Compare the2023 Audi A4 AllroadVS 2023 Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain Wagon

Both the A4 Allroad and E-Class All-Terrain Wagon have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A4 Allroad has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Audi A4 Allroad has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The A4 Allroad’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

Both the A4 Allroad and the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi A4 Allroad is safer than the Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain Wagon:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the A4 Allroad the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 176 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon has not been tested, yet.

The A4 Allroad’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s (12 vs. 5 years).

The Audi A4 Allroad’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the A4 Allroad’s reliability 21 points higher than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 18 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

On the EPA test cycle the A4 Allroad gets better fuel mileage than the E 450 All-Terrain 4MATIC (23 city/30 hwy vs. 21 city/28 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi A4 Allroad uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The A4 Allroad offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A4 Allroad’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon doesn’t offer launch control.

The A4 Allroad stops much shorter than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon:

The A4 Allroad has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better maneuverability, the A4 Allroad’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s (38.4 feet vs. 39 feet).

For greater off-road capability the A4 Allroad has a greater minimum ground clearance than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon (6.5 vs. 5.75 inches), allowing the A4 Allroad to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Audi A4 Allroad may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 pounds less than the Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.

The A4 Allroad is 7.3 inches shorter than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon, making the A4 Allroad easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 16% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

The A4 Allroad’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon’s parking brake has to be released manually.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A4 Allroad Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The E-Class All-Terrain Wagon doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Insurance will cost less for the A4 Allroad owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the A4 Allroad will cost $6820 to $7685 less than the E-Class All-Terrain Wagon over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Audi A4 Allroad will be $17803 to $25398 less than for the Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain Wagon.