driver Assistance Package. As standard, the All-Terrain gets active brake assist, blind spot assist, a 360-degree camera, and parking-assistance. You'll need the $1,950 package if you want adaptive cruise, active blind spot assist, active lane-change assist and auto lane-change, congestion emergency braking and evasive steering assist, active brake assist with turning and cross-traffic support, and various other safety features.

All-in, with extras like the Winter Package ($450) for heating on the steering wheel and windshield washers, the Digital Light Package ($990), and the Advanced USB Package ($300) with six USB-C ports spread around the cabin, this particular All-Terrain came to $84,660 (including $1,150 destination).

On the one hand, that's an expensive car. All the same, though, the paucity of wagon options in the U.S. leaves the E450 All-Terrain occupying a pretty decent niche of its own, even with that sticker. Sure, a Volvo V90 Cross Country starts out much cheaper — from $59,800 — but at 295 hp it's significantly down on power, and the cabin experience has far less tech.

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Audi's handsome A6 All-Road has less seat-up trunk capacity than the Mercedes, is 40 horses down in power (though matches it on torque), and loses out by eight-tenths of second in the 0-60 run. It's not far off the E-Class wagon price by the time you similarly-spec the options, too. Audi does of course have the glorious RS 6 Avant Performance, a 621 horsepower wagon that thinks itself (not unfairly) a sports car, but that starts at a tear-inducing $126,600.

As an all-round package, then, I actually really like the All-Terrain. It feels more special than an SUV, it's more fun to drive than one, and though the total cargo capacity may be slightly less than, say, a GLE SUV, the physically lower trunk floor makes it easier to load things in and out. You sacrifice some off-road talent, certainly, but then again I question just how many luxury SUV owners actually take advantage of that.

The awkward truth of it, then, is that the 2024 E450 All-Terrain would probably be better as simply the E450 Wagon. A better vehicle, anyway, if not a better selling one to still-myopic American drivers. Though I'd like to think the new BMW M5 Touring in its comely wagon form will mark the tipping point, I'm not holding my breath.

Neither, I suspect, is Mercedes. The automaker doesn't split out All-Terrain demand specifically, but though total E-Class sales in the U.S. may have been up 15% in the first half of this year, the GLE still sold almost four times as well. A fulsome range of wagons would be hard to justify here, then, and so it's a darn good thing that the E450 All-Terrain makes a solid argument for being the consummate all-rounder.