Mercedes Official Says Jacked Up E-Class Estate Is “Not Too Far Out”

Expanding the lineup of Mercedes-Benz’s SUVs will be a crossover-ish version of the E-Class Estate, hinted by the brand’s engineering chief.

Speaking to AutoExpress, Michael Kelz believes that the automaker should “make estates closer to SUVs” and said that a direct competitor for the Audi A6 Allroad is “not too far out”, thus making the reports that surfaced earlier this year more plausible.

A jacked-up version of the newly unveiled Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate could gain the All-Terrain badge, as previous info indicated, but an exact name remains unknown for now. Making a big visual difference will be the added plastic body cladding, which could remain black just like the Allroad’s, and the Air Body Control adjustable air suspension, with different levels of ground clearance and automatic adjustment will increase its off-road ability.

Propelling it would be the same assortment of four- and six-cylinder petrol and diesel mills from the 2017 E-Class Estate, which could be joined, eventually, by a fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid. While the regular five-door will be topped out by an AMG 63 version, chances are the 4.0-liter twin-turbo won’t be added to the hairy-chested model anytime soon. If everything goes as planned, then expect to see it as early as October, at the Paris Auto Show.

PHOTO GALLERY