Here’s a stat for you to ponder, as relevant to the debate about Brexit as anything: last year Mercedes-Benz sold 179,000 cars in the UK. That was a record, and placed the marque in first place among the “premium” badges. As it happens, Audi and BMW, both on about 175,000, weren’t so far behind. So that’s well over a half-million passenger cars retailed to British customers. If they made, say, £1,000 on each on the average that’d be worth half a billion in profit between VW Group, Daimler AG and BMW. I’ll leave it there.
You need look no further for the cause of this long-term success than the latest variation on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class theme, still the benchmark for an executive car. The E-Class All-Terrain Estate is a one-model range that features a raised ride height, some tastefully applied plastic cladding around the bodywork, some other styling touches and an all-wheel drive system that adds a new dimension to the car’s already formidable complement of talents.
