This Mercedes Wagon Perfectly Blends Rugged And Luxury: The Mercedes-Benz E 450 S4 All-Terrain Review
A wagon adds capability and cargo space with the scale and luxury of a sedan, but it won't get lost in the crowd
I live in Colorado and there are lots of times I feel like the things I want are at odds with each other. I want luxury, but I also want utility. I love some ground clearance, but I don’t want to have to use a ladder to get into my car. I want to be super comfortable and maybe even pampered inside the car and also be able to take that car lots of places that might be a little off-the-beaten-path. And then, there’s the mystique of the Mercedes wagon: a bit of old money glamor and rugged soul that is a standout in this world of lookalike SUVs.
You could make the case that the Mercedes-Benz E 450 S4 All-Terrain is way more luxury than ruggedness and you wouldn’t really be wrong. But that’s almost the best part, how sneakily confident this wagon is in inclement weather and adverse road conditions.
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
The Mercedes Wagon: Polished, Posh and Confident
To look at the Mercedes-Benz E 450 is to see a luxury car. What gives it away as something a little more rugged is some ground clearance and what I will call light cladding along the wheel wells and rear bumper. The rear overhang is long, but it has a little angle to it and will allow for some wiggle room going over bumps and ruts. I took the E 450 S4 All Terrain skiing and loved how fearless I was in the parking lot full of ice, slush, ruts, and potholes.
What also gives away the luxury awaiting you in the E 450 S4 All-Terrain is the price. My test car had a base price of $74,700 but rang up at $84,668 after packages, accessories, and destination and delivery fees. Buyers of this car know what they want and are not afraid to pay it.
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Luxury Is In the Details, And the Luscious Paint Color
I need to talk about how much I loved the brown paint color. It was luxurious but also rugged-looking if the wagon was in a more wild environment. I also appreciate there was no upcharge for such a perfect paint color. There is no shortage of sparkly details though. The grille was so distinctive, cladded in chrome three-point stars and black mesh. The Mercedes-Benz logo gleams, front and center, not letting you forget that this is luxury, no matter how you use it. Brushed silver trim and chrome pieces abound.
Of course, the silver and black machined 20-inch wheels look super sharp and gleam when they’re not covered in road gunk. I did think 20-inch wheels were an interesting choice for an all-terrain wagon, but I embraced them and the winter tires they came with, and they both did great. Chrome trim around the windows looks traditionally posh when taken in on its own, but is balanced with the brown paint and cladding.
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Is This Mercedes Wagon Flirting With Me?
The LED headlights have kind of a cat-eye tilt to them, and it looks sexy and aggressive. They tease at the engine under the hood, and it’s a serious one. The inline 6-cylinder engine is paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission and a mild hybrid system. The Mercedes wagon’s mild hybrid adds some horsepower and torque, getting a total 375 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque.
The only risk you run with the Mercedes-Benz E 450 is underestimating the power it delivers and the quick pace at which it delivers it. I had zero issues heading up skiing at higher elevations. The E 450 stuck to the road thanks to the AWD system and the tires. Fuel economy comes in at an estimated 31 miles per gallon on the highway, 22 mpg in the city, and 25 mpg combined.
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The Ultimate Luxury: A Posh, Cozy Cabin
We were so comfortable thanks to incredible front seats that are ventilated, heated, and massaging. They were most perfect at the end of the ski day when we were a bit tired and loving the massage on our fatigued bodies. The gorgeous quilted leather reminded me of airflow patterns, it was soft and so supple. The headrests were cushioned and elicited thoughts of fabulous down pillows in fancy hotels.
Not surprisingly, rear passengers don’t quite have the same amenities as the front passengers, but they’re so comfortable they won’t mind too much. They do have seated heats that are deep, snuggly and supportive. The seats split 40/20/40, perfect for toting a ski bag or two to the mountain. For families with kids in car seats, there are two lower tether anchors and three top tether anchors for child safety seats.
A Low Roof and Accessible Roof Rack Magic of a Mercedes Wagon
The nice thing about a wagon is its lower stance that makes a roof rack easy for most everyone to reach, even those who are not overly tall. It wouldn’t be tricky to get my skis up there as the wagon isn’t as tall as many SUVs. Installing a roof box would be easy and offer accessible space for families who need a bit more cargo space than the Mercedes-Benz E 450 S4 All-Terrain’s 33.1 cubic feet. Cargo space increases to 64.6 cubic feet with those seats folded for those who don’t need all that passenger space.
For our trip there was plenty of room in the cargo area to throw a couple suitcases and space for our skis. I folded the seats to stow our skis and gear bags. They were easily accommodated, though I did put a blanket down so the snow wouldn’t melt and ruin the beautiful leather.
Details With Gravitas Define the Interior of the Mercedes-Benz E 450 S4 All Terrain
The level of detail in the E 450 was so fun and a bit dazzling. Every item I touched had weight to it and satisfying feedback. For example, the window toggles were housed in the door, on a cantilevered armrest. They were a heavier t-shaped metal switch that gave a satisfying cushioned click when I pressed them down or pulled them up. All surfaces were covered in leather or some posh material. The metal mesh covers for the Burmester speakers had a cool design on them. That said, those beautiful switches made me sad there weren’t more touchpoints like them. There were still many controls that were touch-based and I would much prefer some more traditional buttons or knobs, especially when they’re done so perfectly.
The wood center cupholder and storage space was inlaid with aluminum metal. The cupholders had unique, adjustable arms held whatever size beverage I was bringing along with me, with the exception of large insulated bottles. And if I wanted to use the space for something different, I could rotate the cupholders inward and stow them away. I loved that all these details were not just beautiful but functional and hearty/hardy. There is a wireless device charger and two USB-C charge ports in the front and two in the rear seats. There is a center console with a split lid so you can access it even if the other person in the front seat has their elbow on the console.
Your Passenger Isn’t Forgotten In This Mercedes Wagon
So often the fun, cool features in a car are restricted to the driver. In the E 450 the front passenger has access to many of the same things the driver does. For example, the passenger’s seat had heat, vents, and massage too. The passenger also had their own multimedia system embedded in the dash. The good news for the driver is that the passenger can truly be your copilot. They can select apps, input navigation cues, play music, and select their favorite functions from their seat and without having to constantly bypass or settle when the system says the function can’t be used while the car is in motion. Heads-up, though; the passenger-side screen is part of a $1,500 package.
And boy, does Mercedes-Benz load the E 450 S4 All Terrain up with features accessed in the multimedia system. The 12.3-inch driver display is digital, there’s the 14.4-inch multimedia screen that sits in the center between the driver’s screen and the 12.3-inch passenger-side display. All are adjustable and can be dimmed or, in the case of the passengers side, turned off. Other lighting includes an interior ambient lighting setup that you can customize. It’s not just lighting to set the mood, you can program it to change color when you’re about to drift out of your lane into another vehicle, or when you’re going past the speed limit. Additionally, you can set it up to interact with your music. Lastly, the E 450 has a camera in the dash for selfies or videos. Yes, this camera points into the cabin so you can take photos or video, even video calls when the car is parked.
The Mercedes-Benz E450 Is Designed to Be Your Co-Pilot
The Mercedes wagon is engineered to do so many things for you so you can focus on the road. It starts with drive modes: Sport, Eco, Comfort, Individual, and yes, Off Road. Each has distinctive differences, but you can customize your own mode with the Individual setting. All modes have a display on the screen so you can see what mode you’re in. Off Road mode will show you what the car’s suspension is doing, plus the angle on which the car is sitting. So, if you’re on a tilted road, you can see how far the car is listing one way or the other.
The system also shows your tire pressure, altitude and heading. If you need access to the air suspension, hill descent control or different camera angles (including the front camera) all those buttons are easily accessed using the Off Road app when you’re in Off Road mode. By the way, the air suspension will raise or lower the E 450 by up to an inch. While this seems it would be handy for ground clearance, which it kind of is, its other function is to improve fuel efficiency at different speeds. If I’m being honest, I was hoping for a bit more height. The E 450 S4 All-Terrain would feel more all-terrainy if it got a little more than 7.8 maximum inches of ground clearance. That said, the 7.8 maximum is the most utility many people will need. We’re not competing in off-road rallies in this beauty.
Augmented Reality Adds a Layer of Assistance to the Navigation System
Mercedes has worked hard to ensure that all navigation directions are clear and precise, with an augmented reality-enhanced system. This means that not only will the E 450 provide turn by turn directions in the head-up display (part of a $2,550 package), on the driver’s display and on the multimedia screen (which ever you choose to view), but an arrow will light up at the actual turn you need to take, or the lane you need to be in. It’s very slick and specific.
To set your navigation you can use “Hey Mercedes” voice activated assistance, one of the original voice assist systems in the market and still one of the best. It’s smart, learns as you use it and uses cloud-based communication and natural language learning to be a bit more conversational than most systems. Just ask it to tell you a joke or ask it to explain how gravity works. It can.
The Ultimate Luxury: Control and Confidence
All this tech in the front seat does make it feel a lot like a cockpit. The steering wheel houses controls for the cruise control and advanced driver safety systems, the driver display’s contents and the stereo system. I spent a good chunk of time getting comfortable with them and at times, it felt like a lot, mostly because it wasn’t clear how to save the setup so often I had to start fresh to get the display I wanted to see.
For the buyer who wants the Mercedes capability and luxury but doesn’t want the off-the-rack look that defines so many SUVs, the Mercedes-Benz E 450 S4 All-Terrain is a great ride; as perfect for a ski trip as daily driving. And that’s the charm of the Mercedes wagon: you’re not likely to see others in the drop-off lane at school or the resort’s valet. And all the personality and sophistication inside this car can be your secret; not many would guess just how dreamy a daily driver and thrilling an option for families a Mercedes Wagon really is.
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