Form Follows Function

The E-Class All-Terrain may not be the best-looking Mercedes out there, but there is beauty to be found – you just have to look beyond the surface.

- Ravi Ved

What the designers at Mercedes-Benz have been churning out recently is nothing short of magical. From the Project One to the recently refreshed C-Class – each product is more exquisite than the one before it. But then these same people are also responsible for the E-Class All-Terrain, which, quite frankly, has looks that only a mother could love. It’s ginormous, and its size overshadows every other element of its design. But then this is a car for the more enlightened three-pointed star buyer – this is a machine for those of you who have the ability to look beyond what’s on the surface.

Size does matter

Edgar Allen Poe once said, ‘There is no exquisite beauty… without some strangeness in the proportion.’ And this is essentially true for all estates, including the E-Class AllTerrain. Sure, it’s not quite as svelete as some of the newer Mercedes cars, but it’s simply impossible to ignore its formidable presence. Everything beyond the C-pillar, especially the large rear overhang, makes the car look gargantuan. The bulk is well refashioned as ruggedness, thanks to the large 19-inch wheels and the cladding on the wheel arches. The E-Class All-Terrain also has a twin-slat grille that’s very similar to the one on the GLA. Plus, it gets redesigned bumpers with scuff plates and a much wider rear stance.

House on wheels