Rendered: A Mercedes Wagon To Beat The Allroad

TopSpeed rendering of the 2018 Mercedes-Benz Allroad Competitor (Credit: TopSpeed)

The sad fact is that few American consumers realize the true beauty of owning a well-balanced wagon. Too many think of the Brady Bunch wood-paneled monstrosity when someone mentions wagons, or maybe the things that pioneers used to cross the plains. Fortunately, Europeans haven’t given into the crossover craze quite as much, keeping the wagon alive and well on the other side of the Atlantic.

Even though Mercedes has announced it’s pouring more resources into its SUV lineup, there is a strong indication that the premium brand will also release more wagon models. While speaking with Australian publication Drive, the automaker’s vice president of sales and product managements, Matthias Luehrs, let the cat out of the bag and said that the company is looking hard at a crossover wagon based on the C-Class Wagon or the upcoming E-Class.

Our friends at TopSpeed have whipped up a rendering of what Mercedes’ competitor to the Audi Allroad would look like. They concluded that the possible future vehicle would likely be based on the E-Class Wagon. That required some fancy footwork, considering that nobody knows what the new wagon’s design is like. For the Allroad crossover competitor, the wagon of course is even higher off the ground. The wagon could be outfitted with some iteration of the brand’s Airmatic air suspension for excellent comfort and performance. Other design differences include wider wheel arches, protective plastic cladding, unique front and rear bumpers, plus revised side skirts. TopSpeed believes the interior will be incredibly similar to the sedan version of the new E-Class.

The big question is whether or not Mercedes will actually make an Allroad competitor. Volvo has the XC70 and supposedly is working on a smaller version called the XC40. Even though the wagons are cool, they’re not quite as practical off the beaten path as an SUV, which could spell doom for the small market niche.