The lifted station wagon is a bit of a rarity, given
that most buyers looking for elevated ride height will go straight to an SUV.
Meanwhile, if you fancy this in-betweener of a car genre, you’ll be glad to know
Mercedes-Benz is keeping this one alive. The X213 E-Class was unveiled in the
third quarter of 2016, and the spy images show a car that is likely to feature
detail changes on its front and rear ends.
Starting upfront, the front bumper is rather concealed,
suggesting that the changes will be made here, without revealing much in the
way of details. Above it are a set of headlamps which will be new as well, here
seen to adopt the more angular daytime running lights as seen on the latest
A-Class, CLS and of course, the upcoming S213 E-Class station wagon facelift.
At the back, the tail lamp assemblies are shrouded
in that tell-tale work-in-progress camouflage, though the rear bumper exhaust
outlet garnish and rear quarter panels appear to be unchanged. As with the
current iteration, roof rails should be standard on the All-Terrain facelift.
Powertrains for this X213 facelift are expected to
carry over what is already available for the current E-Class range, save for
the AMG variants. These will likely be the 299 hp 2.0 litre mild hybrid turbo
petrol in the E 350, a 2.0 litre turbodiesel in the 150 hp E 200 d, 194 hp E
220 d and 245 hp E 300 d, as well as a 3.0 litre straight-six diesel in the 286
hp E 350 d and 340 hp E 400 d.
Unconfirmed but likely to be carried over is the air
suspension, which on the current version allows for varying, driver-selectable
ride heights. Interior images of this latest All-Terrain iteration have yet to
surface, though it likely won’t deviate much, if at all from the E-Class cabin
architecture.
Where the facelifted S213 station wagon goes in this
regard, the All-Terrain will likely follow, save for perhaps
model-distinguishing trim packages. A redesigned steering wheel can be expected
here, as can a mildly revised infotainment system; the Mercedes-Benz User
Experience (MBUX) probably won’t appear here, though, as that is likely
reserved for newer architecture.
Cr : Paultan