First Drive: Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain

Rugged estates are very much a la mode at the moment. Take Audi's A6 Allroad, for example, and the soon-to-go-on-sale Volvo V90 Cross Country. City slickers are feeling the call of the wild, and want to take their sleek, comfortable and technologically advanced estates off the beaten trail.

Enter Mercedes' all-singing, all-dancing E-Class All-Terrain. The 3.0-litre diesel model is yet to be homologated, so official speed and economy figures are unknown, however after test-driving it in the Austrian Alps, we can vouch that it is made of tough stuff.