What is it?
The new C-Class All-Terrain is Mercedes-Benz’s answer to the likes of the Audi A4 Allroad, Volkswagen Passat Alltrack and Volvo V60 Cross Country.
First revealed at the Munich motor show back in September, the high-riding executive wagon is intended to fill the market niche that exists between the recently introduced fifth-generation C-Class Estate and the soon-to-be-renewed Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV.
The new model has been conceived along similar lines to the larger E-Class All-Terrain that has been on sale in the UK since 2017. It gains an additional 40mm of ride height over the standard C-Class Estate and upgraded four-link (front) and five-link (rear) suspension with revised steering knuckles aimed at providing greater ability on gravel, sand and mud.
Unique styling touches signal this added off-road prowess, including a new front bumper with a reworked grille and a central plastic kickplate, black cladding within the wheelhouses and a revised lower rear bumper with a faux-aluminium kickplate.
The selection of 17in to 19in alloy wheels get bespoke designs and the standard LED headlights gain an off-road light that allows for extra-wide illumination at speeds of up to 31mph.
The styling tweaks add a scant 4mm to the length and 21mm to the width of the C-Class Estate, at 4755mm and 1820mm respectively. All other dimensions, including the 2865mm wheelbase, remain unchanged.
So does the load capacity, which is put at a nominal 490 litres underneath the cargo blind, extending to 1510 litres when the 40:20:40-split folding rear bench is stowed. By comparison, the A4 Allroad, Passat Alltrack and V60 Cross Country offer 495, 529 and 639 litres respectively.
Reflecting Mercedes’ modest sales expectations for the C-Class All-Terrain, just two engines are being offered in left-hand-drive European markets, both already available in the C-Class Estate.
The C200 tested here uses a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol that develops 201bhp and 221lb ft and is paired with an integrated starter-generator delivering 20bhp and 147lb ft. The C200d gets a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel that offers 197bhp and 324lb ft along with the same 20bhp and 147lb ft of electrified boosting potential.
Both powerplants are mated to a standard nine-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox and Mercedes’ 4Matic four-wheel drive system, which delivers up to 45% drive to the front wheels and up to 55% to the rear.
There are five driving modes (Eco, Comfort, Sport, Off-Road and Off-Road Plus), plus a coasting function provides for engine-off energy recuperation on a trailing throttle.
Mercedes claims for the C200 All-Terrain a 0-62mph time of 7.5sec in Sport mode (the same as that quoted for the rear-driven C200 Estate) and a top speed of 144mph.
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Don't think the E-class all terrain is offered in the UK anymore. What's the point when every customer just wants the 'night edition' with 23" black wheels and 'piano black' (shiny plastic) trim?
Our European cousins just seem to have better taste than us.
I can see why MB wouldn't engineer a RHD version for low sales, sadly. But what I can't forgive on a cold Yorkshire night is that they don't offer a heated steering wheel in the UK on most of their models, which are options in USA and Europe. That's not a LHD issue, that's ignorant Mercedes UK product managers who clearly never drive further north than Milton Keynes..... So I'll stick with my Skoda, BMW, Porsche and Volvo options thanks.