Early in 2017, Mercedes released a car that looked unlike anything the company had made before. A small team of engineers headed by Jürgen Eberle built the prototype vehicle. They called it the “Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain 4×4²”, but don’t be mistaken: it had nothing in common with the currently available All-Terrain.
Instead, it was loosely based on the Mercedes G-Class 4×4² architecture and had the same 333-hp (248-kW) engine. To make the G chassis work with the E body, however, Mercedes had to design new portal axles and independent rear wheel suspension from scratch.
They also built an auxiliary frame for the front axle, made the body wider and raised the ground clearance to a crazy 420 mm (16.4”). Compare this to the 160 mm (6.25”) of the regular All-Terrain to get a better idea of what this means. Even the formidable G-Wagen can’t traverse waters as deep as this prototype can.
A shame, really, that it will never make it into series…
Photo: Mercedes-Benz