What we’re running at TG: hi Insignia and E350d All-Terrain
Can this car be all things to all people?
We’ve seen this sort of thing before: a lightly jacked-up estate car with a few bits of cladding and all-wheel drive, the kind of thing that isn’t exactly equipped with savage-butunused of-road ability, but can cope with a muddy feld or two without skidding around like a newborn deer on a polished wood foor.
You may be familiar with Audi’s Allroad models, Skoda’s Scouts, VW’s Alltracks and the like, and this is Merc’s version. An E-Class estate on Air Body Control suspension that sits 29mm higher than the normal E – bigger tyres accounting for 14mm, the remainder due to the higher-riding suspension. And you get extra clearance of another 20mm up to 19mph by selecting the All-Terrain driving programme from the standard Dynamic Select controller.
Similarly, it’ll sit down a bit on normal roads, and you can frm it up if you feel the need to go a bit faster – the Dynamic Select mode thingummy has fve driving programmes that change transmission strategies for the ninespeed 9G-Tronic gearbox, throttle, ESP and steering feel.
In the UK, we get one engine/’box option and this is it, Mercedes’ excellent 3.0-litre diesel with 258bhp and 457lb ft, Merc citing lack of popularity to bring over lower specifcation orders. You also get pretty much one trim level, with a couple of options, though for the justsub-£59k base price, you do get quite a lot: intelligent LED lights, panoramic sunroofs (plural), powered boot, privacy glass, an electrically folding towbar, 20-inch alloys, electric heated leather, climate control, reversing cameras and a boring but satisfyingly long safety kit list.
In fact, the only options ftted to this car are the Driving Assistance Plus pack (blind spot and lane-keep assist, active brakes and steering evade assist, Drive Pilot and the like) for £1,695, and the Citrine Brown metallic paint for £685. In the frst 3k miles, we’ve been proper ofroading – you just have to be careful of approach/departure and breakover angles – and trounced commutes with ease. Live in the country but have to do normal stuf too? A car like this makes all sorts of sense. So far.